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Brooke Walker reporting Ten years ago today, somebody kidnapped 9-year old Amber Hagerman. Authorities found her body several days later. Texas police still have not found the murderer, but Amber's legacy lives on.
Today is national Amber Alert Day - set to remember the inspiration behind a system that has saved hundreds of children, including kids right here in Utah.
At the state capitol today, officials celebrated one of those success stories.
911 Call: "We have found the vehicle of the Amber Alert from last night." "Is it stationary or driving?" "It is driving."
For Chasity Angell, hearing that 9-1-1 call was an emotional moment.
Angell and husband Mike Butcher recently called police after spotting a license plate she had memorized from an Amber Alert. In that car were 12-year old Tyler Morton and his seven-year old brother, Steven.
Their mother had kidnapped the two boys from their grandmother's home in Box Elder County earlier this month.
Even though the couple never expected to find the woman in their town of Ivins, Angell says, as a mother of two, she takes any Amber Alert to heart.
Chasity Angell, Acted on Amber Alert: "We do listen, we pay attention, we remember the cars, we remember the suspect descriptions, we try to remember everything until we hear on the news or the radio until they have been found."
Because of their heroic actions, the state awarded the two with the Rachael Runyan Award, a recognition named after a three-year old who was kidnapped and murdered back in 1982.
In the last two years alone more than 500 Amber Alerts have gone out all across the country. Utah launched the plan in 2002, and since then the state has issued 14 alerts. Of those 14 missing children, 13 have returned home.
Today the US post office will unveil a commemorative stamp to recognize the success of this system. Here in Utah, the Attorney General's office announced a poster contest.
