The tragic death of 9-year-old Amber who was to save hundreds of children's lives

The disappearance and unexpected loss of the little girl was the reason for the creation of Amber Alert

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Amber Haggerman was a typical 9-year-old girl who lived with her mother and 5-year-old brother in Arlington, Texas. She loved Scouts very much, as well as cycling with her brother.

On January 13, 1996, she took her favorite bike for the last time, taking one of her usual post-meal walks. She and her brother had visited their grandparents' house a few days after New Year's Eve. The two got on their bikes and drove to an abandoned supermarket near the house. Shortly afterwards, the 5-year-old returned home alone, leaving his sister behind to ride a little more. The little one never returned.

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Her only witness abduction Amber, an elderly supermarket neighbor who heard the little girl's calls for help. Seeing that he was not particularly helpful, he later told local authorities that "a man got out of a dark truck, violently took Amber off her bicycle and threw her into the truck's cabin, while the girl kicked and shouted for aid".

He called the police immediately afterwards, but the investigation had no positive results. Although more than 50 police and federal agents were mobilized, they never managed to find little Amber alive.

Five days later, a passerby found the body of a little girl in a ditch under mud, twigs and leaves just a few kilometers from the abandoned area where Amber was last found alive. The pile belonged to Amber. With obvious signs of abuse on her body - her neck had a large knife, and there were bruises all over her body - the forensic examination showed that the little girl had survived for two days after his abduction, while, unfortunately, he was also sexually abused.

The audience of Arlington, Texas and the whole of America froze from the macabre findings. To this day, little Amber's killer is free. The fact that only one person saw what really happened, combined with the lack of information and other witnesses after the abduction, probably slowed down any progress the investigation could have made in locating the unfortunate Amber.

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A few days after Amber's funeral, Diane Simon, a mother and herself, called the local Dallas station with a question. Since radio and television stations were sending weather alerts, why not be able to alert their listeners and viewers as well? disappearance of a child? Simon's idea resonated with the public, and radio stations in the Dallas Fort Worth area worked with local authorities to alert the public about missing children. Starting locally, initially as Dallas Amber Alert, the service became state-run and then national.

The acronym Amber, although derived from "America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response" (direct media response for missing children in America) is dedicated to the memory of little Amber, who may have been saved if one had worked when she disappeared. system.

The mother of the unfortunate Amber, Donna Williams, 20 years after the unjust loss of her daughter, stated that the specific system that is mentioned in the memory of her daughter is bittersweet. "I always wonder what would happen if we got married in the case of Amber Amber Alert. Would we be able to find her alive and have her with us again? '

For her part, the inspirer of the Diane Simon system, in 2016 at the age of 70, said that the lack of information played a very important role in the tragic end in the case of Amber, while, according to statistics, experts are led to the conclusion that biggest enemy in incidents abduction minors is the time.

At the same time, Simon called on her fellow citizens to never ignore such warnings, as they could save an innocent life in danger.

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Today, Amber Alert notifications are broadcast on specific terms on television and radio stations, on digital billboards, on national road signs, via e-mail or social media, and in some countries, even in the form of mobile phone messages. .

In order to enforce Amber Alert, the authorities must have indications that it is a kidnapping or abduction child and that his life or health is in immediate danger, the activation of the system to help locate him and not to endanger the child and his age to be under 18 years.

In 2006, ten years after Amber's brutal murder, her mother, with tears in her eyes, announced that Amber Alert was estimated to have rescued and rescued about 700 abducted children - the ultimate justification for her daughter's tragic death. .

It is currently active in 17 member states of the European Union: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, England and of course Greece. The European Union itself, through Amber Alert Europe, has issued intergovernmental declarations and has imposed the establishment of branches in all 28 of its Member States.

In Greece, Amber Alert, the National Coordinating Program for Early and Valid Notification of Citizens in Cases of Disappearance / Abduction of Minors, which is activated by the "Child's Smile" Organization with the approval of the Greek Police, first opened in 2007.

A number of agencies - 61 different agencies in the country - state, private and voluntary, contribute to the program's goal, with each of them communicating the missing child's details and some other necessary information through the media (television and radio). social media posts, mobile phone submissions, airport billboards, etc.).

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