On January 17, 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while out riding her bike in Arlington, Texas. A man was seen taking her from her bicycle and leaving with her in his truck. Her body was found just days later in a ditch not too far from the point of abduction.

The Amber Alert system, a system devised to quickly notify society of a missing child, was named in Amber's honor by the father of her friend and developer of the plan, Bruce Seybert.

Four days after Hagerman disappeared, her body was discovered at the bottom of a creek at the Forest Hill apartment complex, located in North Arlington. Her throat had been cut.

Hagerman's killer was never found. However, it was reported on July 25, 2007, that convicted sex offender Terapon Adhahn was under investigation for Hagerman's murder. He was arrested prior to that for an abduction of a 12-year-old, whose body was found on July 12.

The Amber Alert system was named after Amber Hagerman. It is a notification that is sent out across the country and into Canada when it's confirmed by authorities that a child is missing. AMBER alerts are sent out via e-mail, electronic traffic-condition signs, wireless device SMS text messages, radio stations, satellite radio, television stations and on cable TV by the Emergency Alert System.

In April 2009, Bruce Seybert, the man responsible for the plan, accused the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of trademark infringement regarding the Amber Alert.Houston Press: Amber Alert: A Trademark-Infringement... (April 17, 2009)

Lifetime aired the movie Amber's Story in 2006, which stars Elisabeth Rohm and Sophie Hough.