1 00:00:06,424 --> 00:00:07,383 - ....get back to that breaking news. 2 00:00:08,634 --> 00:00:09,844 - We start with breaking news, - An Amber Alert. 3 00:00:09,886 --> 00:00:11,054 There is an Amber Alert. 4 00:00:11,095 --> 00:00:13,556 - An Amber Alert. - Two 15 year old boys. 5 00:00:13,598 --> 00:00:15,600 - An Amber Alert has been issued... 6 00:00:22,398 --> 00:00:24,817 - Look mama, I made this for you. 7 00:00:24,859 --> 00:00:26,319 - Dear Mom, this is for you. 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,613 I love you a lot. Love Amber. 9 00:00:33,201 --> 00:00:34,952 - Well, my daughter worries a lot, 10 00:00:34,994 --> 00:00:37,121 but I told her everything will be okay. 11 00:00:53,429 --> 00:00:56,849 - This was every parent's nightmare. 12 00:00:56,891 --> 00:01:00,937 - At that particular time, everybody is a suspect. 13 00:01:00,978 --> 00:01:02,271 We're both innocent. 14 00:01:02,313 --> 00:01:03,731 I mean, there's no reason for us to harm our child. 15 00:01:03,773 --> 00:01:06,776 - This individual may have committed this crime before. 16 00:01:06,818 --> 00:01:09,237 Who is in our circle? 17 00:01:09,278 --> 00:01:11,322 Who's around Amber all the time? 18 00:01:11,364 --> 00:01:13,699 - I immediately thought, oh, my gosh, 19 00:01:13,741 --> 00:01:15,159 she was targeted. 20 00:01:15,201 --> 00:01:16,452 - We interrupt this program to bring you 21 00:01:16,494 --> 00:01:18,746 the following News 8 Special Report. 22 00:01:18,788 --> 00:01:21,457 - We feel that this tentatively is going to be 23 00:01:21,499 --> 00:01:23,459 the body of Amber Hagerman. 24 00:01:25,503 --> 00:01:28,881 - The suspect was familiar with not only the abduction site 25 00:01:28,923 --> 00:01:31,134 but the disposal site as well. 26 00:01:31,175 --> 00:01:32,927 - We followed thousands of leads. 27 00:01:32,969 --> 00:01:34,053 What's your name again? 28 00:01:34,095 --> 00:01:35,763 - Not just hundreds, but thousands. 29 00:01:37,557 --> 00:01:39,392 - I believe there are people out there 30 00:01:39,434 --> 00:01:41,310 who know what happened. 31 00:01:41,352 --> 00:01:42,812 - It would mean a lot to be able to give 32 00:01:42,854 --> 00:01:45,815 Donna and Ricky the answer to who killed Amber. 33 00:01:47,817 --> 00:01:50,570 - This is an activation of the Amber Alert system. 34 00:01:50,611 --> 00:01:52,196 - Every time I hear a Amber Alert, 35 00:01:52,238 --> 00:01:55,199 I say to myself, it's time to go to work, Sis. 36 00:01:55,241 --> 00:01:56,659 Do your thing. 37 00:01:56,701 --> 00:01:59,162 - Everybody knows the Amber Alert. 38 00:01:59,203 --> 00:02:02,039 I want the world to know who Amber was. 39 00:02:02,081 --> 00:02:16,387 ** 40 00:02:17,805 --> 00:02:30,109 ** 41 00:02:30,151 --> 00:02:35,198 - I believe this will be my last interview. 42 00:02:35,239 --> 00:02:37,408 I'm tired of being sad. 43 00:02:38,910 --> 00:02:43,623 I'm broken because my daughter's not here. 44 00:02:43,664 --> 00:02:46,375 Normally I don't have a lot of this out. 45 00:02:47,585 --> 00:02:49,796 I normally keep it in plastic totes, 46 00:02:49,837 --> 00:02:51,339 just to keep it safe 47 00:02:51,381 --> 00:02:54,717 and not to get torn up or anything. 48 00:02:54,759 --> 00:02:58,346 {\an8}Everybody knows the Amber Alert and what it's used for. 49 00:02:58,388 --> 00:03:02,100 {\an8}I want the world to know who Amber was. 50 00:03:02,141 --> 00:03:04,685 {\an8}She was my dream. She was my everything. 51 00:03:07,271 --> 00:03:10,066 This dress here is, uh, Amber's dress 52 00:03:10,108 --> 00:03:12,860 that she wore on her ninth birthday. 53 00:03:12,902 --> 00:03:16,572 And I just couldn't seem to give it away. 54 00:03:17,698 --> 00:03:20,993 Special memories, and happy memories for Amber. 55 00:03:21,035 --> 00:03:24,372 * Happy birthday to you * 56 00:03:28,501 --> 00:03:30,878 No, no, never, ever. 57 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:33,381 I just assumed that he would get caught real quick 58 00:03:33,423 --> 00:03:36,134 and it would be done and over with 59 00:03:36,175 --> 00:03:39,679 but it didn't happen that way, so... 60 00:03:50,815 --> 00:03:53,359 - We started shooting video with 61 00:03:53,401 --> 00:03:56,821 Donna, Amber, and Ricky in August of 1995. 62 00:03:59,782 --> 00:04:03,244 There are probably between 200 and 300 tapes 63 00:04:03,286 --> 00:04:06,038 and hundreds of hours of video. 64 00:04:09,751 --> 00:04:11,753 {\an8}I don't know that I have a good answer as to why 65 00:04:11,794 --> 00:04:14,630 {\an8}I've held on to 'em for 25 years. 66 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:19,594 I think that when you look back on your life 67 00:04:19,635 --> 00:04:24,307 there are a few life-changing moments. 68 00:04:24,348 --> 00:04:29,020 I already knew that this was one of them. 69 00:04:29,062 --> 00:04:31,147 The fact that we had her alive 70 00:04:31,189 --> 00:04:32,899 and people could see her, 71 00:04:32,940 --> 00:04:36,778 usually that doesn't happen in a tragedy like this. 72 00:04:36,819 --> 00:04:39,864 Then we become an important aspect of that story 73 00:04:39,906 --> 00:04:43,409 in deciding whether we were going to release 74 00:04:43,451 --> 00:04:45,286 some of the footage that we had 75 00:04:45,328 --> 00:04:47,538 which was exclusive footage. 76 00:04:55,213 --> 00:04:57,382 Come on. 77 00:05:02,595 --> 00:05:05,181 Richard, please don't. 78 00:05:05,223 --> 00:05:08,434 - At the time I was a single mom with two children, 79 00:05:08,476 --> 00:05:10,645 and I was on welfare. 80 00:05:10,686 --> 00:05:12,897 They asked me if I wanted to be in the documentary 81 00:05:12,939 --> 00:05:17,485 and the documentary is about how women get off welfare. 82 00:05:17,527 --> 00:05:20,029 Let mommy see, Amber. 83 00:05:20,071 --> 00:05:21,489 Oh, you're going to have to color that. 84 00:05:21,531 --> 00:05:24,575 That's pretty. Look. 85 00:05:24,617 --> 00:05:26,494 Happy Halloween. When is Halloween? 86 00:05:26,536 --> 00:05:27,912 Do y'all know when Halloween is? 87 00:05:27,954 --> 00:05:30,748 - What's that? - Um, October 31st... 88 00:05:34,752 --> 00:05:37,463 - Well, they found me at a women's shelter. 89 00:05:39,507 --> 00:05:42,552 - A lot of us who were working moms 90 00:05:42,593 --> 00:05:44,887 felt like that we weren't doing enough stories 91 00:05:44,929 --> 00:05:47,390 about what families were facing 92 00:05:47,432 --> 00:05:49,809 and how to make things better. 93 00:05:49,851 --> 00:05:52,854 We wanted to have someone who fit the national profile, 94 00:05:52,895 --> 00:05:55,898 which was a single mom with two children. 95 00:05:55,940 --> 00:05:58,693 And it was really hard to find somebody 96 00:05:58,735 --> 00:06:00,445 who was willing to do that, 97 00:06:00,486 --> 00:06:02,405 and willing to share their lives. 98 00:06:02,447 --> 00:06:04,115 And I was just about to give up 99 00:06:04,157 --> 00:06:06,492 when I got a call from one-one of my contacts 100 00:06:06,534 --> 00:06:10,079 who said, I think I have somebody for you. 101 00:06:10,121 --> 00:06:11,873 - I had to think about it for a little bit. 102 00:06:11,914 --> 00:06:14,125 But maybe I could help other moms 103 00:06:14,167 --> 00:06:16,002 in the same situation I was in 104 00:06:16,044 --> 00:06:18,379 and get them on their feet like I was getting-- 105 00:06:18,421 --> 00:06:21,549 trying to get on my feet. 106 00:06:21,591 --> 00:06:25,094 When I was 18, I found out I was pregnant. 107 00:06:25,136 --> 00:06:28,431 I was terrified and scared. 108 00:06:28,473 --> 00:06:30,433 I waited 'til she was born, and then I seen 109 00:06:30,475 --> 00:06:33,728 her pretty little face, and that's Amber. 110 00:06:33,770 --> 00:06:35,688 I thought Amber was a really pretty name, 111 00:06:35,730 --> 00:06:38,191 and it just fit her pretty little face. 112 00:06:43,988 --> 00:06:46,574 - I just did a lot of walking in the neighborhood, 113 00:06:46,616 --> 00:06:48,326 with my friends, my girlfriends, 114 00:06:48,367 --> 00:06:49,702 and he was out in the yard, 115 00:06:49,744 --> 00:06:51,370 and we just started talking, 116 00:06:51,412 --> 00:06:53,998 and next thing I knew, we were together. 117 00:06:55,625 --> 00:06:58,169 'Course he was a lot older than me. 118 00:06:58,211 --> 00:06:59,879 He was like 34. 119 00:06:59,921 --> 00:07:01,756 I basically grew up with him. 120 00:07:01,798 --> 00:07:05,718 Then four years later, I got pregnant with Ricky. 121 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,888 It was wonderful. It was awesome. 122 00:07:08,930 --> 00:07:10,807 Amber said, this is my baby, Mommy. 123 00:07:10,848 --> 00:07:12,809 I said, okay, it could be your baby. 124 00:07:12,850 --> 00:07:15,895 So she just kind of put her baby brother under her wing, 125 00:07:15,937 --> 00:07:18,564 and that's where he stayed. 126 00:07:20,024 --> 00:07:21,818 I was living with her father 127 00:07:21,859 --> 00:07:24,654 until Amber was about seven. 128 00:07:24,695 --> 00:07:28,157 Ricky was about two, three. 129 00:07:28,199 --> 00:07:31,160 That's when he really started drinking a lot. 130 00:07:33,538 --> 00:07:37,166 Her father was physically abusive to me. 131 00:07:37,208 --> 00:07:39,502 He never abused my children. 132 00:07:39,544 --> 00:07:41,879 He was just really mean when he was drinking. 133 00:07:43,256 --> 00:07:44,674 He used to go out and hang out 134 00:07:44,716 --> 00:07:46,426 with his friend, Mike Thompson, 135 00:07:46,467 --> 00:07:49,470 and they would party and drink together. 136 00:07:49,512 --> 00:07:51,723 And then he'll come home or-- 137 00:07:51,764 --> 00:07:54,767 And then he'll drink more, and get drunk more. 138 00:07:54,809 --> 00:07:56,728 So the neighbors would always call the police 139 00:07:56,769 --> 00:07:58,062 because of the noise. 140 00:07:58,104 --> 00:08:00,690 And the police would always come. 141 00:08:00,732 --> 00:08:03,651 And the police-- the last time the police said, 142 00:08:03,693 --> 00:08:05,528 if we come back here again, 143 00:08:05,570 --> 00:08:07,780 we will take your children from you. 144 00:08:07,822 --> 00:08:10,533 And that's all I had to hear. 145 00:08:10,575 --> 00:08:12,452 - You want some fruit, Richard? 146 00:08:12,493 --> 00:08:13,661 You want some fruit? 147 00:08:13,703 --> 00:08:17,540 - I knew my kids need to be safe. 148 00:08:17,582 --> 00:08:20,251 I just took personal things and just left 149 00:08:20,293 --> 00:08:21,878 and never went back. 150 00:08:21,919 --> 00:08:24,672 And we stayed in my car for like two days 151 00:08:24,714 --> 00:08:26,424 in the parking lot. 152 00:08:26,466 --> 00:08:30,011 I couldn't go to my parents because he would find us there, 153 00:08:30,053 --> 00:08:34,015 and so we just kind of hid out in my car for two days. 154 00:08:34,057 --> 00:08:36,017 And then we went to the women's shelter 155 00:08:36,059 --> 00:08:38,686 and stayed there for about six weeks. 156 00:08:38,728 --> 00:08:40,396 And they helped me get an a-apartment 157 00:08:40,438 --> 00:08:42,398 and get on welfare 158 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:45,151 and help me get back on my feet. 159 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:50,615 We were still scared. 160 00:08:50,656 --> 00:08:53,534 And every little sound or every little door knock 161 00:08:53,576 --> 00:08:54,911 we would jump to the ceiling 162 00:08:54,952 --> 00:08:56,871 because we didn't know if he found out 163 00:08:56,913 --> 00:08:59,165 where we stayed at or whatever. 164 00:08:59,207 --> 00:09:02,043 And it took almost a good year before 165 00:09:02,085 --> 00:09:04,629 we could actually live life again 166 00:09:04,670 --> 00:09:07,090 and be happy again. 167 00:09:12,095 --> 00:09:14,430 - They're having a skating party for school 168 00:09:14,472 --> 00:09:16,349 and that's gonna be $3 apiece. 169 00:09:16,391 --> 00:09:17,767 I can't do that. 170 00:09:17,809 --> 00:09:20,770 {\an8}So they're a little upset about that, you know, 171 00:09:20,812 --> 00:09:23,272 {\an8}but I tell them we'll save money 172 00:09:23,314 --> 00:09:24,816 {\an8}and next time you can go. 173 00:09:25,817 --> 00:09:27,777 - You always have such a positive attitude 174 00:09:27,819 --> 00:09:29,946 no matter how much money you've got in your pocket. 175 00:09:29,987 --> 00:09:31,781 You always tell me you're not worried, 176 00:09:31,823 --> 00:09:33,282 - it'll be okay. - Yeah. 177 00:09:33,324 --> 00:09:34,700 How do you do that? 178 00:09:34,742 --> 00:09:36,536 - It's depressing sometimes but I try not to show it, 179 00:09:36,577 --> 00:09:37,954 especially in front of my kids. 180 00:09:37,995 --> 00:09:39,997 I don't want them to worry. 181 00:09:43,751 --> 00:09:46,963 I was going to school. 182 00:09:47,004 --> 00:09:50,049 I was volunteering at the food stamp office, 183 00:09:50,091 --> 00:09:52,218 and-and my kids were going to school 184 00:09:52,260 --> 00:09:54,011 and they were happy. 185 00:09:55,847 --> 00:09:57,765 - That's actually asking a lot for somebody 186 00:09:57,807 --> 00:09:59,308 to be that open with us 187 00:09:59,350 --> 00:10:01,519 and to share all the hurdles, 188 00:10:01,561 --> 00:10:03,980 the ups and downs and frustrations 189 00:10:04,021 --> 00:10:06,941 and the trials and tribulations that they go to 190 00:10:06,983 --> 00:10:09,819 for people to have a better understanding 191 00:10:09,861 --> 00:10:13,114 of what being in that situation is like. 192 00:10:13,156 --> 00:10:16,242 And so it was a journey that I couldn't have predicted. 193 00:10:16,284 --> 00:10:19,662 I couldn't have known what would happen. 194 00:10:19,704 --> 00:10:21,164 - My daughter worries a lot. 195 00:10:21,205 --> 00:10:22,790 She thinks we are going to run out of money, 196 00:10:22,832 --> 00:10:24,250 don't have no money for this or that. 197 00:10:24,292 --> 00:10:26,502 But I told her everything will be okay. 198 00:10:26,544 --> 00:10:28,171 We'll never starve. 199 00:10:28,212 --> 00:10:31,257 We'll always eat. 200 00:10:31,299 --> 00:10:33,217 - Richard tried so many times for me 201 00:10:33,259 --> 00:10:36,012 to come back and move back in with him. 202 00:10:36,054 --> 00:10:38,222 And I said, no, I cannot. 203 00:10:38,264 --> 00:10:40,183 Because I know what's going to happen. 204 00:10:40,224 --> 00:10:42,351 If I do that, you'll just go right back 205 00:10:42,393 --> 00:10:44,520 to the way you were. 206 00:10:44,562 --> 00:10:47,190 Slowly I let Richard come back into the kids' lives. 207 00:10:47,231 --> 00:10:48,691 Because that-that is their father 208 00:10:48,733 --> 00:10:51,778 and like it or not, that's-- 209 00:10:51,819 --> 00:10:54,113 I had to for my kids. 210 00:10:54,155 --> 00:10:57,867 Amber was still a little leery of him. 211 00:10:57,909 --> 00:10:59,786 She was still a little scared that maybe 212 00:10:59,827 --> 00:11:01,913 he will get drunk again. 213 00:11:01,954 --> 00:11:04,999 But eventually that kind of faded away as well. 214 00:11:05,041 --> 00:11:07,210 And they were okay together. 215 00:11:15,051 --> 00:11:18,763 * Happy birthday to you * 216 00:11:18,805 --> 00:11:22,558 * Happy birthday to you * 217 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:24,394 * Happy birthday * 218 00:11:24,435 --> 00:11:27,313 - On her ninth birthday, she had all her friends, 219 00:11:27,355 --> 00:11:30,066 and had birthday cake and ice cream. 220 00:11:30,108 --> 00:11:32,652 Make a wish and blow it out, baby. 221 00:11:32,693 --> 00:11:35,613 All right, whoo! 222 00:11:35,655 --> 00:11:37,073 Oh, boy! 223 00:11:37,115 --> 00:11:40,326 - She was just bright-eyed and wide-eyed, 224 00:11:40,368 --> 00:11:42,245 and mouth open like, yay. 225 00:11:42,286 --> 00:11:45,665 - Oh! - Look, sheets for your bed. 226 00:11:45,706 --> 00:11:48,584 - Donna's motivation was that she wanted 227 00:11:48,626 --> 00:11:51,087 to make things better for her kids. 228 00:11:51,129 --> 00:11:54,257 She was very open with us, 229 00:11:54,298 --> 00:11:58,594 and we were part of their family for months. 230 00:11:58,636 --> 00:12:02,890 And you felt like they were just part of mine, too. 231 00:12:02,932 --> 00:12:05,685 - The party's over! - The party's over? 232 00:12:05,727 --> 00:12:07,603 [chuckling] 233 00:12:07,645 --> 00:12:09,105 She's a funny little girl. 234 00:12:09,147 --> 00:12:11,941 She's takes after her grandpa with that. 235 00:12:11,983 --> 00:12:14,694 Um, she always wants to be silly. 236 00:12:14,736 --> 00:12:17,989 Very smart, fun-loving little girl. 237 00:12:53,608 --> 00:12:55,193 - Saturday is our family day, 238 00:12:55,234 --> 00:12:58,112 so we decided we wanted to go to Castle Park 239 00:12:58,154 --> 00:13:01,199 and we played there for a couple hours 240 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,034 and then they wanted to come back here 241 00:13:03,076 --> 00:13:06,287 to granny and pawpaw's house. 242 00:13:06,329 --> 00:13:08,748 It was really nice, warm winter days 243 00:13:08,790 --> 00:13:10,166 that were gorgeous days. 244 00:13:10,208 --> 00:13:13,836 Sun shining and everybody was out and about. 245 00:13:13,878 --> 00:13:16,339 They decided they wanted to ride their bicycles 246 00:13:16,381 --> 00:13:18,174 and I told them it'd be fine 247 00:13:18,216 --> 00:13:21,886 and so once we got here, they run up to the driveway 248 00:13:21,928 --> 00:13:24,055 and said hi to their pawpaw. 249 00:13:27,016 --> 00:13:28,351 And they got on their bicycles 250 00:13:28,393 --> 00:13:30,478 and went towards Claudia Street. 251 00:13:32,563 --> 00:13:35,441 - Me being the little brother, I'm gonna follow her 252 00:13:35,483 --> 00:13:37,985 wherever she goes. 253 00:13:38,027 --> 00:13:40,863 {\an8}We would always ride our bikes around the neighborhood, 254 00:13:40,905 --> 00:13:42,031 {\an8}and we did it very often, 255 00:13:42,073 --> 00:13:45,284 so I memorized the neighborhood. 256 00:13:45,326 --> 00:13:46,661 - And I hollered at them and said, 257 00:13:46,702 --> 00:13:49,497 well, y'all stay together and y'all come right back. 258 00:13:49,539 --> 00:13:51,916 And Amber turns around and she looks at me, 259 00:13:51,958 --> 00:13:54,877 okay Mommy, we will. 260 00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:56,963 And that was my last time seeing her 261 00:14:06,681 --> 00:14:07,557 {\an8}** 262 00:14:12,478 --> 00:14:16,232 {\an8}- That day we went to visit our grandparents 263 00:14:16,274 --> 00:14:18,025 {\an8}and, uh, every time we go over there 264 00:14:18,067 --> 00:14:20,111 {\an8}we-we ride our bikes. 265 00:14:22,238 --> 00:14:24,073 {\an8}We would always ride around the block 266 00:14:24,115 --> 00:14:26,617 {\an8}and come back around to Highland, 267 00:14:26,659 --> 00:14:28,453 {\an8}but that day we took a left 268 00:14:28,494 --> 00:14:30,997 {\an8}where we weren't supposed to go. 269 00:14:31,038 --> 00:14:34,625 We went to a, uh, abandoned parking lot 270 00:14:34,667 --> 00:14:37,545 that had a little, uh, ramp that we can ride down. 271 00:14:39,005 --> 00:14:41,215 We were not allowed to go to that parking lot 272 00:14:41,257 --> 00:14:43,676 without someone with us. 273 00:14:43,718 --> 00:14:47,138 But you know, kids, we don't always listen, so... 274 00:14:51,726 --> 00:14:52,935 Something came over me. 275 00:14:52,977 --> 00:14:54,979 I got afraid to get in trouble. 276 00:14:55,021 --> 00:14:57,648 So, uh, I was telling my sister, Amber, 277 00:14:57,690 --> 00:15:00,026 let's-let's go back home. Let's go back home. 278 00:15:00,068 --> 00:15:00,985 She was like, "I'll be right behind you, 279 00:15:01,027 --> 00:15:02,779 "just go ahead." 280 00:15:02,820 --> 00:15:05,198 So, I took off. 281 00:15:05,239 --> 00:15:07,116 And by the time I got home, 282 00:15:07,158 --> 00:15:09,202 I noticed she wasn't behind me. 283 00:15:09,243 --> 00:15:14,290 And my grandfather was outside in the garage working. 284 00:15:14,332 --> 00:15:17,377 He asked me where my sister was 285 00:15:17,418 --> 00:15:20,963 and so I told him, "Oh, she's over there at the ramps." 286 00:15:21,005 --> 00:15:23,216 He, uh, grabbed me and put me in the truck 287 00:15:23,257 --> 00:15:25,051 and we went to go look for her. 288 00:15:28,429 --> 00:15:31,933 We just found her bike laying there. 289 00:15:31,974 --> 00:15:36,187 And, uh... 290 00:15:36,229 --> 00:15:38,064 that's where it kinda gets a little hazy. 291 00:16:09,470 --> 00:16:10,722 {\an8}- There was a witness to this, 292 00:16:10,763 --> 00:16:13,891 {\an8}his name was Jimmie Kevil. He was 78 years old. 293 00:16:13,933 --> 00:16:16,394 {\an8}He lived there on Ruth Street. 294 00:16:16,436 --> 00:16:22,275 {\an8}He described the suspect as a non-African American male, 295 00:16:22,316 --> 00:16:24,152 {\an8}less than six feet tall 296 00:16:24,193 --> 00:16:25,570 {\an8}with medium build 297 00:16:25,611 --> 00:16:28,740 {\an8}and clearly of sufficient strength 298 00:16:28,781 --> 00:16:31,492 {\an8}that he was able to pick Amber up off of the bicycle. 299 00:16:31,534 --> 00:16:34,287 Amber's feet never hit the ground. 300 00:16:34,328 --> 00:16:37,331 Kevil also said that he just drove 301 00:16:37,373 --> 00:16:38,958 at what appeared to be 302 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,087 a normal speed across the parking lot. 303 00:16:43,129 --> 00:16:45,256 The patrol officer pulled into the parking lot 304 00:16:45,298 --> 00:16:47,216 because that's where Jimmie Kevil said 305 00:16:47,258 --> 00:16:49,260 that the offense took place. 306 00:16:49,302 --> 00:16:52,263 But as it turns out Jimmy Whitson was there. 307 00:16:52,305 --> 00:16:54,766 He's come up there to get his granddaughter, Amber. 308 00:16:54,807 --> 00:16:57,101 And there's nothing there but Amber's bicycle. 309 00:16:57,143 --> 00:17:01,064 So, you've got what Jimmie Kevil told 911 310 00:17:01,105 --> 00:17:02,899 and you've got what Jimmy Whitson 311 00:17:02,940 --> 00:17:04,442 told the patrol officer. 312 00:17:04,484 --> 00:17:08,446 The patrol officer realizes that we've got a problem here. 313 00:17:15,203 --> 00:17:18,372 - I'll never forget it, telling my mom. 314 00:17:22,126 --> 00:17:24,253 Mom... 315 00:17:30,885 --> 00:17:34,305 My mom coming out the door 316 00:17:34,347 --> 00:17:36,974 expecting all of us to-to be together 317 00:17:37,016 --> 00:17:41,854 and my grandpa telling my mom that... 318 00:17:41,896 --> 00:17:45,983 that her baby girl is gone, 319 00:17:46,025 --> 00:17:49,362 and... 320 00:17:49,404 --> 00:17:52,240 and then she lost it. 321 00:17:52,281 --> 00:17:54,409 - So I immediately started running 322 00:17:54,450 --> 00:17:55,743 and screaming her name, 323 00:17:55,785 --> 00:17:59,914 going towards where she was last seen at. 324 00:17:59,956 --> 00:18:01,374 {\an8}I was just screaming and crying 325 00:18:01,416 --> 00:18:04,335 {\an8}and screaming and crying her name, "Amber! Amber! 326 00:18:04,377 --> 00:18:06,003 {\an8}"Where are you?" You know? 327 00:18:06,045 --> 00:18:08,047 {\an8}And a few minutes later, 328 00:18:08,089 --> 00:18:10,758 {\an8}the neighbors were coming outside, 329 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:12,719 {\an8}wanting to know what was going on. 330 00:18:19,434 --> 00:18:21,728 {\an8}I immediately called Amber's father 331 00:18:21,769 --> 00:18:23,896 {\an8}at his best friend, Mike Thompson's home. 332 00:18:39,912 --> 00:18:41,497 I'm at home on a Saturday. 333 00:18:41,539 --> 00:18:44,792 It was my day off and the telephone rang 334 00:18:44,834 --> 00:18:46,377 and it was dispatch. 335 00:18:46,419 --> 00:18:50,298 {\an8}There was a possible child abduction 336 00:18:50,339 --> 00:18:54,218 {\an8}on East Abram Street in Arlington. 337 00:18:54,260 --> 00:18:57,055 My mind just goes into overdrive. 338 00:18:57,096 --> 00:18:58,264 Is there a family member 339 00:18:58,306 --> 00:18:59,807 that's come and picked up the child? 340 00:18:59,849 --> 00:19:01,726 Is there a custody issue? 341 00:19:01,768 --> 00:19:05,313 Is it someone that's known to the child, 342 00:19:05,354 --> 00:19:10,318 that has come and-and taken them? 343 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,403 That used to be a grocery store, 344 00:19:12,445 --> 00:19:15,740 and the trucks would pull in and back in. 345 00:19:15,782 --> 00:19:17,909 They'd deliver into the grocery store, 346 00:19:17,950 --> 00:19:20,369 and then of course the ramp was for the workers 347 00:19:20,411 --> 00:19:22,872 to go up and down. 348 00:19:22,914 --> 00:19:25,625 Mr. Kevil lived in this residence right here. 349 00:19:25,666 --> 00:19:28,294 He was in the backyard doing some yard work 350 00:19:28,336 --> 00:19:33,174 and then he heard a young girl scream. 351 00:19:33,216 --> 00:19:36,094 He noticed the pickup truck stopped 352 00:19:36,135 --> 00:19:38,012 right there in that area, 353 00:19:38,054 --> 00:19:39,764 the driver get out of the truck 354 00:19:39,806 --> 00:19:43,267 and grab the girl off her bicycle. 355 00:19:43,309 --> 00:19:45,645 He exited out the north side of the parking lot 356 00:19:45,686 --> 00:19:48,773 and then turned to the west. 357 00:19:48,815 --> 00:19:51,567 The interesting thing about going back to the west 358 00:19:51,609 --> 00:19:55,488 is it's back toward town and it's more congested. 359 00:19:55,530 --> 00:19:59,117 The speculation was that there was a specific place 360 00:19:59,158 --> 00:20:01,119 back to the west. 361 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:02,829 If he was from out of town, 362 00:20:02,870 --> 00:20:04,455 I think he would have gone to the east 363 00:20:04,497 --> 00:20:08,668 and accessed off of 360 to I-30 or I-20. 364 00:20:12,714 --> 00:20:14,465 {\an8}- I got a call from my husband, 365 00:20:14,507 --> 00:20:16,551 {\an8}and he said, "Donna's looking for you. 366 00:20:16,592 --> 00:20:18,469 {\an8}"She says she needs your help." 367 00:20:18,511 --> 00:20:20,638 {\an8}So I called her at Jimmy and Glenda's house, 368 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,682 {\an8}the grandparents' house. 369 00:20:22,724 --> 00:20:24,559 And I said, Donna, what's going on? 370 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,562 She goes, Amber's been taken. 371 00:20:27,603 --> 00:20:29,772 And my heart just sunk. 372 00:20:29,814 --> 00:20:32,650 I said, Okay, I will be right there. 373 00:20:32,692 --> 00:20:35,361 - My main focus was to find my baby. 374 00:20:35,403 --> 00:20:38,489 I wanted to go look for her. I wanted to go. 375 00:20:38,531 --> 00:20:41,242 But my parents are saying, "No, you have to stay here. 376 00:20:41,284 --> 00:20:43,911 "You need to be here if she comes home." 377 00:20:43,953 --> 00:20:45,455 Not too long after that, 378 00:20:45,496 --> 00:20:48,416 Richard showed up at my mother's house. 379 00:20:50,251 --> 00:20:51,753 {\an8}- There's a lot of things moving 380 00:20:51,794 --> 00:20:53,421 {\an8}in the first 15 minutes of the investigation. 381 00:20:54,464 --> 00:20:56,299 At the abduction site, one of the things you do 382 00:20:56,340 --> 00:20:58,301 is you take stock and look around 383 00:20:58,342 --> 00:20:59,761 to see what all is there, 384 00:20:59,802 --> 00:21:01,679 and also specifically what isn't there. 385 00:21:01,721 --> 00:21:03,181 Where that truck was sitting, 386 00:21:03,222 --> 00:21:06,559 if there was any dirt that would hold a tire impression, 387 00:21:06,601 --> 00:21:08,394 if the guy had smoked a cigarette, 388 00:21:08,436 --> 00:21:11,647 or anything. There was none of that. 389 00:21:11,689 --> 00:21:13,524 - We looked around the area, 390 00:21:13,566 --> 00:21:16,360 and we noticed that there was a laundromat there 391 00:21:16,402 --> 00:21:18,071 and that there were people coming and going 392 00:21:18,112 --> 00:21:19,947 from the laundromat. 393 00:21:19,989 --> 00:21:21,574 - On the west side of the laundromat, 394 00:21:21,616 --> 00:21:23,451 which is where she was abducted from, 395 00:21:23,493 --> 00:21:24,744 there are no windows, 396 00:21:24,786 --> 00:21:27,455 so no one in the laundromat could see anything 397 00:21:27,497 --> 00:21:29,707 that was going on. 398 00:21:29,749 --> 00:21:32,543 Jimmie Kevil by far, where he was standing, 399 00:21:32,585 --> 00:21:34,670 had the best vantage point. 400 00:21:34,712 --> 00:21:36,506 There's no sense in everybody sitting around 401 00:21:36,547 --> 00:21:38,091 that parking lot because she's not there. 402 00:21:43,262 --> 00:21:44,847 {\an8}- Once the call went out over the radio 403 00:21:44,889 --> 00:21:47,266 {\an8}that we had a child that had been abducted, 404 00:21:47,308 --> 00:21:49,394 {\an8}I started going all over the area, 405 00:21:49,435 --> 00:21:52,271 {\an8}looking for the suspect vehicle, 406 00:21:52,313 --> 00:21:56,567 which was a black single cab pickup truck. 407 00:21:56,609 --> 00:21:59,904 I did pull over a few black pickup trucks 408 00:21:59,946 --> 00:22:02,615 in hopes that I would be able to find the suspect 409 00:22:02,657 --> 00:22:05,451 and find Amber. 410 00:22:05,493 --> 00:22:08,204 - In Texas, pickup trucks are everywhere. 411 00:22:08,246 --> 00:22:09,580 Black pickup trucks, 412 00:22:09,622 --> 00:22:11,958 you don't really realize how many of them there are 413 00:22:11,999 --> 00:22:14,085 until you start looking for them. 414 00:22:14,127 --> 00:22:15,586 They're everywhere. 415 00:22:15,628 --> 00:22:20,258 It helps narrow things down but not much. 416 00:22:20,299 --> 00:22:22,593 When you look at that area of town, 417 00:22:22,635 --> 00:22:24,429 as he goes west on Abram Street, 418 00:22:24,470 --> 00:22:26,139 there's a number of places where he can 419 00:22:26,180 --> 00:22:29,308 get off either into a residential neighborhood 420 00:22:29,350 --> 00:22:30,601 on the south side, 421 00:22:30,643 --> 00:22:32,228 or one of these light industrial areas 422 00:22:32,270 --> 00:22:33,896 on the north side. 423 00:22:33,938 --> 00:22:37,358 - The Browning-Abram area of Arlington, Texas, 424 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,279 it's an area of town where people have owned their homes 425 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,198 sometimes for 30, 40, 50 years, 426 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,617 and so you have a very established group of people 427 00:22:46,659 --> 00:22:47,910 that are living there. 428 00:22:47,952 --> 00:22:50,580 I would not describe it as a high crime area 429 00:22:50,621 --> 00:22:55,626 or a high-risk area necessarily. 430 00:22:55,668 --> 00:22:57,503 - This type of abduction in Arlington 431 00:22:57,545 --> 00:23:00,715 is almost unheard of. 432 00:23:00,757 --> 00:23:02,216 The problem it creates for law enforcement 433 00:23:02,258 --> 00:23:04,635 is you've got to be able to get it off the ground 434 00:23:04,677 --> 00:23:06,637 in a rapid but deliberate manner. 435 00:23:06,679 --> 00:23:08,598 There's not much room for error here. 436 00:23:11,142 --> 00:23:12,185 So I got there, 437 00:23:12,226 --> 00:23:14,729 and I started going under the tape, 438 00:23:14,771 --> 00:23:16,022 and of course the police were like, 439 00:23:16,064 --> 00:23:19,025 "What are you doing?" They had to go ask Donna. 440 00:23:19,067 --> 00:23:21,944 She goes, "No, I want her to come in." 441 00:23:21,986 --> 00:23:24,238 And they were all looking at each other, 442 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,658 "Why is this reporter just walking into the house 443 00:23:27,700 --> 00:23:30,161 "like she knows these people?" 444 00:23:30,203 --> 00:23:32,038 But I did. Uh, I knew them. 445 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,082 I'd been living their lives with them. 446 00:23:34,123 --> 00:23:36,709 We just kept documenting what was happening 447 00:23:36,751 --> 00:23:38,628 and being with the family 448 00:23:38,669 --> 00:23:43,132 and really showing their side of the story. 449 00:23:43,174 --> 00:23:46,010 - On that day, once all the police were involved, 450 00:23:46,052 --> 00:23:48,179 everyone asking me, "Did you see anything? 451 00:23:48,221 --> 00:23:49,680 "Did you see anybody? 452 00:23:49,722 --> 00:23:51,224 "It's very important that, you know, 453 00:23:51,265 --> 00:23:55,978 "if you did see anybody, anything just tell me, 454 00:23:56,020 --> 00:23:58,356 "so we can do something about it." 455 00:23:58,398 --> 00:24:00,566 And I didn't have an answer. 456 00:24:00,608 --> 00:24:03,319 I didn't see anybody. 457 00:24:03,361 --> 00:24:06,656 - If we had only been able to get that word out immediately 458 00:24:06,697 --> 00:24:09,033 then maybe somebody on that street 459 00:24:09,075 --> 00:24:11,953 where he turned would have seen him immediately. 460 00:24:24,215 --> 00:24:25,508 - Amber was abducted at about 3:20 in the afternoon. 461 00:24:30,054 --> 00:24:33,182 Somewhere around 4:30, the police department 462 00:24:33,224 --> 00:24:35,727 contacted the various media outlets 463 00:24:35,768 --> 00:24:37,478 and was trying to get them there. 464 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,480 {\an8}But what I truly wish 465 00:24:39,522 --> 00:24:42,233 {\an8}is that there would have been a method 466 00:24:42,275 --> 00:24:44,986 {\an8}that we could have got more information out faster. 467 00:24:49,323 --> 00:24:51,868 {\an8}- I remember I was in shorts and a T-shirt. 468 00:24:51,909 --> 00:24:54,912 {\an8}On January 13, even for Texas, that's not common. 469 00:24:54,954 --> 00:24:56,831 {\an8}It was unseasonably warm. 470 00:24:56,873 --> 00:24:59,751 {\an8}And I remember being at home and got a call. 471 00:24:59,792 --> 00:25:03,337 {\an8}They said we had a witness saw a girl get abducted. 472 00:25:03,379 --> 00:25:07,050 {\an8}I said, "I'm on my way." 473 00:25:07,091 --> 00:25:09,010 {\an8}I drove down the streets 474 00:25:09,052 --> 00:25:10,970 {\an8}of this little residential neighborhood 475 00:25:11,012 --> 00:25:13,681 {\an8}and I could already see all these TV vans 476 00:25:13,723 --> 00:25:16,017 {\an8}just lined up and I remember thinking, 477 00:25:16,059 --> 00:25:18,394 {\an8}"Oh, my God, this is what they mean 478 00:25:18,436 --> 00:25:20,313 {\an8}"when they say 'media circus.'" 479 00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:28,029 {\an8}- Statistics show that in 74% of the cases 480 00:25:28,071 --> 00:25:31,157 {\an8}where an abducted child is murdered, 481 00:25:31,199 --> 00:25:33,534 {\an8}they're killed within the first three hours. 482 00:25:33,576 --> 00:25:35,578 {\an8}So time is of the essence 483 00:25:35,620 --> 00:25:37,705 {\an8}and getting that information out 484 00:25:37,747 --> 00:25:41,459 {\an8}to the public is just critical. 485 00:25:41,501 --> 00:25:43,378 {\an8}This was the '90s. 486 00:25:43,419 --> 00:25:46,547 The fastest way that you were going to get out information 487 00:25:46,589 --> 00:25:48,216 would be the 6 o'clock news. 488 00:25:48,257 --> 00:25:51,302 And so, of course, there was a lag time. 489 00:25:51,344 --> 00:25:52,345 It doesn't sound like 490 00:25:52,387 --> 00:25:53,679 someone that the little girl knew, 491 00:25:53,721 --> 00:25:55,890 or someone that she was going with voluntarily. 492 00:25:55,932 --> 00:25:58,810 - We set up a command post out by the residence 493 00:25:58,851 --> 00:26:01,896 at her grandparents' house. 494 00:26:01,938 --> 00:26:04,774 The media was responding, huge response. 495 00:26:04,816 --> 00:26:07,693 I mean, every station as far as they could get 496 00:26:07,735 --> 00:26:11,906 had Live trucks there. 497 00:26:11,948 --> 00:26:13,032 One of the things we were doing 498 00:26:13,074 --> 00:26:14,492 is we're trying to keep track 499 00:26:14,534 --> 00:26:15,952 of who was coming to the house, 500 00:26:15,993 --> 00:26:17,286 who was coming to the door, 501 00:26:17,328 --> 00:26:20,498 who knew Donna, Richard and their family, 502 00:26:20,540 --> 00:26:22,667 and what their relationship was. 503 00:26:22,708 --> 00:26:24,585 {\an8}- The police were asking me, you know, 504 00:26:24,627 --> 00:26:26,671 {\an8}who is in my-- in our circle, 505 00:26:26,713 --> 00:26:27,755 {\an8}you know, who's around us, 506 00:26:27,797 --> 00:26:29,298 {\an8}who's around Amber all the time? 507 00:26:29,340 --> 00:26:31,175 Who's around Ricky all the time? 508 00:26:31,217 --> 00:26:33,302 And so, that's when we thought about Pam, 509 00:26:33,344 --> 00:26:34,929 and I was telling them about Pam Curry 510 00:26:34,971 --> 00:26:37,181 and the documentary. 511 00:26:37,223 --> 00:26:40,268 - This is my 1st grade group picture 512 00:26:40,309 --> 00:26:42,520 and these are my friends and Ms. Riley. 513 00:26:43,980 --> 00:26:47,275 {\an8}- Look, what's that thing that goes on it? 514 00:26:47,316 --> 00:26:51,070 {\an8}- We had footage of this little girl alive 515 00:26:51,112 --> 00:26:53,990 {\an8}not some grainy picture that we were gonna slap up. 516 00:26:54,031 --> 00:26:55,950 {\an8}And back then, that's what you did 517 00:26:55,992 --> 00:26:59,120 {\an8}in a tragic news story like this. 518 00:26:59,162 --> 00:27:00,788 That's all the family had to rely on 519 00:27:00,830 --> 00:27:03,750 is to throw up a still picture. 520 00:27:03,791 --> 00:27:06,210 We put together a clip reel 521 00:27:06,252 --> 00:27:09,380 of some of the best identifiable footage 522 00:27:09,422 --> 00:27:11,340 that I had from shooting the documentary. 523 00:27:12,508 --> 00:27:14,469 - It was heart-wrenching, the video was. 524 00:27:14,510 --> 00:27:16,387 I mean it was her blowing out the candles 525 00:27:16,429 --> 00:27:17,805 of her birthday cake. 526 00:27:17,847 --> 00:27:19,724 It was her mom putting her to bed. 527 00:27:19,766 --> 00:27:21,684 It was her playing Ring Around the Rosie 528 00:27:21,726 --> 00:27:23,144 out in the yard with her friends 529 00:27:23,186 --> 00:27:24,812 at her birthday party. 530 00:27:24,854 --> 00:27:26,147 It was her going to school. 531 00:27:26,189 --> 00:27:29,650 I mean, it made her such a person. 532 00:27:29,692 --> 00:27:31,819 I read, um, 89 books. 533 00:27:31,861 --> 00:27:33,237 89? 534 00:27:33,279 --> 00:27:36,991 - I immediately thought, "Oh, my gosh, this is it. 535 00:27:37,033 --> 00:27:39,994 "Someone saw that on TV and that she was targeted. 536 00:27:40,036 --> 00:27:42,163 "You know, they'd seen her on TV." 537 00:27:42,205 --> 00:27:44,665 And they said, "None of it's aired. 538 00:27:44,707 --> 00:27:48,002 "Not one bit of it has aired." 539 00:27:48,044 --> 00:27:51,130 - On the day that Amber was kidnapped, 540 00:27:51,172 --> 00:27:55,301 we had finished the welfare documentary, 541 00:27:55,343 --> 00:27:58,930 and it was gonna be airing the next week. 542 00:27:58,971 --> 00:28:01,015 - Fairy stories. - Fairy tales. 543 00:28:01,057 --> 00:28:04,310 Fairy tales. 544 00:28:04,352 --> 00:28:06,020 - I mean this just touched everyone's heart 545 00:28:06,062 --> 00:28:08,523 and I thought this is the absolute best break 546 00:28:08,564 --> 00:28:10,066 we could possibly get. 547 00:28:10,108 --> 00:28:12,193 Because everyone's going to remember this now. 548 00:28:15,988 --> 00:28:17,156 {\an8}I won't say it threw us, 549 00:28:17,198 --> 00:28:22,370 {\an8}but it was something that was highly unusual. 550 00:28:22,412 --> 00:28:24,539 {\an8}We had never been on a case where somebody had already had 551 00:28:24,580 --> 00:28:25,957 {\an8}a television crew following them around 552 00:28:25,998 --> 00:28:28,418 {\an8}taking footage of it. 553 00:28:28,459 --> 00:28:30,628 And we used that footage not only to try 554 00:28:30,670 --> 00:28:33,756 and give people an idea of what Amber looked like, 555 00:28:33,798 --> 00:28:37,969 but also the idea of who Amber was. 556 00:28:38,010 --> 00:28:39,887 - Having the footage of Amber 557 00:28:39,929 --> 00:28:42,890 really showed the community 558 00:28:42,932 --> 00:28:45,351 the person they needed to track down 559 00:28:45,393 --> 00:28:48,146 if they see the black pickup truck 560 00:28:48,187 --> 00:28:49,731 and here's what she looks like 561 00:28:49,772 --> 00:28:53,067 and her mannerisms. 562 00:28:53,109 --> 00:28:56,487 - That made a tremendous impact 563 00:28:56,529 --> 00:28:58,072 on the community. 564 00:29:03,619 --> 00:29:06,205 - Eventually there were just cameras everywhere. 565 00:29:06,247 --> 00:29:09,876 Everywhere I turned there was a camera in my face. 566 00:29:09,917 --> 00:29:12,003 Don't hurt my baby. Please. 567 00:29:12,045 --> 00:29:14,088 She's just an innocent child. 568 00:29:14,130 --> 00:29:18,384 Please. Please bring her home safe. 569 00:29:18,426 --> 00:29:19,927 Please. 570 00:29:19,969 --> 00:29:22,388 {\an8}- If anybody out there's seen anything, 571 00:29:22,430 --> 00:29:25,058 {\an8}call the police, tell them, let them know. 572 00:29:25,099 --> 00:29:28,478 {\an8}- I was on every camera I could find 573 00:29:28,519 --> 00:29:32,190 {\an8}begging, "Please, let my little girl go." 574 00:29:36,944 --> 00:29:38,154 You know, she's smart. 575 00:29:38,196 --> 00:29:41,199 She could find her way home, just let her go. 576 00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:47,497 I didn't eat, I couldn't sleep, 577 00:29:47,538 --> 00:29:52,835 I couldn't do anything but watch the TV, 578 00:29:52,877 --> 00:29:57,131 beg for him to let her come back home. 579 00:29:57,173 --> 00:29:58,383 - Just waiting for her to come in the door 580 00:29:58,424 --> 00:30:01,761 any minute now, which is hard. 581 00:30:03,346 --> 00:30:06,224 - It was just a lot of sitting and waiting 582 00:30:06,265 --> 00:30:09,811 and just gut-wrenching. 583 00:30:09,852 --> 00:30:13,439 It was a helplessness, a hopeful still. 584 00:30:13,481 --> 00:30:18,403 But she couldn't do anything but just be there. 585 00:30:21,072 --> 00:30:23,825 What started out as a welfare documentary 586 00:30:23,866 --> 00:30:28,204 that was really focused on Donna and Amber and Ricky, 587 00:30:28,246 --> 00:30:31,207 turned into a real true-crime documentary. 588 00:30:36,879 --> 00:30:41,134 {\an8}- We started getting tips and leads on Amber's abduction 589 00:30:41,175 --> 00:30:42,844 {\an8}almost immediately. 590 00:30:42,885 --> 00:30:44,262 {\an8}As soon as it hit the news, 591 00:30:44,303 --> 00:30:47,056 {\an8}people started calling in with leads. 592 00:30:47,098 --> 00:30:48,516 {\an8}What's your name again? 593 00:30:48,558 --> 00:30:52,145 {\an8}- We never anticipated the number of leads 594 00:30:52,186 --> 00:30:54,689 {\an8}and calls from the general public 595 00:30:54,731 --> 00:30:58,609 {\an8}that we were going to get. 596 00:30:58,651 --> 00:31:01,112 - And then they were also talking to anybody 597 00:31:01,154 --> 00:31:04,365 who they considered to be, you know, 598 00:31:04,407 --> 00:31:05,700 involved with the family, 599 00:31:05,742 --> 00:31:09,704 which included me and my photographers. 600 00:31:09,746 --> 00:31:11,622 - The people from the television affiliate, 601 00:31:11,664 --> 00:31:15,043 they had quite a bit of footage of her, and of course, 602 00:31:15,084 --> 00:31:16,335 one of the things you've got to do 603 00:31:16,377 --> 00:31:18,880 in any investigation is find out who they are 604 00:31:18,921 --> 00:31:23,468 because at that particular time everybody is a suspect. 605 00:31:23,509 --> 00:31:25,553 - It was still a little intimidating 606 00:31:25,595 --> 00:31:27,305 that you had to go through that. 607 00:31:27,346 --> 00:31:30,808 But you wanted to do what you could to help. 608 00:31:30,850 --> 00:31:32,226 - We identified who they were 609 00:31:32,268 --> 00:31:34,020 and interviewed several of them. 610 00:31:34,062 --> 00:31:35,188 There was no question in our mind 611 00:31:35,229 --> 00:31:37,732 that whoever took her had nothing to do 612 00:31:37,774 --> 00:31:40,610 with that television crew. 613 00:31:42,737 --> 00:31:44,113 I am hopeful. 614 00:31:44,155 --> 00:31:47,492 I pray all the time that the little girl won't be hurt. 615 00:31:47,533 --> 00:31:51,579 That's all we got to live on right now is prayer. 616 00:31:51,621 --> 00:31:53,372 - I have a five-year-old and a 20-month-old 617 00:31:53,414 --> 00:31:56,417 and I just-- I can't imagine it. 618 00:31:56,459 --> 00:32:00,213 - I think she's probably really, really scared. 619 00:32:00,254 --> 00:32:02,215 I'm just sitting tight. 620 00:32:02,256 --> 00:32:03,758 I don't know what to do. 621 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:05,760 You know, I want to help and I want to go get her 622 00:32:05,802 --> 00:32:07,136 but I can't get her. 623 00:32:07,178 --> 00:32:08,763 You know, I don't know where she's at. 624 00:32:15,645 --> 00:32:18,106 {\an8}- It was like, I think, you know, 625 00:32:18,147 --> 00:32:21,025 {\an8}two or three weeks prior to 626 00:32:21,067 --> 00:32:22,527 {\an8}but we didn't get along at that time 627 00:32:22,568 --> 00:32:29,575 {\an8}so we did mostly just phone conversations. 628 00:32:29,617 --> 00:32:32,120 {\an8}- I met Richard that night when Amber was kidnapped. 629 00:32:32,161 --> 00:32:35,123 {\an8}It was a little bit of a tense situation 630 00:32:35,164 --> 00:32:38,000 {\an8}because he didn't know what I was doing. 631 00:32:38,042 --> 00:32:41,337 {\an8}He was a little leery of that, as I'm sure anybody would be 632 00:32:41,379 --> 00:32:43,631 {\an8}but we just kept doing what we'd been doing 633 00:32:43,673 --> 00:32:45,216 {\an8}for so many months. 634 00:32:53,933 --> 00:32:57,979 {\an8}- No, no. It-it wasn't abusive. 635 00:32:58,020 --> 00:32:59,272 {\an8}You know, I may have yelled. 636 00:32:59,313 --> 00:33:01,232 {\an8}I may have yelled in the past, 637 00:33:01,274 --> 00:33:03,860 {\an8}but my dad yelled at me and he yelled a-at my mom. 638 00:33:03,901 --> 00:33:05,737 {\an8}That's two people trying to work something out. 639 00:33:05,778 --> 00:33:07,488 {\an8}- One of the things that is critical 640 00:33:07,530 --> 00:33:09,657 {\an8}in the opening phases of the investigation 641 00:33:09,699 --> 00:33:13,327 {\an8}is to try and establish the family dynamics. 642 00:33:13,369 --> 00:33:17,707 {\an8}Amber's gone but we don't know who took her. 643 00:33:17,749 --> 00:33:20,043 - Richard and I, at the time, we were battling 644 00:33:20,084 --> 00:33:22,003 and we were not getting along. 645 00:33:22,045 --> 00:33:24,839 And he was angry with me for leaving him. 646 00:33:24,881 --> 00:33:28,217 - Nowadays standards, an argument is-is violence. 647 00:33:28,259 --> 00:33:30,344 And that's not-- to me, that's not true. 648 00:33:30,386 --> 00:33:31,763 An argument's an argument. 649 00:33:31,804 --> 00:33:33,639 - All of these investigative things 650 00:33:33,681 --> 00:33:34,766 come into play. 651 00:33:34,807 --> 00:33:37,602 It's not a very kind world to live in. 652 00:33:37,643 --> 00:33:40,980 {\an8}The dad's out of the picture, where was he? 653 00:33:41,022 --> 00:33:42,023 {\an8}Who does he know? 654 00:33:42,065 --> 00:33:43,316 {\an8}You have to just suspect anything 655 00:33:49,781 --> 00:33:50,031 {\an8}** 656 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:52,533 {\an8}We're both innocent. 657 00:33:52,575 --> 00:33:53,826 {\an8}I mean, there's no reason for us to harm our child. 658 00:33:53,868 --> 00:33:56,412 {\an8}We want our child back. We want our child found. 659 00:34:01,584 --> 00:34:04,295 - Friends and family continue to post notices 660 00:34:04,337 --> 00:34:07,048 and seek clues in the search for Amber. 661 00:34:07,090 --> 00:34:09,467 - We're more upset because there's nothing we can do. 662 00:34:09,509 --> 00:34:11,094 Nobody knows anything. That's the thing. 663 00:34:11,135 --> 00:34:14,847 We can't do anything. You don't know where to look. 664 00:34:19,936 --> 00:34:25,691 {\an8}- Day three, we did not have an individual identified. 665 00:34:25,733 --> 00:34:27,902 {\an8}Of course, in any investigation like this 666 00:34:27,944 --> 00:34:30,655 {\an8}you start at the core and work out. 667 00:34:30,696 --> 00:34:33,032 {\an8}- Less than one percent of child abduction cases 668 00:34:33,074 --> 00:34:36,702 {\an8}in the United States, are stranger abductions, 669 00:34:36,744 --> 00:34:39,914 {\an8}children who are taken by someone that they do not know. 670 00:34:39,956 --> 00:34:43,167 The majority of the cases in this country 671 00:34:43,209 --> 00:34:45,628 are family abductions. 672 00:34:45,670 --> 00:34:47,880 - We're trying to identify Richard's movements 673 00:34:47,922 --> 00:34:50,341 for January the 13th. 674 00:34:50,383 --> 00:34:52,635 He told us that-- in the afternoon 675 00:34:52,677 --> 00:34:54,470 that he went down to the mini warehouse, 676 00:34:54,512 --> 00:34:57,181 going to one of the stalls. 677 00:34:57,223 --> 00:35:00,143 - And we got him on surveillance video 678 00:35:00,184 --> 00:35:01,519 not a care in the world, 679 00:35:01,561 --> 00:35:05,732 no idea that anything amiss had happened 680 00:35:05,773 --> 00:35:07,191 but we went down to the mini warehouse 681 00:35:07,233 --> 00:35:08,359 and searched it anyway 682 00:35:08,401 --> 00:35:10,903 and of course there was nothing there. 683 00:35:10,945 --> 00:35:12,572 {\an8}- So without a doubt, we were able to 684 00:35:12,613 --> 00:35:14,532 {\an8}eliminate Richard as a suspect, 685 00:35:14,574 --> 00:35:16,951 {\an8}because of him being on video at another location, 686 00:35:16,993 --> 00:35:19,537 {\an8}and he physically could not have been at the location 687 00:35:19,579 --> 00:35:22,540 {\an8}to abduct his daughter. 688 00:35:22,582 --> 00:35:24,751 {\an8}- For a split second, I did think 689 00:35:24,792 --> 00:35:28,171 {\an8}Richard might have had something to do with it. 690 00:35:28,212 --> 00:35:31,549 Once Richard got there, when I seen him face-to-face 691 00:35:31,591 --> 00:35:34,802 and how much shock he was in that Amber was taken 692 00:35:34,844 --> 00:35:37,638 and how confused he was, how can this happen, 693 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:38,806 and I knew right then and there 694 00:35:38,848 --> 00:35:42,226 that he had nothing to do with it. 695 00:35:42,268 --> 00:35:45,104 - I will say this for him, that when he was interviewed 696 00:35:45,146 --> 00:35:46,898 he bared his soul. 697 00:35:46,939 --> 00:35:51,444 I mean he just, anything we asked he told us 698 00:35:51,486 --> 00:35:53,696 because he didn't want us wasting time on that. 699 00:35:53,738 --> 00:35:55,698 And the best way to get away from that 700 00:35:55,740 --> 00:35:59,911 is to tell us anything and everything we need to know. 701 00:35:59,952 --> 00:36:01,579 - Amber, baby, if you're seeing me, 702 00:36:01,621 --> 00:36:03,790 if you hear Daddy, we love you, 703 00:36:03,831 --> 00:36:10,421 Mommy loves you. Miss you, 704 00:36:10,463 --> 00:36:13,966 we need you-- need you to come home. 705 00:36:14,008 --> 00:36:16,386 - I remember thinking that that must have been 706 00:36:16,427 --> 00:36:18,012 so hard for her. 707 00:36:18,054 --> 00:36:22,266 {\an8}Given that theirs had not been, from what she told me, 708 00:36:22,308 --> 00:36:24,435 {\an8}an amicable parting. 709 00:36:24,477 --> 00:36:29,148 {\an8}And so I think she just kept focused on 710 00:36:29,190 --> 00:36:30,608 {\an8}what needed to be done. 711 00:36:30,650 --> 00:36:34,570 {\an8}And she didn't really let any of that get in her way. 712 00:36:36,322 --> 00:36:37,615 I did love him at one point 713 00:36:37,657 --> 00:36:40,284 and he is the father of my two children. 714 00:36:40,326 --> 00:36:43,579 I think he knew in his mind that he-- 715 00:36:43,621 --> 00:36:44,789 he should be there 716 00:36:44,831 --> 00:36:49,502 and he should help support me a-and Ricky. 717 00:36:49,544 --> 00:36:51,587 - It's very typical for law enforcement 718 00:36:51,629 --> 00:36:54,632 to immediately interview the family 719 00:36:54,674 --> 00:36:56,968 after a child abduction case. 720 00:36:57,009 --> 00:37:02,014 And then quickly eliminate them and then work on other people 721 00:37:02,056 --> 00:37:05,143 that may have had some sort of interaction 722 00:37:05,184 --> 00:37:08,521 with the child. 723 00:37:08,563 --> 00:37:10,815 - Even though you have every indication, 724 00:37:10,857 --> 00:37:14,569 at least initially that this was a stranger abduction, 725 00:37:14,610 --> 00:37:17,155 it doesn't mean that you can just walk away 726 00:37:17,196 --> 00:37:19,574 from other potential leads. 727 00:37:21,451 --> 00:37:22,827 {\an8}- One of the other things that we look at 728 00:37:22,869 --> 00:37:24,328 {\an8}is the friends of the family. 729 00:37:24,370 --> 00:37:29,083 {\an8}In this case there was a man named Mike Thompson. 730 00:37:29,125 --> 00:37:31,335 {\an8}- There were people that immediately 731 00:37:31,377 --> 00:37:32,879 {\an8}voiced suspicion about him 732 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:34,130 {\an8}when they heard what had happened 733 00:37:34,172 --> 00:37:36,007 {\an8}that there might be some involvement there. 734 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,094 {\an8}- We're going to take Mr. Thompson with us for a while 735 00:37:40,136 --> 00:37:41,929 {\an8}and we're going to talk to him some more. 736 00:37:41,971 --> 00:37:44,432 {\an8}- Mike Thompson was frequently part-- 737 00:37:44,474 --> 00:37:46,184 {\an8}part of kind of the family outings 738 00:37:46,225 --> 00:37:47,685 {\an8}and things like that. 739 00:37:47,727 --> 00:37:50,396 {\an8}He kind of held himself out to be a family spokesperson 740 00:37:50,438 --> 00:37:51,856 {\an8}if needed. 741 00:37:51,898 --> 00:37:53,900 {\an8}- You're here and you're not hearing anything. 742 00:37:53,941 --> 00:37:57,111 {\an8}It's frustrating and for Donna it's more frustrating 743 00:37:57,153 --> 00:37:59,822 {\an8}than to the rest of us. 744 00:37:59,864 --> 00:38:01,866 - Especially in high profile crime, 745 00:38:01,908 --> 00:38:03,242 if we've got someone who is trying to 746 00:38:03,284 --> 00:38:05,244 actively insert themselves into the investigation, 747 00:38:05,286 --> 00:38:09,540 one of the first things I want to know is, why? 748 00:38:09,582 --> 00:38:10,833 One of the things that we learned 749 00:38:10,875 --> 00:38:12,126 in interviewing Mike Thompson 750 00:38:12,168 --> 00:38:16,589 is that he also drove a black truck. 751 00:38:16,631 --> 00:38:18,925 - I've got a black truck so, you know, 752 00:38:18,966 --> 00:38:21,094 they automatically they have to look. 753 00:38:21,135 --> 00:38:24,097 I welcome the-the opportunity to, uh, you know, 754 00:38:24,138 --> 00:38:25,098 do whatever is necessary 755 00:38:25,139 --> 00:38:26,265 to show 'em that they're looking 756 00:38:31,771 --> 00:38:32,939 {\an8}** 757 00:38:38,069 --> 00:38:40,154 {\an8}- We've got certainly a group of potential suspects 758 00:38:40,196 --> 00:38:42,740 {\an8}we've identified and people that we're checking on, 759 00:38:42,782 --> 00:38:44,617 {\an8}but whether one of those is an actual suspect 760 00:38:44,659 --> 00:38:47,995 {\an8}or not it's too early to say. 761 00:38:48,037 --> 00:38:50,456 {\an8}- When Amber was abducted, there were a lot of people 762 00:38:50,498 --> 00:38:51,666 {\an8}coming in and going 763 00:38:51,707 --> 00:38:53,251 {\an8}and I was just kind of looking at people. 764 00:38:53,292 --> 00:38:55,920 {\an8}You know, do you know where my baby is? 765 00:38:55,962 --> 00:38:58,131 {\an8}I wanted answers. I wanted my baby back home. 766 00:39:04,011 --> 00:39:06,347 {\an8}- Police are still talking with family and friends, 767 00:39:06,389 --> 00:39:07,849 {\an8}most recently Mike Thompson. 768 00:39:07,890 --> 00:39:09,851 {\an8}Amber's father stays with Thompson, 769 00:39:09,892 --> 00:39:14,147 {\an8}who also drives a black pickup truck. 770 00:39:14,188 --> 00:39:16,858 {\an8}- Now, how do you know Richard and Donna? 771 00:39:16,899 --> 00:39:18,109 {\an8}- I mean, we've just always been, 772 00:39:18,151 --> 00:39:20,194 {\an8}not just a working relationship, but you know, 773 00:39:20,236 --> 00:39:23,030 {\an8}our friendship develops and, uh, you're there for each other. 774 00:39:23,072 --> 00:39:25,074 - When you heard the description was a black truck, 775 00:39:25,116 --> 00:39:26,909 did-did you suddenly have the reaction of, 776 00:39:26,951 --> 00:39:29,120 "Oh, why did it have to be a black truck?" 777 00:39:29,162 --> 00:39:30,538 - I mean, everybody's focusing on it now, 778 00:39:30,580 --> 00:39:32,832 but you know, I got people, oh, there's a black truck 779 00:39:32,874 --> 00:39:34,834 and I'm going, the funny part about it, 780 00:39:34,876 --> 00:39:36,544 when I first got here on the scene, 781 00:39:36,586 --> 00:39:38,504 the first thing Saturday afternoon, 782 00:39:38,546 --> 00:39:40,798 there's cops all over here. 783 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:42,050 And I'm never once questioned. 784 00:39:42,091 --> 00:39:44,761 I'm never once asked about my black truck, 785 00:39:44,802 --> 00:39:48,139 never, until sometime late Sunday. 786 00:39:48,181 --> 00:39:50,391 - Mike Thompson drove a delivery truck 787 00:39:50,433 --> 00:39:51,893 and delivered auto parts. 788 00:39:51,934 --> 00:39:53,978 {\an8}And every time he made a delivery, 789 00:39:54,020 --> 00:39:55,688 {\an8}there was a time stamp. 790 00:39:55,730 --> 00:39:58,232 {\an8}And on January the 13th, 791 00:39:58,274 --> 00:40:02,570 {\an8}he was 30 minutes, 45 minutes away. 792 00:40:02,612 --> 00:40:04,030 The other part about it was, 793 00:40:04,072 --> 00:40:06,407 Mike Thompson was friends with Richard. 794 00:40:06,449 --> 00:40:08,576 If he wanted to get Amber in the car with him, 795 00:40:08,618 --> 00:40:12,038 all he had to do would've been just pull up and ask her. 796 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:14,415 - Had it been someone that she knew, 797 00:40:14,457 --> 00:40:16,501 why do the blitz attack? 798 00:40:16,542 --> 00:40:20,421 There was no attempt at all to engage Amber in conversation 799 00:40:20,463 --> 00:40:22,298 according to Jimmie Kevil. 800 00:40:22,340 --> 00:40:25,426 That's another reason why we believe that 801 00:40:25,468 --> 00:40:26,386 it was a stranger, 802 00:40:26,427 --> 00:40:28,763 someone that was unknown to Amber. 803 00:40:28,805 --> 00:40:31,099 This type of abduction is rare. 804 00:40:31,140 --> 00:40:34,644 And of course, on one hand that's good because, you know, 805 00:40:34,685 --> 00:40:36,813 it means the community's a little safer. 806 00:40:36,854 --> 00:40:40,817 On the other hand, the case incensed the community. 807 00:40:40,858 --> 00:40:43,528 {\an8}- This took over pretty much every aspect 808 00:40:43,569 --> 00:40:45,029 {\an8}of the city and community. 809 00:40:45,071 --> 00:40:47,615 {\an8}It was all about Amber. 810 00:40:47,657 --> 00:40:49,826 It wasn't just her neighborhood. 811 00:40:49,867 --> 00:40:53,538 It was the entire city just covered in pink bows. 812 00:40:53,579 --> 00:40:56,874 You saw them all over trees and street signs. 813 00:40:56,916 --> 00:40:59,627 It was all anyone could talk about. 814 00:40:59,669 --> 00:41:03,005 - The community really cared about my little girl 815 00:41:03,047 --> 00:41:05,800 and what happened to her. 816 00:41:05,842 --> 00:41:07,051 The waiting's really killing me. 817 00:41:07,093 --> 00:41:09,011 It's hard to wait. 818 00:41:09,053 --> 00:41:12,390 But I know I have to keep strong for my little girl. 819 00:41:12,432 --> 00:41:16,477 - I just hope she's okay and she can come back real soon. 820 00:41:16,519 --> 00:41:18,813 We-we all miss her a lot. 821 00:41:18,855 --> 00:41:20,148 - How could they not see something? 822 00:41:20,189 --> 00:41:24,110 Look how busy this street is! 823 00:41:24,152 --> 00:41:28,406 {\an8}- You see the fear in their eyes and as a detective, 824 00:41:28,448 --> 00:41:31,159 {\an8}as an investigator, as a police officer, 825 00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:33,035 {\an8}it's very frustrating 826 00:41:33,077 --> 00:41:36,497 {\an8}because you want to be able to take that fear way. 827 00:41:36,539 --> 00:41:40,543 {\an8}You want to be able to solve that crime. 828 00:41:43,588 --> 00:41:46,340 {\an8}- We knew that a task force needed to be formed 829 00:41:46,382 --> 00:41:49,177 {\an8}that could control the leads and tips 830 00:41:49,218 --> 00:41:51,804 {\an8}as far as making sure that each one was looked at. 831 00:41:51,846 --> 00:41:54,182 {\an8}But again, not doubling the effort. 832 00:41:54,223 --> 00:41:56,142 - We were a freestanding task force. 833 00:41:56,184 --> 00:41:59,103 We had 15 detectives that they had dedicated to us. 834 00:41:59,145 --> 00:42:01,355 I needed people who were very good 835 00:42:01,397 --> 00:42:03,858 at interview and interrogation, 836 00:42:03,900 --> 00:42:07,111 who had a very strong attention to detail. 837 00:42:07,153 --> 00:42:09,363 They didn't let little things slip by them. 838 00:42:09,405 --> 00:42:11,699 And I needed people that did not know 839 00:42:11,741 --> 00:42:13,367 the meaning of the word quit. 840 00:42:13,409 --> 00:42:15,203 - While we were still looking for Amber, 841 00:42:15,244 --> 00:42:17,288 these teams of detectives and FBI agents 842 00:42:17,330 --> 00:42:21,167 were going out contacting registered sex offenders. 843 00:42:21,209 --> 00:42:22,919 - This unit that has come to town 844 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,755 {\an8}has a tremendous amount of expertise 845 00:42:25,797 --> 00:42:28,883 {\an8}in child abduction cases and that is why they're here. 846 00:42:28,925 --> 00:42:32,595 {\an8}- We assume that because she was 9 years old 847 00:42:32,637 --> 00:42:34,013 and it was a female 848 00:42:34,055 --> 00:42:36,432 that there's a sexual component to this, 849 00:42:36,474 --> 00:42:41,062 and it's what drove the investigation. 850 00:42:41,104 --> 00:42:42,688 - We started looking at sex offenders 851 00:42:42,730 --> 00:42:46,734 who had offended against girls in the age range of seven to 12 852 00:42:46,776 --> 00:42:49,112 and then you expand out from there. 853 00:42:52,448 --> 00:42:54,575 - We actually mapped this out on a grid to make sure that 854 00:42:54,617 --> 00:42:58,538 we had contacted every resident, if possible. 855 00:42:58,579 --> 00:43:00,748 When we interviewed people, we'd find out, 856 00:43:00,790 --> 00:43:02,542 did they live there with a family? 857 00:43:02,583 --> 00:43:05,086 Is it a single male that lives there alone 858 00:43:05,128 --> 00:43:07,839 that could potentially be a suspect? 859 00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:09,340 - We have every reason to believe that 860 00:43:09,382 --> 00:43:12,969 this individual may have committed this crime before. 861 00:43:13,010 --> 00:43:15,596 - You have a high risk grab right there 862 00:43:15,638 --> 00:43:17,849 in the middle of that parking lot, you know, 863 00:43:17,890 --> 00:43:19,308 in my mind I just kind of felt like 864 00:43:19,350 --> 00:43:21,519 maybe he had done this before. 865 00:43:21,561 --> 00:43:23,604 And, of course, it was also a concern 866 00:43:23,646 --> 00:43:26,524 that he might do it again in the future. 867 00:43:30,987 --> 00:43:32,530 - We're just trying not to give up hope 868 00:43:32,572 --> 00:43:34,866 and trying to be strong for Amber. 869 00:43:34,907 --> 00:43:36,075 Arlington Police... 870 00:43:36,117 --> 00:43:38,536 - Would she be willing to talk to me? 871 00:43:38,578 --> 00:43:42,415 {\an8}- You don't have the-the luxury of dismissing anything. 872 00:43:42,457 --> 00:43:45,001 {\an8}Every lead had to be looked at, no matter how far-fetched 873 00:43:45,043 --> 00:43:48,546 {\an8}or improbable that it was. 874 00:43:49,547 --> 00:43:51,340 {\an8}- I remember helicopters overhead, 875 00:43:51,382 --> 00:43:53,676 {\an8}and I remember officers with dogs 876 00:43:53,718 --> 00:43:55,261 {\an8}going through the park. 877 00:43:55,303 --> 00:43:56,804 {\an8}Every time they got one of those tips 878 00:43:56,846 --> 00:43:57,680 {\an8}and they went out, you were like, 879 00:43:57,722 --> 00:43:58,973 {\an8}"Okay, is this it? 880 00:43:59,015 --> 00:44:01,476 {\an8}Are they finally going to find her?" 881 00:44:01,517 --> 00:44:03,770 - I think they're working as hard as they can 882 00:44:03,811 --> 00:44:07,440 and I think they're doing all they can to get Amber home. 883 00:44:09,609 --> 00:44:12,653 Give them peace. 884 00:44:12,695 --> 00:44:18,701 Give them hope that it will end in a happy reunion. 885 00:44:20,703 --> 00:44:22,163 I didn't know what to do. 886 00:44:22,205 --> 00:44:26,834 All I knew I wanted to do is get my little girl home. 887 00:44:26,876 --> 00:44:29,295 I worried about her the whole time. 888 00:44:29,337 --> 00:44:30,505 You know, is she going to get fed? 889 00:44:30,546 --> 00:44:33,674 Is she being taken care of? Is she warm? 890 00:44:33,716 --> 00:44:36,386 Is she cold? 891 00:44:39,806 --> 00:44:41,391 - The days go on, the hours go on, 892 00:44:41,432 --> 00:44:44,102 and you don't have to know much about child abduction statistics 893 00:44:44,143 --> 00:44:47,271 to know that every second works against you. 894 00:44:47,313 --> 00:44:49,190 Not just every minute or every hour, 895 00:44:49,232 --> 00:44:51,359 but every second works against you. 896 00:44:51,401 --> 00:44:53,528 The chances of finding a child alive 897 00:44:53,569 --> 00:44:56,948 diminish dramatically as time goes on. 898 00:45:09,460 --> 00:45:11,212 {\an8}** 899 00:45:16,300 --> 00:45:19,220 {\an8}- Wednesday evening, this spring-like thunderstorm 900 00:45:19,262 --> 00:45:21,055 {\an8}came through and dropped the temperature. 901 00:45:21,097 --> 00:45:23,516 {\an8}I mean for as warm as it was, it turned off 902 00:45:23,558 --> 00:45:25,393 {\an8}just bitterly cold out of the north. 903 00:45:25,435 --> 00:45:27,520 {\an8}But as the front moved through, which it does 904 00:45:27,562 --> 00:45:30,189 {\an8}typically in Texas when cold air meets warm air, 905 00:45:30,231 --> 00:45:33,234 {\an8}we have bad, bad storms. 906 00:46:04,849 --> 00:46:07,643 {\an8}- I received a phone call at about 11:30 at night 907 00:46:07,685 --> 00:46:08,936 {\an8}at my residence. 908 00:46:08,978 --> 00:46:12,940 {\an8}Dispatch informed me that a body had been found 909 00:46:12,982 --> 00:46:16,569 {\an8}in Arlington. 910 00:46:20,531 --> 00:46:22,909 I was the first investigative person 911 00:46:22,950 --> 00:46:24,160 that was on the scene. 912 00:46:24,202 --> 00:46:27,997 Patrol was there, and crime scene was there. 913 00:46:28,039 --> 00:46:29,415 {\an8}- We don't know that much at this point 914 00:46:29,457 --> 00:46:32,168 {\an8}and we want to be very, very cautious about 915 00:46:32,210 --> 00:46:34,587 {\an8}the information that we're putting out. 916 00:46:36,589 --> 00:46:39,425 {\an8}- I walked down to the creek bed and I noticed 917 00:46:39,467 --> 00:46:43,429 {\an8}a young white female's body that was floating, 918 00:46:43,471 --> 00:46:46,766 {\an8}but was caught up in the brush. 919 00:46:46,808 --> 00:46:49,310 {\an8}- The police are saying it's too hard to tell, 920 00:46:49,352 --> 00:46:51,646 {\an8}you know, who it is. 921 00:46:51,687 --> 00:46:54,148 {\an8}- My husband said it was a female. 922 00:46:54,190 --> 00:46:55,983 {\an8}She's buck-naked. She's face down. 923 00:46:56,025 --> 00:47:00,530 {\an8}He said it was a female. 924 00:47:00,571 --> 00:47:02,657 {\an8}- Why has the lead investigator on the Amber Hagerman case 925 00:47:02,698 --> 00:47:04,242 {\an8}been called here? 926 00:47:04,283 --> 00:47:06,452 {\an8}- Well, I mean, he's one of our lead homicide investigators 927 00:47:06,494 --> 00:47:08,621 {\an8}and, you know, we're certainly, 928 00:47:08,663 --> 00:47:11,332 {\an8}we're certainly sensitive to the fact that 929 00:47:11,374 --> 00:47:14,794 {\an8}we've located a body that needs to be identified. 930 00:47:14,836 --> 00:47:17,380 I mean, I don't want to alarm anyone at this point, 931 00:47:17,422 --> 00:47:19,132 but we're certainly sensitive to the fact that-- 932 00:47:19,173 --> 00:47:20,341 that it could be Amber 933 00:47:20,383 --> 00:47:22,301 and we're just not in a position to say yet. 934 00:47:22,343 --> 00:47:25,179 - Has the family been notified in any way? 935 00:47:25,221 --> 00:47:27,140 - Uh, we have people en route over to the-- 936 00:47:27,181 --> 00:47:29,142 to the residence now to notify them 937 00:47:29,183 --> 00:47:32,437 that we have located a-a body. 938 00:47:35,648 --> 00:47:37,567 - My name is Derrelynn Perryman, 939 00:47:37,608 --> 00:47:40,194 {\an8}and I was the Victim Assistance Coordinator 940 00:47:40,236 --> 00:47:41,529 {\an8}for the Arlington Police Department 941 00:47:41,571 --> 00:47:43,823 {\an8}during the Amber case. 942 00:47:43,865 --> 00:47:46,993 I go into the house and touch base with the family. 943 00:47:47,034 --> 00:47:50,663 I had been given instructions that we weren't going to be able 944 00:47:50,705 --> 00:47:53,374 to positively identify the child that was found 945 00:47:53,416 --> 00:47:58,546 until they completed the crime scene investigation. 946 00:47:58,588 --> 00:48:00,214 {\an8}- I had been with the family all day 947 00:48:00,256 --> 00:48:01,299 {\an8}and I got in bed 948 00:48:01,340 --> 00:48:04,010 {\an8}and I had hardly touched the sheets 949 00:48:04,052 --> 00:48:05,928 {\an8}before the phone rang. 950 00:48:05,970 --> 00:48:07,138 {\an8}And I picked up the phone 951 00:48:07,180 --> 00:48:09,223 {\an8}and it was my assistant news director. 952 00:48:09,265 --> 00:48:14,645 {\an8}And he said, Pam, they found a body. 953 00:48:14,687 --> 00:48:17,648 {\an8}So I immediately headed back to the house, 954 00:48:17,690 --> 00:48:22,278 {\an8}and went straight in with my photographer. 955 00:48:26,324 --> 00:48:27,992 {\an8}- We were all really watching the news, 956 00:48:28,034 --> 00:48:32,371 {\an8}and they kept talking about this little body they found. 957 00:48:32,413 --> 00:48:34,165 - So Edie Kocher and her husband 958 00:48:34,207 --> 00:48:36,250 who found the body, Stuart Kocher, 959 00:48:36,292 --> 00:48:37,668 are at least themselves convinced that 960 00:48:37,710 --> 00:48:40,671 what he saw was the body of a young girl. 961 00:48:40,713 --> 00:48:42,548 Police are not so convinced. 962 00:48:42,590 --> 00:48:48,096 - So we sat in their living room and they had the news on 963 00:48:48,137 --> 00:48:50,765 all night long. 964 00:48:50,807 --> 00:48:52,934 - It was over and over and over, 965 00:48:52,975 --> 00:48:54,185 a child's body has been found. 966 00:48:54,227 --> 00:48:56,270 It's probably Amber. It's probably Amber. 967 00:48:56,312 --> 00:48:58,564 And so, you can imagine how agonizing 968 00:48:58,606 --> 00:49:02,402 that was to just sit there and listen to that. 969 00:49:02,443 --> 00:49:07,281 [indistinct TV chatter] 970 00:49:07,323 --> 00:49:10,952 - News 8 Now, the spirit of Texas. 971 00:49:10,993 --> 00:49:12,203 - We interrupt this program to bring you 972 00:49:12,245 --> 00:49:16,207 the following News 8 Special Report. 973 00:49:16,249 --> 00:49:18,710 - Arlington Police Department came to the house this evening 974 00:49:18,751 --> 00:49:21,879 to tell the family that a body had been found. 975 00:49:21,921 --> 00:49:24,507 Amber's father also is here at the house with the family. 976 00:49:24,549 --> 00:49:26,467 - I was watching this on the news 977 00:49:26,509 --> 00:49:29,011 in my parents' home with my parents. 978 00:49:29,053 --> 00:49:32,056 And that was hard. 979 00:49:34,559 --> 00:49:36,310 - ...family friend who has been here 980 00:49:36,352 --> 00:49:37,812 throughout the whole ordeal, 981 00:49:37,854 --> 00:49:40,815 as well as Amber's mother, who is looking quite distraught. 982 00:49:40,857 --> 00:49:44,152 - It was an excruciating night. 983 00:49:44,193 --> 00:49:46,320 And no, I wasn't her family. 984 00:49:46,362 --> 00:49:48,948 I felt like I understood, 985 00:49:48,990 --> 00:49:52,243 and I was having some of those same emotions. 986 00:49:52,285 --> 00:49:56,748 I didn't want it to be her. Nobody did. 987 00:49:56,789 --> 00:49:58,750 - ...saw a little girl riding her bike 988 00:49:58,791 --> 00:50:01,544 and then a black pickup pulled up next to her 989 00:50:01,586 --> 00:50:03,880 and yanked her off that bike. 990 00:50:03,921 --> 00:50:05,840 - I was in contact with Mike Simonds, 991 00:50:05,882 --> 00:50:08,968 and he said it was probably Amber, 992 00:50:09,010 --> 00:50:11,763 but we needed to be sure, and we didn't want to tell them 993 00:50:11,804 --> 00:50:15,683 until we had confirmed that it was actually her. 994 00:50:15,725 --> 00:50:20,438 So, I talked with the family. I explained that to them. 995 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:21,647 At this point I'm told 996 00:50:21,689 --> 00:50:22,940 you've got a couple hours to rest 997 00:50:22,982 --> 00:50:24,692 if you can even just close your eyes 998 00:50:24,734 --> 00:50:29,072 for a couple of minutes. It's gonna help a little bit. 999 00:50:34,410 --> 00:50:38,456 - I was there for several hours and then my pager went off 1000 00:50:38,498 --> 00:50:39,707 and I went out to the car. 1001 00:50:39,749 --> 00:50:42,543 I did have a cell phone, and Mike Simonds said, 1002 00:50:42,585 --> 00:50:45,296 Yes, you know, we've identified it's her. 1003 00:50:45,338 --> 00:50:48,883 Um, they identified some birthmarks. 1004 00:50:48,925 --> 00:50:51,010 And then he said, "And you have five minutes 1005 00:50:51,052 --> 00:50:54,555 to tell the family before we announce it to the media. 1006 00:51:04,607 --> 00:51:07,902 [distant screaming] 1007 00:51:11,322 --> 00:51:13,449 - There was a-a scream and a cry 1008 00:51:13,491 --> 00:51:15,910 that I will never forget. 1009 00:51:17,412 --> 00:51:23,501 [sobbing softly] 1010 00:51:29,716 --> 00:51:32,885 - That was really, really hard. 1011 00:51:32,927 --> 00:51:36,222 You know, just my mom and my dad crying 1012 00:51:36,264 --> 00:51:40,935 and my dad never cries. 1013 00:51:46,774 --> 00:51:49,610 - From all visual that we can see, 1014 00:51:49,652 --> 00:51:51,821 from the description that we've got 1015 00:51:51,863 --> 00:51:53,948 and from the photographs that we've seen, 1016 00:51:53,990 --> 00:51:57,160 we feel that this tentatively is going to be 1017 00:51:57,201 --> 00:51:59,704 the body of Amber Hagerman. 1018 00:51:59,746 --> 00:52:03,124 - We are in the process of notifying the family as such. 1019 00:52:03,166 --> 00:52:06,044 We are stressing to them and I want to stress to all of you, 1020 00:52:06,085 --> 00:52:08,588 that a positive identification will be made 1021 00:52:08,629 --> 00:52:10,006 by the Medical Examiner's Office... 1022 00:52:10,048 --> 00:52:14,469 - Just the agony of knowing that yes, that was her 1023 00:52:14,510 --> 00:52:16,763 and she was gone. 1024 00:52:16,804 --> 00:52:19,474 You just can't even describe it. 1025 00:52:19,515 --> 00:52:20,892 [sobbing] 1026 00:52:20,933 --> 00:52:22,226 - You know, very little to go on 1027 00:52:27,190 --> 00:52:31,194 {\an8}** 1028 00:52:36,282 --> 00:52:39,327 {\an8}- We decided pretty early on that we're gonna have to 1029 00:52:39,368 --> 00:52:41,746 {\an8}not air the welfare documentary, 1030 00:52:41,788 --> 00:52:44,082 {\an8}which was due to air on Thursday. 1031 00:52:44,123 --> 00:52:49,629 {\an8}And actually, that was the day we found out she was found. 1032 00:52:53,966 --> 00:52:56,761 {\an8}- When they confirmed it was Amber's body, 1033 00:52:56,803 --> 00:52:58,763 {\an8}and, you know, it's everybody's screaming 1034 00:52:58,805 --> 00:53:01,599 {\an8}and crying and news media is everywhere. 1035 00:53:01,641 --> 00:53:03,476 {\an8}The police had put the yellow tape 1036 00:53:03,518 --> 00:53:06,938 {\an8}around my parents' front yard. 1037 00:53:06,979 --> 00:53:10,691 {\an8}It was horrible that day. 1038 00:53:11,818 --> 00:53:15,988 And still I'm in denial. No, this is not my baby. 1039 00:53:16,030 --> 00:53:18,908 I want to see my baby from my own eyes. 1040 00:53:18,950 --> 00:53:22,787 I wanted to touch my baby. I wanted to talk to my baby. 1041 00:53:22,829 --> 00:53:27,166 And I did not-- no I did not believe it. 1042 00:53:30,461 --> 00:53:32,964 {\an8}Immediately, of course, 1043 00:53:33,005 --> 00:53:36,134 {\an8}Donna wanted to go and be with Amber, 1044 00:53:36,175 --> 00:53:37,218 {\an8}and as a mom, 1045 00:53:37,260 --> 00:53:39,262 {\an8}I could certainly identify with that. 1046 00:53:39,303 --> 00:53:41,889 {\an8}If I hadn't been able to put my hands on my child 1047 00:53:41,931 --> 00:53:44,225 {\an8}for several days because they were missing, 1048 00:53:44,267 --> 00:53:46,728 {\an8}that would be the first thing I would want to do too. 1049 00:53:46,769 --> 00:53:48,396 The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office 1050 00:53:48,438 --> 00:53:50,148 doesn't allow people to visit. 1051 00:53:50,189 --> 00:53:52,316 We contacted the medical examiner's office, 1052 00:53:52,358 --> 00:53:53,359 and of course, 1053 00:53:53,401 --> 00:53:55,653 they-they did the autopsy priority 1054 00:53:55,695 --> 00:53:58,072 because we knew that it was just urgent. 1055 00:53:58,114 --> 00:54:02,785 You know, she really, really needed to be with Amber. 1056 00:54:11,669 --> 00:54:14,172 {\an8}Now we have a homicide. 1057 00:54:14,213 --> 00:54:17,175 {\an8}First order of business is you shift into high gear 1058 00:54:17,216 --> 00:54:19,343 {\an8}thinking, "Okay, what have we got?" 1059 00:54:19,385 --> 00:54:21,637 {\an8}It started off Saturday. 1060 00:54:21,679 --> 00:54:23,514 {\an8}Now we're over here on Thursday. 1061 00:54:23,556 --> 00:54:28,019 {\an8}We found Amber dead in this creek three miles away. 1062 00:54:28,061 --> 00:54:31,397 {\an8}Why? 1063 00:54:35,151 --> 00:54:36,569 {\an8}- So right now, we're pulling into 1064 00:54:36,611 --> 00:54:41,032 {\an8}the apartment complex and we're going towards the creek 1065 00:54:41,074 --> 00:54:43,910 {\an8}that runs north and south along the west side 1066 00:54:43,951 --> 00:54:47,705 {\an8}of the apartment complex. 1067 00:54:47,747 --> 00:54:50,083 The first time that I came out here, 1068 00:54:50,124 --> 00:54:53,544 it made me realize that the suspect must have known 1069 00:54:53,586 --> 00:54:58,424 that this apartment complex and the creek were here. 1070 00:54:58,466 --> 00:55:01,719 It just doesn't seem likely that a suspect 1071 00:55:01,761 --> 00:55:04,889 would just randomly drive into this complex 1072 00:55:04,931 --> 00:55:07,433 and then just happen upon a creek 1073 00:55:07,475 --> 00:55:10,895 to leave her body in. 1074 00:55:10,937 --> 00:55:13,439 - The night that Amber's body was found, 1075 00:55:13,481 --> 00:55:16,067 there were thousands and thousands of gallons of water 1076 00:55:16,109 --> 00:55:19,070 that washed over her body. 1077 00:55:19,112 --> 00:55:21,322 Based on the condition of her body, 1078 00:55:21,364 --> 00:55:23,741 we think that she was put in very close to 1079 00:55:23,783 --> 00:55:26,953 if not exactly where her body was found. 1080 00:55:26,994 --> 00:55:29,914 There were not injuries or anything like that 1081 00:55:29,956 --> 00:55:33,251 that would be indicative of her traveling a long way 1082 00:55:33,292 --> 00:55:36,754 in the water, hitting rocks, hitting branches, 1083 00:55:36,796 --> 00:55:38,965 and all the things that you would expect to see 1084 00:55:39,006 --> 00:55:40,842 if she had been put in the water 1085 00:55:40,883 --> 00:55:44,762 a long ways from where she was found. 1086 00:55:44,804 --> 00:55:46,514 - It was a large apartment complex 1087 00:55:46,556 --> 00:55:48,766 and there was a main gate. 1088 00:55:48,808 --> 00:55:53,813 To the west of that main gate, there was another entrance. 1089 00:55:53,855 --> 00:55:55,940 It, too, had a gate. 1090 00:55:55,982 --> 00:55:59,318 At the time of Amber's abduction and her recovery, 1091 00:55:59,360 --> 00:56:00,820 that gate was broken. 1092 00:56:00,862 --> 00:56:03,364 So there was unfettered access into and out of 1093 00:56:03,406 --> 00:56:06,868 the apartment complex through that gate. 1094 00:56:06,909 --> 00:56:10,455 There was a video camera at the main entrance. 1095 00:56:10,496 --> 00:56:12,874 On the night that Amber's body was recovered, 1096 00:56:12,915 --> 00:56:16,294 the wind and the rain, it was shaking the camera 1097 00:56:16,335 --> 00:56:21,090 and it took visibility down to where we couldn't see very well. 1098 00:56:21,132 --> 00:56:23,426 - You can see vehicles coming and going, 1099 00:56:23,468 --> 00:56:27,805 and you do see a dark truck that enters the complex, 1100 00:56:27,847 --> 00:56:30,308 but the video just wasn't clear enough 1101 00:56:30,349 --> 00:56:31,976 to be able to determine whether or not 1102 00:56:32,018 --> 00:56:34,687 that was the suspect vehicle. 1103 00:56:34,729 --> 00:56:36,814 - There was nothing on that video 1104 00:56:36,856 --> 00:56:39,317 that we could use to identify a suspect. 1105 00:56:39,358 --> 00:56:42,612 One of our beliefs was that the suspect was familiar with 1106 00:56:42,653 --> 00:56:47,158 not only the abduction site but the disposal site as well. 1107 00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:48,618 And that's another one of the reasons 1108 00:56:48,659 --> 00:56:52,538 why we believed that he was probably a local resident. 1109 00:56:57,043 --> 00:56:58,586 {\an8}- Only portion that was submerged 1110 00:56:58,628 --> 00:57:04,926 {\an8}was from her shoulders up. And maybe-maybe an arm. 1111 00:57:04,967 --> 00:57:06,386 {\an8}And so I ran back to the house, 1112 00:57:06,427 --> 00:57:08,346 {\an8}and, uh, went through the front door, 1113 00:57:08,388 --> 00:57:11,349 {\an8}a-and yelled at my wife Edie, I found her. 1114 00:57:11,391 --> 00:57:13,309 {\an8}I found Amber. 1115 00:57:13,351 --> 00:57:15,353 {\an8}- Stuart Kocher was the witness 1116 00:57:15,395 --> 00:57:19,857 {\an8}that found Amber's body that night. 1117 00:57:19,899 --> 00:57:22,193 {\an8}His statement was that after the storm 1118 00:57:22,235 --> 00:57:23,736 {\an8}had passed through the area 1119 00:57:23,778 --> 00:57:26,030 {\an8}that he took his dog out for a walk. 1120 00:57:26,072 --> 00:57:27,657 His dog went down to the creek bed area 1121 00:57:27,698 --> 00:57:29,867 and began barking. 1122 00:57:29,909 --> 00:57:34,038 Then he saw Amber's body. 1123 00:57:34,080 --> 00:57:36,582 - And because there'd been so much coverage 1124 00:57:36,624 --> 00:57:40,503 of Amber being missing and everybody trying to find her, 1125 00:57:40,545 --> 00:57:44,132 his immediate thought was, That's probably her. 1126 00:57:46,175 --> 00:57:48,553 - You ask all sorts of questions like 1127 00:57:48,594 --> 00:57:50,596 "Did you talk to anybody while you were going out 1128 00:57:50,638 --> 00:57:52,932 to go on this walk? What'd you do before that?" 1129 00:57:52,974 --> 00:57:55,727 If he was involved in it, then obviously, 1130 00:57:55,768 --> 00:57:57,186 you're worried about what happened 1131 00:57:57,228 --> 00:58:01,733 from the abduction time to the discovery of the body. 1132 00:58:01,774 --> 00:58:03,985 There wasn't anything in his story 1133 00:58:04,026 --> 00:58:07,155 that was inconsistent. 1134 00:58:07,196 --> 00:58:11,075 He was finally eliminated by a polygraph. 1135 00:58:12,368 --> 00:58:13,578 - We're just going to question people 1136 00:58:13,619 --> 00:58:16,831 to see what they saw and what they observed. 1137 00:58:16,873 --> 00:58:20,460 - We began a canvas, multiple FBI agents, 1138 00:58:20,501 --> 00:58:25,381 and we had multiple Arlington PD detectives there. 1139 00:58:25,423 --> 00:58:27,425 - We want to know who the maintenance people are. 1140 00:58:27,467 --> 00:58:30,428 Who is doing the landscaping at the apartments? 1141 00:58:30,470 --> 00:58:33,890 What independent contractors they have. 1142 00:58:33,931 --> 00:58:35,767 We went door to door. 1143 00:58:35,808 --> 00:58:38,811 Before it was over with we were at 1144 00:58:38,853 --> 00:58:42,607 every single apartment in that complex. 1145 00:58:42,648 --> 00:58:45,359 - We didn't find any additional witnesses. 1146 00:58:45,401 --> 00:58:48,279 No one admitted to seeing anyone parking 1147 00:58:48,321 --> 00:58:51,949 and carrying anything down through the playground 1148 00:58:51,991 --> 00:58:54,827 into the culvert area either that night 1149 00:58:54,869 --> 00:58:59,332 or any of the days leading up to that. 1150 00:59:08,508 --> 00:59:10,635 - I didn't believe that that was Amber. 1151 00:59:10,676 --> 00:59:14,097 I said that's not my baby. My baby's not dead. 1152 00:59:14,138 --> 00:59:16,349 You know, I want to go see my daughter. 1153 00:59:16,391 --> 00:59:20,103 Take me to my little girl. I want to hold my little girl. 1154 00:59:20,144 --> 00:59:23,106 I want to see for myself, with my own eyes, 1155 00:59:23,147 --> 00:59:25,400 that this is my little girl. 1156 00:59:25,441 --> 00:59:27,402 And they kept telling me, no I can't 1157 00:59:27,443 --> 00:59:29,570 'cause they had to do the autopsy 1158 00:59:29,612 --> 00:59:33,991 and that she was so disfigured so they had to 1159 00:59:34,033 --> 00:59:37,286 cover her wounds up so I wouldn't see that. 1160 00:59:37,328 --> 00:59:40,289 And they said I didn't want to see her the way she was. 1161 00:59:40,331 --> 00:59:41,666 And I told them, you know, I don't care. 1162 00:59:41,707 --> 00:59:43,084 I want to see my little girl. 1163 00:59:43,126 --> 00:59:44,335 I want to hold my little girl. 1164 00:59:44,377 --> 00:59:48,005 So I didn't get to see her or hold her, 1165 00:59:48,047 --> 00:59:50,007 until the next day. 1166 00:59:50,049 --> 00:59:52,427 And they took me to the funeral home 1167 00:59:52,468 --> 00:59:55,388 and I got to kiss her and hold her hand 1168 00:59:55,430 --> 00:59:57,724 and told her that everything's okay, 1169 00:59:57,765 --> 01:00:00,017 you know, Mommy's here. 1170 01:00:00,059 --> 01:00:02,478 So they told me I could hold her hands 1171 01:00:02,520 --> 01:00:06,149 and touch her little face and that was it. 1172 01:00:06,190 --> 01:00:08,067 But I so wanted to, you know, 1173 01:00:08,109 --> 01:00:10,611 pick her up and hold her and... 1174 01:00:10,653 --> 01:00:14,699 [crying] 1175 01:00:14,741 --> 01:00:16,451 Yeah. 1176 01:00:25,418 --> 01:00:31,674 - Amber had a very severe laceration 1177 01:00:31,716 --> 01:00:35,219 to her throat from one side to the other. 1178 01:00:35,261 --> 01:00:40,683 Um, it was a-- a very severe cut, 1179 01:00:40,725 --> 01:00:42,351 very violent cut. 1180 01:00:43,603 --> 01:00:46,355 - You've got all this damage 1181 01:00:46,397 --> 01:00:47,732 to her throat and neck area 1182 01:00:47,774 --> 01:00:50,151 but not necessarily a tremendous amount of damage 1183 01:00:50,193 --> 01:00:51,652 elsewhere on the body. 1184 01:00:51,694 --> 01:00:54,572 - One of the things that we saw right away 1185 01:00:54,614 --> 01:00:56,240 was that there was no indication 1186 01:00:56,282 --> 01:01:00,244 of a sexual assault to Amber's body. 1187 01:01:00,286 --> 01:01:03,414 Just because there's not evidence of a sexual assault 1188 01:01:03,456 --> 01:01:07,377 doesn't mean that there was not a sexual component to it. 1189 01:01:07,418 --> 01:01:10,380 - You can't escape at least the theory 1190 01:01:10,421 --> 01:01:13,341 that the act of killing Amber was what provided 1191 01:01:13,383 --> 01:01:15,009 a sexual release for the suspect. 1192 01:01:15,051 --> 01:01:17,595 - There were some very, very early signs 1193 01:01:17,637 --> 01:01:20,264 of decomposition that were identified 1194 01:01:20,306 --> 01:01:23,559 that would be more consistent with the idea 1195 01:01:23,601 --> 01:01:26,979 of her being killed Tuesday going into Wednesday. 1196 01:01:27,021 --> 01:01:29,148 - There was no signs of torture. 1197 01:01:29,190 --> 01:01:30,650 There was no signs of restraint. 1198 01:01:30,691 --> 01:01:33,361 No defensive wounds that we could see. 1199 01:01:33,403 --> 01:01:35,446 The question now becomes, all right, 1200 01:01:35,488 --> 01:01:37,532 where was she being kept alive, 1201 01:01:37,573 --> 01:01:40,201 who did this, how did he hang on to her? 1202 01:01:41,994 --> 01:01:45,415 [church bells ringing] 1203 01:01:48,501 --> 01:01:53,131 {\an8}- We wonder what kind of monster 1204 01:01:53,172 --> 01:01:57,427 {\an8}could commit such a horrible deed. 1205 01:01:57,468 --> 01:02:02,515 - Well over 2,000 people showed up to her funeral. 1206 01:02:02,557 --> 01:02:05,226 - It was standing room only. 1207 01:02:05,268 --> 01:02:07,353 There were so many people there. 1208 01:02:07,395 --> 01:02:09,981 Because this had just touched a community 1209 01:02:10,022 --> 01:02:12,358 like you can only imagine. 1210 01:02:12,400 --> 01:02:14,485 - And it's just so overwhelming. 1211 01:02:14,527 --> 01:02:17,196 And, and as a mom you're trying to grieve 1212 01:02:17,238 --> 01:02:19,031 {\an8}for your little girl. 1213 01:02:19,073 --> 01:02:28,916 {\an8}** 1214 01:02:28,958 --> 01:02:30,376 {\an8}- Really the last thing I remember 1215 01:02:30,418 --> 01:02:33,546 {\an8}is just the funeral. 1216 01:02:33,588 --> 01:02:36,340 {\an8}Not really when they found her body. 1217 01:02:36,382 --> 01:02:38,509 {\an8}Just-- I just remember the funeral. 1218 01:02:40,636 --> 01:02:44,223 At 5 years old I didn't know what death was. 1219 01:02:44,265 --> 01:02:47,727 I was telling her, Wake up, Sissy, wake up. 1220 01:02:47,769 --> 01:02:49,228 It's time to get up. 1221 01:02:52,065 --> 01:02:55,318 - To me, I just wanted to take my baby and just run. 1222 01:02:55,359 --> 01:02:57,111 You know, I got my kids. 1223 01:02:57,153 --> 01:03:00,156 You know, it-- that little part of me 1224 01:03:00,198 --> 01:03:01,449 wanted to do that. 1225 01:03:07,246 --> 01:03:09,248 {\an8}I attended the funeral. 1226 01:03:09,290 --> 01:03:12,210 {\an8}It was to go to observe the participants 1227 01:03:12,251 --> 01:03:13,711 {\an8}and see if anything looked unusual, 1228 01:03:13,753 --> 01:03:15,797 {\an8}if anyone acted inappropriately, 1229 01:03:15,838 --> 01:03:19,884 {\an8}if someone just looked out of place. 1230 01:03:19,926 --> 01:03:22,595 - Sometimes a suspect will want to go to the funeral 1231 01:03:22,637 --> 01:03:24,389 just to see what's going on. 1232 01:03:24,430 --> 01:03:26,724 Of course the issue with Amber's funeral 1233 01:03:26,766 --> 01:03:30,061 is there were lots of people there. 1234 01:03:30,103 --> 01:03:32,438 This wasn't a family affair. 1235 01:03:32,480 --> 01:03:35,400 We put surveillance inside 1236 01:03:35,441 --> 01:03:37,735 and at the graveside during the services, 1237 01:03:37,777 --> 01:03:40,780 and then we also had people surveilling 1238 01:03:40,822 --> 01:03:43,741 the outer perimeter around the area 1239 01:03:43,783 --> 01:03:45,701 to see if someone was on the outskirts, 1240 01:03:45,743 --> 01:03:47,954 possibly observing from a distance. 1241 01:03:49,997 --> 01:03:53,626 - We felt like we had to do anything and everything 1242 01:03:53,668 --> 01:03:56,754 that could possibly provide new information 1243 01:03:56,796 --> 01:03:58,881 and lead to the suspect that killed Amber. 1244 01:04:09,600 --> 01:04:23,823 {\an8}** 1245 01:04:23,865 --> 01:04:27,160 {\an8}- My parents were, with every newscast, 1246 01:04:27,201 --> 01:04:29,287 {\an8}asking for help, putting out information 1247 01:04:29,328 --> 01:04:31,497 {\an8}to bring justice to their daughter. 1248 01:04:38,504 --> 01:04:39,714 {\an8}- It makes me mad because I don't know. 1249 01:04:39,756 --> 01:04:42,467 {\an8}I want to know. I want to know now. 1250 01:04:42,508 --> 01:04:47,430 {\an8}- Donna had been on camera with us for a while 1251 01:04:47,472 --> 01:04:50,349 but there was a change in her demeanor 1252 01:04:50,391 --> 01:04:52,477 as the days wore on. 1253 01:04:52,518 --> 01:04:55,063 - I'm just slowly, surely losing all my hope 1254 01:04:55,104 --> 01:04:56,647 that they're gonna find him. 1255 01:05:02,570 --> 01:05:04,072 - We were hopeful early on of course 1256 01:05:04,113 --> 01:05:05,198 that there were more witnesses 1257 01:05:05,239 --> 01:05:06,824 and that people would come forward. 1258 01:05:06,866 --> 01:05:08,493 And we've just been tremendously frustrated 1259 01:05:08,534 --> 01:05:10,620 by that fact that this, this abduction 1260 01:05:10,661 --> 01:05:12,497 occurred in broad daylight on a very busy street 1261 01:05:12,538 --> 01:05:15,958 on a Saturday afternoon and no one saw anything. 1262 01:05:16,000 --> 01:05:18,336 {\an8}- We would hold two briefings daily for the press 1263 01:05:18,378 --> 01:05:20,046 {\an8}to keep the information flowing. 1264 01:05:20,088 --> 01:05:21,214 {\an8}And there were many times 1265 01:05:21,255 --> 01:05:22,507 {\an8}I didn't haven't anything new to say 1266 01:05:22,548 --> 01:05:25,093 {\an8}but I went in there and did it anyway. 1267 01:05:25,134 --> 01:05:27,595 - Okay, describe the truck to me. 1268 01:05:27,637 --> 01:05:30,681 - We certainly felt like we had to keep this, 1269 01:05:30,723 --> 01:05:33,518 this case, of all cases, in the public eye. 1270 01:05:33,559 --> 01:05:35,436 We followed thousands of leads. 1271 01:05:35,478 --> 01:05:36,979 Not just hundreds but thousands. 1272 01:05:41,401 --> 01:05:44,404 - We've got a couple of tips that, uh, 1273 01:05:44,445 --> 01:05:47,115 on vehicular traffic and some people 1274 01:05:47,156 --> 01:05:49,409 that were seen in the area. 1275 01:05:49,450 --> 01:05:52,286 - There were calls coming in on a regular basis 1276 01:05:52,328 --> 01:05:53,538 of people that thought they'd seen her, 1277 01:05:53,579 --> 01:05:55,706 thought they'd seen the suspect. 1278 01:05:55,748 --> 01:05:57,542 {\an8}- Now those leads ranged from everything 1279 01:05:57,583 --> 01:05:59,127 {\an8}from I saw a black pickup 1280 01:05:59,168 --> 01:06:03,297 {\an8}to specific suspects that were named right away. 1281 01:06:03,339 --> 01:06:06,676 - There was a woman that came forward 1282 01:06:06,718 --> 01:06:11,222 and said that she had seen the entire abduction. 1283 01:06:11,264 --> 01:06:14,851 - The witness went so far as to describe the Ford Splash 1284 01:06:14,892 --> 01:06:17,520 as well as a partial license plate number 1285 01:06:17,562 --> 01:06:19,230 that she thought she remembered. 1286 01:06:19,272 --> 01:06:21,399 And she saw Amber 1287 01:06:21,441 --> 01:06:24,444 in the passenger seat of this truck, 1288 01:06:24,485 --> 01:06:26,571 and Amber was banging on the back window 1289 01:06:33,035 --> 01:06:33,286 {\an8}** 1290 01:06:37,665 --> 01:06:40,501 {\an8}- We really hadn't had any good leads 1291 01:06:40,543 --> 01:06:43,504 {\an8}and a woman came forward though at that point 1292 01:06:43,546 --> 01:06:47,008 {\an8}and said she had a partial license tag. 1293 01:06:47,050 --> 01:06:48,634 {\an8}- Because she gave a much more specific description 1294 01:06:48,676 --> 01:06:49,969 {\an8}of the pickup truck, 1295 01:06:50,011 --> 01:06:52,638 {\an8}we developed a whole investigative strategy 1296 01:06:52,680 --> 01:06:56,017 {\an8}that was kind of based around what she said. 1297 01:06:56,059 --> 01:06:58,311 {\an8}- Everybody on the task force is excited. 1298 01:06:58,352 --> 01:07:03,107 {\an8}We finally got the detail that will lead us to the suspect. 1299 01:07:03,149 --> 01:07:04,817 {\an8}- At that point in time, we had been working 1300 01:07:04,859 --> 01:07:06,861 {\an8}with the Ford Motor Company, 1301 01:07:06,903 --> 01:07:10,073 {\an8}and they came up with a list of potential trucks 1302 01:07:10,114 --> 01:07:12,784 {\an8}with a partial plate that had been sold 1303 01:07:12,825 --> 01:07:14,660 {\an8}in this geographic area that matched 1304 01:07:14,702 --> 01:07:18,623 {\an8}that general description of that truck. 1305 01:07:18,664 --> 01:07:20,875 {\an8}- Detectives end up finding a potential suspect, 1306 01:07:20,917 --> 01:07:22,710 {\an8}and he actually lives in Arlington 1307 01:07:22,752 --> 01:07:24,420 {\an8}within the range 1308 01:07:24,462 --> 01:07:27,548 {\an8}of where the suspect would have gone. 1309 01:07:27,590 --> 01:07:28,966 {\an8}- My hopes were really up high 1310 01:07:29,008 --> 01:07:31,511 {\an8}and finally we're going to get justice for Amber 1311 01:07:31,552 --> 01:07:33,054 {\an8}and we can close this chapter 1312 01:07:33,096 --> 01:07:35,598 {\an8}and it's all going to be done with. 1313 01:07:39,185 --> 01:07:44,273 - Now we think we've finally got the break that we need. 1314 01:07:44,774 --> 01:07:46,442 The man cooperated 1315 01:07:46,484 --> 01:07:50,780 and let detectives search his house 1316 01:07:50,822 --> 01:07:53,866 and there was nothing whatsoever to indicate 1317 01:07:53,908 --> 01:07:55,618 that he was a suspect in it. 1318 01:07:57,870 --> 01:08:00,790 After this happened, the detectives went back 1319 01:08:00,832 --> 01:08:02,875 to contact the witness 1320 01:08:02,917 --> 01:08:05,169 and basically go over the whole story 1321 01:08:05,211 --> 01:08:07,171 again with her. 1322 01:08:07,213 --> 01:08:09,966 And they started putting two and two together, 1323 01:08:10,007 --> 01:08:11,718 and it just wasn't adding up. 1324 01:08:11,759 --> 01:08:13,761 The information that she was providing us 1325 01:08:13,803 --> 01:08:14,929 really wasn't matching 1326 01:08:14,971 --> 01:08:18,474 what we had been able to corroborate. 1327 01:08:18,516 --> 01:08:20,435 We interviewed her again, 1328 01:08:20,476 --> 01:08:22,353 and then she finally admits to us 1329 01:08:22,395 --> 01:08:23,563 that she didn't know anything 1330 01:08:23,604 --> 01:08:26,941 and she just made it up. 1331 01:08:26,983 --> 01:08:28,609 She made the story up 1332 01:08:28,651 --> 01:08:30,778 because she felt so bad for Donna 1333 01:08:30,820 --> 01:08:32,989 and the lack of a break in the case 1334 01:08:33,030 --> 01:08:35,324 that she just wanted to do anything 1335 01:08:35,366 --> 01:08:36,951 that she could to help her. 1336 01:08:36,993 --> 01:08:40,788 And I know how that sounds, but for some reason, 1337 01:08:40,830 --> 01:08:43,583 this lady thought that this would be helpful to Donna 1338 01:08:43,624 --> 01:08:45,960 and make Donna more hopeful 1339 01:08:46,002 --> 01:08:48,379 that a suspect was gonna be found. 1340 01:08:48,421 --> 01:08:51,799 - She thought that giving us that type of information 1341 01:08:51,841 --> 01:08:55,845 might spur us on some sort of renewed energy 1342 01:08:55,887 --> 01:08:57,263 into the investigation. 1343 01:08:57,305 --> 01:08:59,599 But instead what she did was she cost us time 1344 01:08:59,640 --> 01:09:01,642 and she cost us man-hours. 1345 01:09:01,684 --> 01:09:03,728 And quite frankly, she pissed me off. 1346 01:09:06,773 --> 01:09:08,566 We had a lot of people 1347 01:09:08,608 --> 01:09:11,027 that would come up with false information 1348 01:09:11,069 --> 01:09:14,155 just to bring Amber's case back up. 1349 01:09:14,197 --> 01:09:17,241 It was very frustrating, not just for me, 1350 01:09:17,283 --> 01:09:19,118 for the police as well. 1351 01:09:19,160 --> 01:09:21,662 - Prosecuting her for making a false statement 1352 01:09:21,704 --> 01:09:23,372 wasn't going to help us any. 1353 01:09:23,414 --> 01:09:27,835 I wanted to keep everybody focused on Amber. 1354 01:09:27,877 --> 01:09:30,171 {\an8}- We felt very early on 1355 01:09:30,213 --> 01:09:31,672 {\an8}that it was a stranger abduction. 1356 01:09:31,714 --> 01:09:33,508 {\an8}You know, every sign pointed to that. 1357 01:09:33,549 --> 01:09:36,052 {\an8}We'd beg for someone to come forward that knew anything. 1358 01:09:36,094 --> 01:09:37,929 {\an8}Just another tool in the toolbox 1359 01:09:37,970 --> 01:09:41,265 {\an8}trying to use it to get some help. 1360 01:09:41,307 --> 01:09:42,809 Everything that happened along the way 1361 01:09:42,850 --> 01:09:44,936 was just a step-by-step situation 1362 01:09:44,977 --> 01:09:48,564 where we were just frustrated at every turn. 1363 01:09:48,606 --> 01:09:50,858 And it-it was tough. It was very tough. 1364 01:09:53,694 --> 01:09:56,781 - A couple of weeks after I buried Amber, 1365 01:09:56,823 --> 01:09:59,409 I just assumed, you know, You're the police. 1366 01:09:59,450 --> 01:10:00,910 You're going to solve this. 1367 01:10:00,952 --> 01:10:03,162 You're going to be able to come and tell me 1368 01:10:03,204 --> 01:10:06,833 who murdered-- who butchered my little girl. 1369 01:10:06,874 --> 01:10:09,836 And there was just no evidence. 1370 01:10:21,514 --> 01:10:22,640 - How do you feel about the fact 1371 01:10:22,682 --> 01:10:24,892 that they haven't found somebody? 1372 01:10:24,934 --> 01:10:27,770 - I'm frustrated. Angry. 1373 01:10:27,812 --> 01:10:29,480 You know, why can't they find this man? 1374 01:10:29,522 --> 01:10:32,859 How hard can this be, you know? 1375 01:10:32,900 --> 01:10:34,318 'Course I was frustrated, angry, 1376 01:10:34,360 --> 01:10:36,070 'cause they couldn't find my little girl. 1377 01:10:36,112 --> 01:10:38,406 And, now I'm frustrated and angry 1378 01:10:38,448 --> 01:10:42,243 'cause they can't find him that did this to her. 1379 01:10:42,285 --> 01:10:47,248 - Donna became convinced that whoever took Amber 1380 01:10:47,290 --> 01:10:52,211 had done something like this or similar to this before. 1381 01:10:52,253 --> 01:10:56,132 And it just angered her that they were still out there 1382 01:10:56,174 --> 01:11:01,137 and that they could have done it again. 1383 01:11:01,179 --> 01:11:03,431 - From the moment that Amber was abducted 1384 01:11:03,473 --> 01:11:06,476 and the anguish Donna was going through, 1385 01:11:06,517 --> 01:11:08,061 over the course of time, 1386 01:11:08,102 --> 01:11:10,772 she turned that into a drive, 1387 01:11:10,813 --> 01:11:13,191 a sense to make a difference 1388 01:11:13,232 --> 01:11:15,193 and to give the police greater tools. 1389 01:11:17,320 --> 01:11:21,491 {\an8}Not every family that has an abducted child 1390 01:11:21,532 --> 01:11:24,994 {\an8}will then turn their energy into advocacy. 1391 01:11:25,036 --> 01:11:27,997 Donna was going to fight for Amber 1392 01:11:28,039 --> 01:11:29,999 and she was going to make sure 1393 01:11:30,041 --> 01:11:34,504 that this would not happen to any other child. 1394 01:11:34,545 --> 01:11:37,298 {\an8}- City council meetings were all about Amber. 1395 01:11:37,340 --> 01:11:39,133 {\an8}You would have hundreds of people 1396 01:11:39,175 --> 01:11:41,052 {\an8}going up there wanting to talk. 1397 01:11:41,094 --> 01:11:44,305 School board meetings, the same thing. 1398 01:11:44,347 --> 01:11:46,307 - There are 77 million parents out there 1399 01:11:46,349 --> 01:11:48,768 who want their children to be safe. 1400 01:11:48,810 --> 01:11:50,186 All we have to do is organize. 1401 01:11:50,228 --> 01:11:51,938 All we have to do is work together. 1402 01:11:51,979 --> 01:11:54,732 All we have to do is send a message. 1403 01:11:54,774 --> 01:11:57,360 - Donna, her life is open to the public, 1404 01:11:57,402 --> 01:12:00,154 period, at this point, because of what happened. 1405 01:12:12,708 --> 01:12:15,086 The important thing 1406 01:12:15,128 --> 01:12:16,879 as we followed this path 1407 01:12:16,921 --> 01:12:18,506 that really had been set out for us 1408 01:12:18,548 --> 01:12:22,844 was that we tell what it was really like 1409 01:12:22,885 --> 01:12:25,930 to live through something like this. 1410 01:12:25,972 --> 01:12:27,348 It's usually very personal 1411 01:12:27,390 --> 01:12:30,309 but Donna was willing to share that with everybody. 1412 01:12:39,235 --> 01:12:41,154 - This is Donna Whitson. 1413 01:12:53,249 --> 01:12:55,293 - When Amber was abducted, 1414 01:12:55,334 --> 01:12:58,046 I was still going to medical school 1415 01:12:58,087 --> 01:13:00,089 so I took a leave of absence. 1416 01:13:04,635 --> 01:13:06,971 I had to finish for her. 1417 01:13:07,013 --> 01:13:10,308 And I did. 1418 01:13:10,349 --> 01:13:13,102 - You see her going from devastating grief 1419 01:13:13,144 --> 01:13:16,647 of losing that child and dealing with that reality 1420 01:13:16,689 --> 01:13:18,441 to the other end of the spectrum 1421 01:13:18,483 --> 01:13:22,028 and was able to continue on for Amber. 1422 01:13:27,158 --> 01:13:29,160 Why is it taking so long? 1423 01:13:29,202 --> 01:13:31,245 It shouldn't take that long, you know? 1424 01:13:31,287 --> 01:13:33,456 Why can't you find this black truck? 1425 01:13:33,498 --> 01:13:35,333 Why can't you find this monster? 1426 01:13:55,186 --> 01:13:56,979 - The whole room was just packed full 1427 01:13:57,021 --> 01:13:59,649 of all this stuff about Amber's case. 1428 01:13:59,690 --> 01:14:02,652 And it was like, wow, this is overwhelming. 1429 01:14:12,370 --> 01:14:14,455 - When Amber was taken a lot of people said 1430 01:14:14,497 --> 01:14:16,624 if we could have just gotten the word out 1431 01:14:16,666 --> 01:14:18,292 there would probably be a better chance 1432 01:14:18,334 --> 01:14:20,420 that she could have been found. 1433 01:14:20,461 --> 01:14:24,632 - It is the desperate search for this little 9 year old 1434 01:14:24,674 --> 01:14:26,467 and time is of the essence. 1435 01:14:26,509 --> 01:14:30,179 And so, tell everybody in the community this has happened, 1436 01:14:30,221 --> 01:14:33,141 give them information, the photographs, the video, 1437 01:14:33,182 --> 01:14:35,810 here's the suspect vehicle 1438 01:14:35,852 --> 01:14:41,399 and then really engage to get everybody to help search. 1439 01:14:41,441 --> 01:14:43,985 - I think that was in a lot of peoples' minds 1440 01:14:44,026 --> 01:14:46,863 is, Can we do this? How can we do this, 1441 01:14:46,904 --> 01:14:50,324 and how can we put that into action? 1442 01:14:50,366 --> 01:14:53,244 Diana Simone was one of those people who could see that 1443 01:14:53,286 --> 01:14:55,955 that was a good possibility. 1444 01:14:55,997 --> 01:14:57,165 {\an8}I am Diana Simone, 1445 01:14:57,206 --> 01:15:00,334 {\an8}and I am resident of Fort Worth, Texas. 1446 01:15:00,376 --> 01:15:02,587 I rarely, if ever, watched the news. 1447 01:15:02,628 --> 01:15:06,674 But the TV was on, and as I passed by it, 1448 01:15:06,716 --> 01:15:11,054 I noticed what appeared to be somebody's home video was on. 1449 01:15:11,095 --> 01:15:13,181 There's such a different emotional reaction 1450 01:15:13,222 --> 01:15:15,475 when you see a child opening presents 1451 01:15:15,516 --> 01:15:18,436 and riding a bike and waving and smiling 1452 01:15:18,478 --> 01:15:21,189 than you do just a flat picture. 1453 01:15:21,230 --> 01:15:24,692 This child becomes very real to you. 1454 01:15:24,734 --> 01:15:28,362 Then to hear this horrifying situation had taken place, 1455 01:15:28,404 --> 01:15:29,405 you just immediately think 1456 01:15:29,447 --> 01:15:31,282 what her mother must be feeling. 1457 01:15:35,661 --> 01:15:38,873 In Amber's case, she was taken around 4:00. 1458 01:15:38,915 --> 01:15:40,500 It was 6:00 or 6:30 when I saw it. 1459 01:15:40,541 --> 01:15:43,211 So two and half hours had already passed 1460 01:15:43,252 --> 01:15:46,297 before the public became aware of what was going on. 1461 01:15:46,339 --> 01:15:48,591 I called the radio station and I said, 1462 01:15:48,633 --> 01:15:50,468 "I'm calling about the Amber Hagerman case." 1463 01:15:50,510 --> 01:15:52,887 And she said, "Do you have any information?" 1464 01:15:52,929 --> 01:15:55,431 And I said, "No, I don't, but I do have an idea." 1465 01:15:58,393 --> 01:15:59,936 - So often when children were being taken 1466 01:15:59,977 --> 01:16:02,397 it was by a suspect in a vehicle, 1467 01:16:02,438 --> 01:16:04,732 put the child in a vehicle, they drive off. 1468 01:16:04,774 --> 01:16:06,901 {\an8}So wouldn't it be great if there was a way 1469 01:16:06,943 --> 01:16:08,778 {\an8}to let everybody know about it, 1470 01:16:08,820 --> 01:16:11,823 {\an8}so that they could be your eyes and ears on the street 1471 01:16:11,864 --> 01:16:13,366 {\an8}looking for that suspect vehicle. 1472 01:16:13,408 --> 01:16:17,745 Looking for that suspect. Looking for that child. 1473 01:16:17,787 --> 01:16:20,790 Arlington Police and this group of radio station managers 1474 01:16:20,832 --> 01:16:24,168 ended up getting together, and formulating this plan 1475 01:16:24,210 --> 01:16:26,045 for this emergency broadcast alert 1476 01:16:26,087 --> 01:16:27,547 that they would put out. 1477 01:16:27,588 --> 01:16:29,674 And it would have a loud, obnoxious sound. 1478 01:16:29,716 --> 01:16:32,343 It was gonna go out on the radio stations 1479 01:16:32,385 --> 01:16:35,263 and would alert people that there'd been a child abduction, 1480 01:16:35,304 --> 01:16:37,932 give them information like where did it happen, 1481 01:16:37,974 --> 01:16:39,267 what does the suspect look like, 1482 01:16:39,308 --> 01:16:41,602 what is the suspect driving. 1483 01:16:41,644 --> 01:16:43,146 {\an8}- It's so simple, it's brilliant, 1484 01:16:43,187 --> 01:16:44,772 {\an8}because the whole idea is to be able 1485 01:16:44,814 --> 01:16:47,817 {\an8}to get out to the public information that they can use 1486 01:16:47,859 --> 01:16:51,195 {\an8}to provide us with actionable intelligence. 1487 01:16:51,237 --> 01:16:52,405 {\an8}A description of suspect. 1488 01:16:52,447 --> 01:16:54,949 {\an8}Description of vehicle. License plate. 1489 01:16:54,991 --> 01:16:57,744 {\an8}Something that they could work with. 1490 01:16:57,785 --> 01:16:59,495 {\an8}- It's a real partnership. It's a partnership 1491 01:16:59,537 --> 01:17:02,039 {\an8}between law enforcement and broadcasters 1492 01:17:02,081 --> 01:17:05,126 {\an8}to work together when time is critical 1493 01:17:05,168 --> 01:17:06,711 {\an8}on a serious child abduction case. 1494 01:17:09,213 --> 01:17:11,007 - Today we're unveiling the Amber Plan. 1495 01:17:11,049 --> 01:17:13,885 [applause] 1496 01:17:13,926 --> 01:17:18,139 - I encourage all radio stations to participate in this 1497 01:17:18,181 --> 01:17:20,266 because it is a great idea 1498 01:17:20,308 --> 01:17:22,560 and it will get information out that we need 1499 01:17:22,602 --> 01:17:26,272 to get a little girl or a little boy home. 1500 01:17:26,314 --> 01:17:28,524 {\an8}- Some staggering percentage of people 1501 01:17:28,566 --> 01:17:30,651 {\an8}had their radio on when they were in the car. 1502 01:17:30,693 --> 01:17:31,903 {\an8}And so we thought if we could get it across 1503 01:17:31,944 --> 01:17:34,155 {\an8}all the radio stations in Dallas-Fort Worth, 1504 01:17:34,197 --> 01:17:37,408 just think how many eyes we'd have out looking for the kids. 1505 01:17:37,450 --> 01:17:38,493 And so it just worked like a charm 1506 01:17:38,534 --> 01:17:40,620 as far as getting people to say, Yes. 1507 01:17:40,661 --> 01:17:42,872 And then Rae-Leigh Bradbury comes along. 1508 01:17:48,419 --> 01:17:50,838 {\an8}- We got a call that there was a missing baby 1509 01:17:50,880 --> 01:17:53,174 {\an8}by the name of Rae-Leigh. 1510 01:17:53,216 --> 01:17:57,095 {\an8}- We were living in Arlington throughout my whole pregnancy. 1511 01:17:57,136 --> 01:17:58,679 {\an8}I knew everybody. 1512 01:17:58,721 --> 01:18:00,139 {\an8}I loved everybody. 1513 01:18:00,181 --> 01:18:02,392 {\an8}And I had this little lady, she's as cute as could be. 1514 01:18:02,433 --> 01:18:04,852 Her name was Sandra Fallis. 1515 01:18:04,894 --> 01:18:06,979 I thought of her as a friend. 1516 01:18:07,021 --> 01:18:08,356 And I trusted her. 1517 01:18:08,398 --> 01:18:11,317 So that's why I felt like that it was a good choice 1518 01:18:11,359 --> 01:18:16,531 that I let her become my babysitter. 1519 01:18:16,572 --> 01:18:20,284 - I drop her off that morning in a little onesie nighty. 1520 01:18:20,326 --> 01:18:22,703 And then her diaper bag full. 1521 01:18:22,745 --> 01:18:27,166 And then just do a normal 8-hour workday. 1522 01:18:27,208 --> 01:18:29,544 - And then when evening came time 1523 01:18:29,585 --> 01:18:31,337 and the babysitter was supposed to show up with her, 1524 01:18:31,379 --> 01:18:32,630 she-- they didn't show up. 1525 01:18:36,634 --> 01:18:37,844 - I didn't think she was kidnapped. 1526 01:18:37,885 --> 01:18:39,846 That's not a word that I would even associate. 1527 01:18:42,598 --> 01:18:45,309 No local hospitals had heard of any wrecks 1528 01:18:45,351 --> 01:18:46,978 or anything like that. 1529 01:18:47,019 --> 01:18:49,939 And then finally I just decided to call 9-1-1. 1530 01:18:49,981 --> 01:18:54,652 I'm like, "My babysitter hasn't brought my baby home." 1531 01:18:54,694 --> 01:18:56,654 Basically a policeman came up 1532 01:18:56,696 --> 01:18:59,532 and he was like taking the report and stuff. 1533 01:18:59,574 --> 01:19:00,950 - And we started talking about, 1534 01:19:00,992 --> 01:19:02,702 "Well is this, is this the time we should do this?" 1535 01:19:02,744 --> 01:19:04,537 We felt like, Okay, you know, something's got to happen. 1536 01:19:04,579 --> 01:19:07,165 We've got to get this baby back. 1537 01:19:07,206 --> 01:19:08,666 I remember calling the police chief, 1538 01:19:08,708 --> 01:19:10,418 I'm getting ready to do this. 1539 01:19:10,460 --> 01:19:11,836 - They were like, "We're going to use this thing 1540 01:19:11,878 --> 01:19:13,046 called the Amber Alert." 1541 01:19:17,800 --> 01:19:19,927 - This is an activation of the Amber Alert system 1542 01:19:19,969 --> 01:19:23,139 at the request of the Arlington Police Department. 1543 01:19:23,181 --> 01:19:25,016 Arlington Police say a child, 1544 01:19:25,058 --> 01:19:28,436 a 2-month-old white female baby has been kidnapped. 1545 01:19:28,478 --> 01:19:31,189 The baby's name is Rae-Leigh Ann Bradbury. 1546 01:19:31,230 --> 01:19:34,108 Police believe the victim was abducted by her babysitter, 1547 01:19:34,150 --> 01:19:36,235 Sandra Joyce Fallis, a white female, 1548 01:19:36,277 --> 01:19:39,906 42 years of age, 5'3", 135 pounds, 1549 01:19:39,947 --> 01:19:42,742 with black hair, brown eyes and driving a turquoise 1550 01:19:42,784 --> 01:19:46,412 1993 Ford Ranger Splash pickup truck. 1551 01:19:46,454 --> 01:19:48,122 - It literally was like 30 minutes. 1552 01:19:59,050 --> 01:20:13,606 ** 1553 01:20:18,694 --> 01:20:20,113 - Guy driving down the highway next to her, 1554 01:20:20,154 --> 01:20:21,531 {\an8}looking in the vehicle, 1555 01:20:21,572 --> 01:20:23,950 {\an8}"I see the baby sitting on the front seat! 1556 01:20:23,991 --> 01:20:25,118 {\an8}"In her car seat." 1557 01:20:27,620 --> 01:20:29,497 - So we got a patrol officer out there. 1558 01:20:29,539 --> 01:20:30,998 Pulled her over, got the baby. 1559 01:20:38,673 --> 01:20:42,009 {\an8}- I was in the car driving home and I was elated. 1560 01:20:42,051 --> 01:20:44,721 {\an8}I was absolutely elated. 1561 01:20:44,762 --> 01:20:47,765 {\an8}I mean there were just, there are no words, you know. 1562 01:20:47,807 --> 01:20:50,560 {\an8}Because you're just like, "Oh, my God, it's working. 1563 01:20:50,601 --> 01:20:52,812 {\an8}"It's absolutely working." 1564 01:20:52,854 --> 01:20:54,397 {\an8}- When I was finally able to hold her, 1565 01:20:54,439 --> 01:20:55,857 {\an8}it was a relief. 1566 01:20:55,898 --> 01:20:59,861 {\an8}It was just an overwhelming relief. 1567 01:20:59,902 --> 01:21:01,654 {\an8}I didn't want to let her go. 1568 01:21:01,696 --> 01:21:04,866 {\an8}I was not going to let her go. 1569 01:21:04,907 --> 01:21:06,451 {\an8}- It couldn't have happened any better. 1570 01:21:06,492 --> 01:21:08,494 {\an8}So yeah, a happy ending 1571 01:21:08,536 --> 01:21:12,790 {\an8}to a thing rooted in a terrible tragedy. 1572 01:21:12,832 --> 01:21:14,709 {\an8}- That was awesome. Me and my mom, 1573 01:21:14,751 --> 01:21:17,420 {\an8}we just kinda looked up in heaven and said, 1574 01:21:17,462 --> 01:21:19,005 {\an8}"You did it, girl." 1575 01:21:20,548 --> 01:21:21,591 {\an8}I've said how much 1576 01:21:21,632 --> 01:21:23,676 {\an8}Amber Hagerman has meant to me. 1577 01:21:23,718 --> 01:21:25,636 {\an8}And it's true to this day, 1578 01:21:25,678 --> 01:21:27,346 {\an8}I wouldn't be here without her. 1579 01:21:27,388 --> 01:21:30,099 {\an8}I used to call her my guardian angel. 1580 01:21:30,141 --> 01:21:32,810 {\an8}I used to pray to her, just like little prayers 1581 01:21:32,852 --> 01:21:34,520 {\an8}like, "Thank you for this day", 1582 01:21:34,562 --> 01:21:37,398 {\an8}like, "Thanks for watching over me." 1583 01:21:37,440 --> 01:21:38,816 {\an8}- Every time I hear a Amber Alert, 1584 01:21:38,858 --> 01:21:41,652 {\an8}I say to myself, "It's time to go to work, Sis. 1585 01:21:41,694 --> 01:21:43,529 {\an8}"Do your thing." 1586 01:21:43,571 --> 01:21:44,739 {\an8}I just wish that 1587 01:21:44,781 --> 01:21:48,326 {\an8}Amber had something in place at the time. 1588 01:21:48,367 --> 01:21:49,869 {\an8}It's bittersweet. 1589 01:21:49,911 --> 01:21:53,247 {\an8}What if we had a Amber Alert when Amber was missing? 1590 01:21:53,289 --> 01:21:55,124 {\an8}Could it have saved her life? 1591 01:21:58,669 --> 01:22:01,005 {\an8}- Once other areas across the country 1592 01:22:01,047 --> 01:22:04,550 {\an8}heard about the program, they said, 1593 01:22:04,592 --> 01:22:07,428 {\an8}"We're going to set one up in our town." 1594 01:22:07,470 --> 01:22:11,682 {\an8}- Within weeks of us activating Amber, 1595 01:22:11,724 --> 01:22:13,226 I was receiving calls 1596 01:22:13,267 --> 01:22:16,813 and other people were receiving calls from around Texas 1597 01:22:16,854 --> 01:22:19,690 and from around the United States on, 1598 01:22:19,732 --> 01:22:21,651 "Okay, how do you do this?" 1599 01:22:21,692 --> 01:22:23,694 I would walk them through the process 1600 01:22:23,736 --> 01:22:26,114 that we went through in developing 1601 01:22:26,155 --> 01:22:29,742 the relationships with their radio stations, 1602 01:22:29,784 --> 01:22:32,370 and actually putting it in place 1603 01:22:32,412 --> 01:22:35,123 and getting it up and running. 1604 01:22:35,164 --> 01:22:37,083 We have a critical time 1605 01:22:37,125 --> 01:22:38,835 that we have to get this information out 1606 01:22:38,876 --> 01:22:41,546 to galvanize the community, 1607 01:22:41,587 --> 01:22:45,383 to get their ears and eyes looking everywhere 1608 01:22:45,425 --> 01:22:47,969 for the child, for the vehicle. 1609 01:22:48,010 --> 01:22:51,222 It was exciting to see the programs popping up 1610 01:22:51,264 --> 01:22:52,598 around the country, 1611 01:22:52,640 --> 01:22:54,934 and it was in 2000 1612 01:22:54,976 --> 01:22:57,895 that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 1613 01:22:57,937 --> 01:23:02,108 said, "You know what, we should take this national." 1614 01:23:02,150 --> 01:23:04,736 - And then to just see it just explode. 1615 01:23:04,777 --> 01:23:08,114 It just becomes this phenomenon and it works. 1616 01:23:13,619 --> 01:23:14,746 {\an8}Ladies and Gentlemen, 1617 01:23:14,787 --> 01:23:17,749 {\an8}the President of the United States. 1618 01:23:17,790 --> 01:23:19,417 {\an8}- President Bush signed on 1619 01:23:19,459 --> 01:23:22,045 {\an8}and said, you know, "I support this." 1620 01:23:22,086 --> 01:23:27,717 {\an8}And he designated a National Amber Alert Coordinator 1621 01:23:27,759 --> 01:23:31,220 {\an8}at the Department of Justice. 1622 01:23:31,262 --> 01:23:35,266 {\an8}- Amber Hagerman, whose mom is with us today, 1623 01:23:35,308 --> 01:23:36,976 {\an8}a good Texan I might add... 1624 01:23:37,018 --> 01:23:41,564 {\an8}[applause] 1625 01:23:41,606 --> 01:23:42,940 {\an8}Was 9 years old 1626 01:23:42,982 --> 01:23:45,985 {\an8}when she was taken away from her parents. 1627 01:23:46,027 --> 01:23:49,280 {\an8}We are acting today in her memory 1628 01:23:49,322 --> 01:23:51,657 {\an8}and in the memory of so many other girls and boys 1629 01:23:51,699 --> 01:23:53,284 {\an8}who lost their lives and innocence 1630 01:23:53,326 --> 01:23:55,161 {\an8}in acts of cruelty. 1631 01:23:55,203 --> 01:23:56,621 {\an8}And now it is my honor 1632 01:23:56,662 --> 01:24:01,626 {\an8}to sign the Protect Act of 2003. 1633 01:24:01,667 --> 01:24:04,253 {\an8}- That was sort of the crowning moment, 1634 01:24:04,295 --> 01:24:05,546 {\an8}and I get chills, 1635 01:24:05,588 --> 01:24:09,717 {\an8}because everybody's work had paid off. 1636 01:24:09,759 --> 01:24:14,472 {\an8}[applause] 1637 01:24:14,514 --> 01:24:17,100 {\an8}- It was nerve-wracking, but I was still really proud 1638 01:24:17,141 --> 01:24:20,770 {\an8}because the President is talking about my little girl. 1639 01:24:20,812 --> 01:24:22,105 {\an8}And I was able to talk to him 1640 01:24:22,146 --> 01:24:24,107 about my little girl and what happened to her. 1641 01:24:28,027 --> 01:24:31,030 Donna really evolved. 1642 01:24:31,072 --> 01:24:33,658 She turned her grief and anger 1643 01:24:33,699 --> 01:24:36,828 into advocacy. 1644 01:24:36,869 --> 01:24:40,331 She's been a champion of the Amber Alert program 1645 01:24:40,373 --> 01:24:42,166 the entire time 1646 01:24:42,208 --> 01:24:44,335 and she knows that, 1647 01:24:44,377 --> 01:24:46,713 you know, this is her daughter's legacy. 1648 01:24:55,596 --> 01:24:57,557 - Tragedy struck this community 1649 01:24:57,598 --> 01:25:01,185 {\an8}January 13, 1996. 1650 01:25:01,227 --> 01:25:03,771 {\an8}Our resolve to solve this case 1651 01:25:03,813 --> 01:25:07,024 {\an8}has not wavered. 1652 01:25:07,066 --> 01:25:10,027 {\an8}- Anytime there's an anniversary of her abduction and murder, 1653 01:25:10,069 --> 01:25:13,740 {\an8}and there's a press conference or a memorial, 1654 01:25:13,781 --> 01:25:16,159 {\an8}we have a bunch of community members 1655 01:25:16,200 --> 01:25:19,537 {\an8}come out in support of the family. 1656 01:25:19,579 --> 01:25:21,164 - This case is personal to me 1657 01:25:21,205 --> 01:25:23,082 because I've been involved in some aspect 1658 01:25:23,124 --> 01:25:25,960 since the day that Amber was abducted. 1659 01:25:26,002 --> 01:25:28,838 In 2010, I became the lead detective. 1660 01:25:28,880 --> 01:25:31,883 And I had the case from then until 2018 1661 01:25:31,924 --> 01:25:33,760 when I promoted to Sergeant. 1662 01:25:33,801 --> 01:25:35,928 At that time Detective Grant Gildon 1663 01:25:35,970 --> 01:25:37,972 {\an8}took over as the lead detective. 1664 01:25:38,014 --> 01:25:40,808 {\an8}- Actually, I was a sophomore in high school 1665 01:25:40,850 --> 01:25:42,727 {\an8}when, when this case happened. 1666 01:25:42,769 --> 01:25:44,270 {\an8}And I remember hearing of the Amber Alert 1667 01:25:44,312 --> 01:25:46,105 {\an8}and that it was named after a young girl 1668 01:25:46,147 --> 01:25:48,733 {\an8}that was kidnapped and murdered. 1669 01:25:48,775 --> 01:25:51,736 It wasn't until I was applying 1670 01:25:51,778 --> 01:25:53,613 with the Arlington Police Department 1671 01:25:53,654 --> 01:25:55,656 that I became aware that 1672 01:25:55,698 --> 01:25:58,743 the case originated in Arlington, Texas. 1673 01:25:58,785 --> 01:26:00,745 I saw just how passionate they were 1674 01:26:00,787 --> 01:26:02,914 about trying to solve Amber's case. 1675 01:26:02,955 --> 01:26:05,249 Then it, it really struck me that 1676 01:26:05,291 --> 01:26:08,086 that was something I wanted to help contribute to. 1677 01:26:08,127 --> 01:26:10,254 The figure we gave of 5,500. 1678 01:26:10,296 --> 01:26:13,591 That's the number of leads the Amber Hagerman Task Force 1679 01:26:13,633 --> 01:26:16,594 investigated between February of '96 1680 01:26:16,636 --> 01:26:18,221 and June of '97. 1681 01:26:18,262 --> 01:26:22,934 Current to date, we've investigated over 7,000. 1682 01:26:22,975 --> 01:26:26,104 {\an8}- The 25th year anniversary is just another year with, 1683 01:26:26,145 --> 01:26:29,607 {\an8}with no answers, no justice, and we want that to change. 1684 01:26:29,649 --> 01:26:31,984 {\an8}We want justice. That's our goal. 1685 01:26:32,026 --> 01:26:35,279 {\an8}That's-that's what we need. Our family needs closure. 1686 01:26:35,321 --> 01:26:39,033 - One of the major, um, issues with a case 1687 01:26:39,075 --> 01:26:41,953 that is a long-term case like this 1688 01:26:41,994 --> 01:26:44,747 is that, you know, people forget about it. 1689 01:26:44,789 --> 01:26:48,167 But Amber's killer is out there somewhere. 1690 01:26:48,209 --> 01:27:03,307 ** 1691 01:27:06,060 --> 01:27:09,605 - After 25 years, of course it gets frustrating at times 1692 01:27:09,647 --> 01:27:11,733 because we want to solve the case 1693 01:27:11,774 --> 01:27:15,153 and we want answers for Amber's family. 1694 01:27:15,194 --> 01:27:18,364 But as homicide detectives 1695 01:27:18,406 --> 01:27:21,033 we never let that frustration get to us 1696 01:27:21,075 --> 01:27:23,536 to the point of quitting. 1697 01:27:23,578 --> 01:27:27,832 {\an8}- Recently, there was some new technology 1698 01:27:27,874 --> 01:27:29,375 {\an8}that I became aware of 1699 01:27:29,417 --> 01:27:33,963 {\an8}that we thought was relevant to some of the evidence 1700 01:27:34,005 --> 01:27:36,883 {\an8}that we've maintained in this case. 1701 01:27:36,924 --> 01:27:40,136 We've started to discuss the possibility 1702 01:27:40,178 --> 01:27:42,388 of testing some of the evidence we have 1703 01:27:42,430 --> 01:27:46,642 that we hope can produce DNA in this case. 1704 01:27:46,684 --> 01:27:47,894 With Amber, 1705 01:27:47,935 --> 01:27:52,065 there is just not much trace evidence at all. 1706 01:27:52,106 --> 01:27:53,649 - The main question when determining 1707 01:27:53,691 --> 01:27:54,859 what evidence to test 1708 01:27:54,901 --> 01:27:57,278 and what kind of testing to do 1709 01:27:57,320 --> 01:28:00,782 is thinking about the quantity of the evidence 1710 01:28:00,823 --> 01:28:02,867 and whether or not you're going to use up 1711 01:28:02,909 --> 01:28:06,788 or consume all of the potential DNA 1712 01:28:06,829 --> 01:28:08,748 while doing the testing. 1713 01:28:08,790 --> 01:28:11,918 - Is it worth the risk of destroying all the evidence 1714 01:28:11,959 --> 01:28:14,170 in the testing process? 1715 01:28:14,212 --> 01:28:19,175 Or is it something we should wait a few months to test 1716 01:28:19,217 --> 01:28:21,886 because of the advancements in the technology 1717 01:28:21,928 --> 01:28:25,139 that are taking place very rapidly? 1718 01:28:25,181 --> 01:28:29,477 - The motivating factor for me is thinking of Amber's mother 1719 01:28:29,519 --> 01:28:34,357 and also Amber's brother and- and how he has grown up 1720 01:28:34,399 --> 01:28:38,277 and just wanting answers from that day. 1721 01:28:38,319 --> 01:28:41,239 I believe that the person who kidnapped 1722 01:28:41,280 --> 01:28:44,409 and murdered Amber Hagerman is still alive. 1723 01:28:44,450 --> 01:28:46,953 If we continue to work this case, 1724 01:28:46,994 --> 01:28:49,497 we will be able to bring them to justice. 1725 01:28:49,539 --> 01:28:52,250 I also believe there are people out there 1726 01:28:52,291 --> 01:28:55,044 who know the details about what happened. 1727 01:28:55,086 --> 01:28:56,921 That's why continue to take every lead 1728 01:28:56,963 --> 01:28:59,924 and investigate it as thoroughly as possible 1729 01:28:59,966 --> 01:29:02,260 in hopes that one of these leads 1730 01:29:02,301 --> 01:29:05,304 will eventually lead us to the killer. 1731 01:29:15,022 --> 01:29:16,733 Hold me up, Daddy. 1732 01:29:16,774 --> 01:29:19,110 Here we go. 1733 01:29:19,152 --> 01:29:21,320 Aw, don't cry. 1734 01:29:21,362 --> 01:29:22,947 Aw. 1735 01:29:22,989 --> 01:29:27,118 Hi baby, hello. 1736 01:29:27,160 --> 01:29:31,122 - This is my daughter little Gracie Rene Hagerman. 1737 01:29:31,164 --> 01:29:34,667 So we gave her Amber's middle name, Rene. 1738 01:29:34,709 --> 01:29:39,130 She was actually born on the same day as Amber, 1739 01:29:39,172 --> 01:29:42,633 November 25th, and in the same hour. 1740 01:29:46,846 --> 01:29:48,306 My son is happy. 1741 01:29:48,347 --> 01:29:50,016 I want to cry every time I see my son 1742 01:29:50,058 --> 01:29:51,976 because he is so happy. 1743 01:29:52,018 --> 01:29:54,228 He is in a good place now. 1744 01:29:54,270 --> 01:30:00,610 Makes my heart good to see him happy. 1745 01:30:01,194 --> 01:30:03,237 So life is okay now. 1746 01:30:09,827 --> 01:30:12,330 - Oh, my gosh. How are you doing? 1747 01:30:16,793 --> 01:30:17,668 - It's so good to see you. 1748 01:30:17,710 --> 01:30:20,004 - It's good to see you, too. 1749 01:30:20,046 --> 01:30:21,547 There was a little bit of nervousness 1750 01:30:21,589 --> 01:30:24,842 about how she would feel and I would feel 1751 01:30:24,884 --> 01:30:27,720 after so long a time. 1752 01:30:27,762 --> 01:30:30,848 But when I saw her it was one of those situations 1753 01:30:30,890 --> 01:30:34,394 where you felt like no time had passed away at all. 1754 01:30:37,563 --> 01:30:39,607 It's such an honor to have been a part 1755 01:30:39,649 --> 01:30:43,403 of what happened and where we are today. 1756 01:30:43,444 --> 01:30:48,074 And I know that Donna wants to continue 1757 01:30:48,116 --> 01:30:51,411 to look at that every time a child is saved, 1758 01:30:51,452 --> 01:30:53,538 that that makes a difference to her. 1759 01:30:53,579 --> 01:30:55,498 And it makes a difference to me, too. 1760 01:30:59,585 --> 01:31:02,463 - The main reason why I'm doing this documentary today 1761 01:31:02,505 --> 01:31:04,215 is to kind of let people know 1762 01:31:04,257 --> 01:31:06,592 what kind of little girl Amber was. 1763 01:31:06,634 --> 01:31:09,220 She's always helping other little children 1764 01:31:09,262 --> 01:31:12,223 and, and taking care of children. 1765 01:31:12,265 --> 01:31:14,517 And she always took care of her little brother. 1766 01:31:14,559 --> 01:31:17,478 So this is just another way for her to do that. 1767 01:31:17,520 --> 01:31:19,856 She's still doing what she loved. 1768 01:31:23,276 --> 01:31:26,738 She was not just a victim. She was my daughter. 1769 01:31:26,779 --> 01:31:29,991 She was somebody. She is somebody still today. 1770 01:31:30,032 --> 01:31:45,298 {\an8}** 1771 01:31:55,183 --> 01:32:07,653 {\an8}**