WEBVTT - The Tragedy That Inspired AMBER Alerts 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:04.399 Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:21.079 with iHeartRadio. 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:26.920 We're going to start with a little peak behind the 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:30.320 scenes of Criminalia. If you're a longtime listener, you may 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:33.720 have noticed that there are some stories we keep off limits. 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:38.440 For example, we don't typically talk about crimes against kids. 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:42.240 We also try to talk about crimes that haven't been 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:46.200 splashed all over modern media. I mean, you know those 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:51.159 crime stories that you know all the details from. With 0:00:51.280 --> 0:00:54.440 that said, this episode doesn't make sense if you look 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:57.560 at it through those guidelines. This episode is about the 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.240 legacy of Third Greater Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:04.959 killed near her home. Her long unresolved case is a 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:08.880 very important one in United States history, even though it's 0:01:08.920 --> 0:01:13.120 only a few decades old. Also, there's an obvious warning 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.240 with this one that it involves violence against a child, 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:19.160 so please feel free to skip over it if that's 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:23.400 not something you're comfortable hearing about. Now, welcome to Criminalia. 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:25.399 I'm Maria Tremarki. 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:30.440 And I'm Holly Frye. Amber had long brown hair and freckles. 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:33.000 She liked playing with her Barbie dolls, and she was 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:37.360 a devoted girl Scout. She was born on November twenty fifth, 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:42.840 nineteen eighty six, to Donna Williams and Richard Hagerman in Arlington, Texas. 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:47.080 But on the afternoon of January thirteenth, nineteen ninety six, 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:52.520 everything changed. Amber age nine, was abducted while riding her 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:56.360 pink bicycle in an abandoned wind Dixie parking lot on 0:01:56.440 --> 0:02:00.080 East Abram Street in Arlington, just two tenths of a 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:04.720 mile from her grandparents' house. The suspect, still unknown, is 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:08.200 believed to have waited until Amber's five year old brother, Ricky, 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:12.040 had left on his bike. The kids had been told 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:15.560 to only ride their bikes around the block, but instead 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.840 Amber wanted to try a bike ramp that she saw 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:22.800 in the nearby parking lot, and so she went to 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:26.440 try it out and Ricky went back home. It only 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.000 took eight minutes for Amber to disappear. 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:33.519 Amber's bicycle was recovered from the parking lot, but Amber 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:38.560 wasn't found until just around midnight, four days after her abduction, 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:42.280 when an apartment security guard discovered her body face down 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:45.920 in a creek bed behind the Forest Hill Apartments, only 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.240 about four miles from the parking lot where she had 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:52.880 been taken. The Terrant County Medical Examiner's office ruled her 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:56.760 death a homicide and stated the cause was quote cut 0:02:56.760 --> 0:03:00.640 wounds to the throat. But to add more complicit to 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:05.560 this scene, there had been a fierce storm during Amber's disappearance, 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.160 and the creek she was found in had risen rapidly. 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:12.959 Authorities considered that her body had quote moved there during 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:16.919 the rainstorm. They also worried the water washed away any 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:19.560 potential evidence as to who her killer could be. 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.120 A seventy eight year old United States Navy veteran and 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:29.120 former sheriff's deputy named Jimmy Kevel witnessed the abduction. As 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.600 far as anyone knows, he was the only witness. He 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.000 lived just down the street, and he was working on 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:38.160 his car when he saw the kidnapping through the chain 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:41.720 link fence that separated his backyard from the rear of 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:44.800 the Strip Mall where the wind Dixie parking lot was located. 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:49.040 He recalled the experience to CBS Dallas Fort Worth in 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:53.400 twenty sixteen, saying, quote, a man pulled up, jumped out 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:56.920 and grabbed her when she screamed. I figured the police 0:03:56.960 --> 0:03:59.320 ought to know about it, so I called them. He 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:01.720 told the police that as he hurried back into his 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.000 house to call nine one one, he saw the kidnapper 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:07.680 pull out of the parking lot and head west on 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:12.760 Abram Street. According to Arlington Police detective Grant Gilden quote, 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:16.880 he described the suspect carrying Amber as she kicked and 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:21.520 screamed to his truck, putting her inside the driver's side door. 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:25.400 Based on Jimmy's eyewitness account and evidence they were able 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:31.000 to collect, police believe the suspect was or is a 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:35.120 white or Hispanic male in their twenties to thirties, shorter 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:37.680 than six feet tall, with a medium build, and with 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.760 brown or black hair. Now it's important to consider those 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:46.479 ages are from nineteen ninety six. Kevil described the vehicle 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:50.680 as well. He saw a nineteen eighties or nineteen nineties 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:54.560 solid black, full size pickup truck with no chrome or striping. 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:57.520 It was a single cab and had a short wheelbase. 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:00.719 Its rear window was clear and did not not slide, 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.239 and in general he was pretty confident that the truck 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:07.640 was in good condition and had no visible damage, but 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:10.679 he wasn't sure of the model or the license plate. 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:15.800 Okay, if you are thinking that eyewitness accounts are unreliable, 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:20.200 You're not alone. Human memory is faulty, and it is 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:24.760 easy to misremember things or to only remember small pieces 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:28.560 of an event that you've witnessed. The science of memory 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:32.960 is something that researchers are still constantly examining and learning 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:36.559 more about, and there are a lot of instances where 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:41.599 convictions based solely on eyewitness testimony have been overturned after 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:45.400 being found to have been erroneous. But that doesn't mean 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:49.640 all eyewitness testimony is useless. In the twenty eighteen book 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:54.240 Psychology of Learning and Motivation, researchers Scott D. Gronlind and 0:05:54.360 --> 0:05:58.240 Aaron S. Benjamin note that dismissing the use of eyewitness 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:00.920 evidence isn't really the best way to look at it, 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:05.159 and that a reframing of how eyewitness accounts are used 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:09.000 might offer a better result. They state that quote, A 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:15.240 broader view of eyewitness cognition includes both memory judgments, for example, 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:18.960 the selection of an individual from a lineup, and an 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:24.839 accompanying metacognitive context, for example, the level of confidence that 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:29.080 an eyewitness places in that selection. When these components are 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:33.640 considered jointly, eyewitness evidence is highly reliable and can be 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:36.720 treated like any other source of evidence in the courtroom, 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:42.760 valuable when appropriately a sayed, but prone to contamination. So 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:46.479 all of this is to say, if you eyewitness an event, 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:50.559 even if you have just a tiny detail that might help, 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.880 that's the kind of thing that should absolutely be shared 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:56.920 with authorities. They then vet that information. 0:06:58.040 --> 0:06:59.600 We're going to take a break for a word from 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:03.279 our spot. When we're back, we'll talk about how after 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:07.039 more than twenty five years, investigators are still asking the 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:08.680 public for information. 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.240 Welcome back to crimin Ilia. Let's talk about the task 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.960 force still investigating this case and they're renewed hope for 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:33.320 closure that modern DNA technology may offer. 0:07:33.960 --> 0:07:37.560 More than fifty police officers and FBI agents made up 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:41.880 the original task force created to investigate Amber's kidnapping and murder. 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:46.200 Sergeant Ben Lopez, a rookie back then, was on that team. 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:50.120 According to Lopez, the still unsolved case has generated more 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:54.600 than seven thousand leads over the years. All were investigated 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:57.240 with the help of the Terrant County Sheriff's office and 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:01.800 the FBI, but there is still no suspect. Authorities held 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:04.520 a press conference on the twenty fifth anniversary of Amber's 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:07.640 death in twenty twenty one to put the case back 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:12.400 in the public consciousness. During that news conference, Lopez stated, quote, 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:17.080 all this time, we've only had one witness. He continued, 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:20.080 that's why we're pleading if there's anyone out there that 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.800 has information, even if they think it's just a small 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.160 bit of information, it may be the lead we need 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.160 to break this of the crime. He has since stated 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:32.280 that it has quote stayed with me ever since end 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:33.920 quote is personal to me. 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:38.160 Police believe there may be more witnesses to the abduction, 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.480 such as someone from the laundromat that was next to 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:44.839 the wind Dixie, but that perhaps they were or even 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:50.320 still are too afraid to come forward. Additionally, investigators believe 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.080 Amber was alive for at least two of the four 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:56.400 days she was missing, and they believe someone must have 0:08:56.480 --> 0:09:00.520 seen something during those two days. During the twenty fifth 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:05.880 anniversary press conference, Arlington Detective Guilden stated, quote, our hope 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:10.000 is that someone in the community saw something. Maybe they 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.920 didn't come forward then out of fear or not wanting 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:17.440 to get involved, whatever reason. We need folks to search 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:21.080 their minds and bring forward anything that may add value 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:22.319 to our investigation. 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:27.040 Coinciding with the twenty fifth anniversary of this tragedy, police 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:29.920 ask for the public's help in the case and have 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:33.200 offered a ten thousand dollars reward for information leading to 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:37.680 an arrest. They also established a special tip line. For 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:41.560 the first time, they released photos taken after Amber's body 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:45.880 was found, hoping someone may remember something and come forward. 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:51.000 In twenty twenty one, investigators also disclosed that analysis by 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:55.079 FBI laboratories has yet to lead to a full DNA profile, 0:09:55.720 --> 0:10:00.400 but there's hope that advances in DNA technology, including genetic geniusology, 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.679 can increase their odds of finding the long unidentified suspect. 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:09.640 Detective Grant Gilden though consistently declined to say what physical 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:12.960 evidence the department has in the case, stating just that 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:16.360 it was information only Amber's killer would be aware of. 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:20.920 Also on the twenty fifth anniversary of Amber's death, her 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:24.480 mother stated to the press, quote, I implore the media 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:28.080 and public to ensure the focus remains on finding the 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:32.679 killer and bringing him to justice. I miss her every day. 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:36.160 I want to know why her. She was just a 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:41.800 little girl. And then, directly addressing her daughter's killer, she said, quote, 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:44.080 please turn yourself in. 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:46.120 We are going to take a break for a word 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:49.360 from our sponsors. When we return, we'll talk about the 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:54.360 public emergency alert system inspired by Amber's kidnapping and murder. 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:14.040 Welcome back to Criminalia in nineteen ninety six, There was 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:17.800 really no way to get this type of emergency information 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:22.560 out to the mass public in any timely fashion. What 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.400 you might not know about Amber's story, and this was 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.200 a primary reason that we chose this story for this episode, 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:33.679 is that her tragedy inspired the creation of a nationwide 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:37.640 emergency alert system for law enforcement to quickly notify the 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:42.880 public about missing and abducted children. These are Amber Alerts, 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:49.800 officially called America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. An Amber alert 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:53.600 includes the basics, the name and description of the abductee, 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.760 a description of the suspected abductor if they have it, 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:00.880 and a description and license plate number of the doctor's vehicle, 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:01.920 if available. 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:07.080 Amber's story changed the way the country handles child abductions. 0:12:07.720 --> 0:12:11.439 The Amber Alert system is her namesake, and it's her legacy, 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:16.000 and it happened because Amber's kidnapping and killing inspired her 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:19.880 own Arlington community to take action. It all began when 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.559 a local resident named Diane Simone, who heard about Amber's 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:26.960 abduction on the evening news. Wanted to help in the 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:29.600 search for the killer, but wasn't sure how or what 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:33.840 to do. Like other Arlington locals, she wanted to help 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:37.400 keep the case alive and moving forward, but felt frustrated, 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:42.720 so she called a local radio station. The self described 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:47.120 quote ordinary woman and mother phoned a Dallas Fort Worth 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.280 radio station with an idea to pitch to them. There 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:54.680 are weather alerts and civil defense alerts, but why not 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:57.360 alerts to help find abducted children? 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.680 And this idea, of course, took off. In fact, today 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:05.520 you get these alerts even readily available on your smartphones. 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.960 At first, in response to community concern, the Dallas Fort 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.840 Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:18.120 enforcement agencies in northern Texas to create this kind of system, 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:23.000 and initially it was just radio stations that participated. Then 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:27.559 in nineteen ninety nine, eight area television stations began issuing 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:31.640 the alerts in urgent bulletins. Next, at the direction of 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:36.400 law enforcement, these alerts were sent to radio and television stations, 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:40.800 the lottery, the Department of Transportation, and to the National 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:45.520 Center for Missing and Exploited Children. An organization designed to 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:49.119 send this type of information to a much wider audience, 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.280 and that list of people who get the alerts is 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.920 even bigger now. According to the Department of Justice, the 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:59.320 Amber Alert system is used in all fifty States, the 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:03.880 District of Columbia, tribal communities, Puerto Rico, and the US 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:09.080 Virgin Islands, and similar child abduction emergency alert systems have 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:13.920 also been created and adopted internationally in more than thirty countries. 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:18.440 In the United States, in nineteen ninety six, broadcasters and 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:22.640 law enforcement first partnered to help find abducted children with 0:14:22.800 --> 0:14:26.880 these alerts. Two years later, an infant abducted by her 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:30.200 babysitter became the first child to be safely returned home 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:33.920 because of an Amber alert. As of December sixth, twenty 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:37.560 twenty four, one thousand, two hundred and twenty one children 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.120 have been successfully recovered and one hundred and ninety five 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:44.800 children have been rescued because of these alerts, alerts that 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:49.480 were first thought of by that quote ordinary woman and mother. 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:54.040 Carly Tapp, Amber Alert's program specialist at the National Center 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:57.560 for Missing and Exploited Children has stated it's likely that 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.920 the number of recovered children is higher and that while 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.960 most children in which an Amber alert has been issued 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:07.600 are found, it's not always possible to determine if it 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:09.360 was actually because. 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:13.600 Of the alert. Amber's case has remained unsolved for nearly 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:17.280 thirty years, but investigators are trying to keep it alive. 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:22.280 Detective Guilden, recall he was the lead investigator on the case, 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:27.080 stated that quote, this is still an open, ongoing murder investigation. 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.640 We want to solve it. We want to get answers 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:34.400 for the family. He continued in that statement, quote, we 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:38.160 continue to have leads. A lot of people will refer 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:41.600 to Amber's case as what's commonly referred to as a 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:45.320 cold case, but for the Arlington Police Department, it has 0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:48.760 never been listed as a cold case because we've never 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:52.160 gone one hundred and eighty days without having some lead 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:56.160 come in. What investigators want people to know is that 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:59.280 it's not too late. It's not too late to share information, 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.040 and it's not too late to hope for this case 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:02.920 to be solved. 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:07.600 The Arlington Police Department as recently as twenty twenty four 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:12.400 stated to CBS News Texas that they quote remained dedicated 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:16.000 to finding her murderer and providing her family with the justice. 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:20.040 They deserve. The phone number to that special tip line 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:25.040 dedicated to Ember's case remains active today. Tipsters can call 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:30.120 eight one seven five seven five eight eight two three. 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:33.120 Oh, this is the heavy one. 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:36.040 There are reasons why there are certain things we don't 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:39.120 talk about, right, this is a big one to get through. 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:42.320 But would you like to step inside the cooler? 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:43.240 Yes? 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:47.760 Please? Okay, this one's tricky. They're all tricky talking about 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.800 unsolved cases, but this one's extra tricky because it does 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.600 involve a child. For that reason, one of the things 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:56.880 they were doing is a reversal we've done before. We're 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.920 doing the mocktail first as something that a kid could drink. 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:01.240 Totally makes sense. 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:03.760 And I also just want to be very careful about 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:08.479 it because the first thought I had to reference this 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:12.800 drink is her bicycle. But that doesn't feel like a 0:17:12.880 --> 0:17:15.119 thing I want to use for the name of the drink, 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:19.119 because that just feels a little bit ghoulish. The colors, though, 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:21.960 are going to reference it in a subtle way, but 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.960 the drink itself is going to be called nineteen ninety six. 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:28.480 And the reason why is that I like probably you 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:32.159 in research and probably our listeners. The whole time I 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:34.280 was looking at this story. I was like, really, was 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:38.720 it just nineteen ninety six? Did I hear? How did I? 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:41.280 How do I vaguely feel like I have memories of 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:44.919 having heard this before. I didn't, but it's been so 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.960 pervasive that it feels more long term. 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:51.600 I would have guessed, honestly, I would have guessed eighties. 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:56.359 Yeah. So it's it's called a nineteen ninety six and 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:58.560 it's a very simple drink. You can make it in 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:00.320 the glass. Like I said, we're going to do the 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:05.359 mocktail first. It's a very yummy sip As a mocktail, 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.360 it is a little on the sweeter side because it's 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:11.160 made for kids. And the idea is, you know, as 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:13.320 we've done with a number of drinks during this season, 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:16.719 we want to think of the alternate world where this 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:19.640 didn't happen, and where Amber got to have a wonderful 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:23.480 visit with your grandparents and maybe drink something a little 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:26.680 extra sweet and delicious that she probably wouldn't normally get. 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:30.040 So this is one where you're gonna put before you 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:32.879 put any ice in your glass. And I would recommend 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:37.359 a highball glass or something similar basically, or like a 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:41.840 Collin's glass. You want something that is like a tall, 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.720 narrow cylinder more than like a rocks glass or a short, 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:48.320 wide cup. And that's just because we're making stripes and 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:49.800 you want to be able to see him a little bit. 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:53.360 So first you're gonna put in an ounce of raspberry 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:56.520 syrup and you're just gonna pour that directly in your glass. 0:18:56.720 --> 0:19:00.800 Then put your ice in, because we're doing ripeing. Remember 0:19:00.800 --> 0:19:04.960 it goes from heaviest ingredient to lightest because that's how 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:06.879 they will sit on top of each other and not 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:10.400 just blend altogether. So the syrup goes in, the ice 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:12.720 goes in. Then you are going to carefully pour in 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:18.040 two ounces of cream soda. I did these one ounce 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:20.879 at a time from my jigger, just to try to 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:22.840 see how it was going to go. They will mix 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:25.360 a little bit the syrup in this, but you're still 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:28.399 going to get a base of that brighter red or 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:31.159 like a deeper, you know, kind of Maroni red. And 0:19:31.200 --> 0:19:33.720 then on top of that, you're gonna put two ounces 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:36.880 of hibiscus tea and you're just gonna float it on top. 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:40.800 I would not add any sweetener to that for two reasons. One, 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:43.560 this is already a sweet drink to have syrup on 0:19:43.600 --> 0:19:47.919 the base and then a sweet soda in the middle, 0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:50.480 and then the hibiscus tea can just sit on its own. 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:52.960 But also if you add sugar to it, if you 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.240 add a sweetener of any kind, you're going to change 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:57.240 the weight of it and it won't float as easily. 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:00.480 The way it works now, it floats really easy because 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:04.120 it's like sugar sugar water essentially, right, like a tea 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:06.359 does not have all of the stuff, and that is 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:09.240 literally it. You're gonna serve it like that with a 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.920 beautiful straw in it, make it a red and white stripe. 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:14.720 If you want to drink it, you'll swizzle it first 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:17.679 and mix it all together, but for presentation it starts 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:22.640 out with stripes. The cocktail version is also super easy. 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:26.240 It's the same exact method, but you're gonna start with 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:30.160 an ounce of a raspberry liqueur in your base, put 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:33.439 in your ice. You'll still do your cream soda, and 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:36.560 then instead of hibiscus tea, you're gonna do high biscus 0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:40.880 infused vodka in this one. And that's just easy. It's 0:20:40.920 --> 0:20:42.800 your same two ounces. So it is a little bit 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:45.600 of a heavy hitter in terms of alcohol content. But 0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:48.240 I do want to say this one works a little 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:51.320 differently than some others we've done. You're not gonna make 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:53.240 a full cup of tea. You are litter a full 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:57.040 cup of vodka. Like normally I would say, get your 0:20:57.040 --> 0:20:59.359 four to six ounces of vodka put in your tea bag, 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:02.119 blah blah. You're going to put your tea bag in 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.479 a small receptacle and only put two ounces of vodka 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:07.640 in with it and let it sit. I mean, mine 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:11.680 infused for ten minutes maybe less, and it got very 0:21:11.720 --> 0:21:13.800 bright red and was very beautiful and a lot of 0:21:13.880 --> 0:21:17.040 hibiscus flavor. So it's a very concentrated one, but it 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:20.760 just makes those gradations of color a little more prominent 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:24.600 and a little prettier. That's all same deal. You're going 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:27.080 to want to mix it all together before you drink it, 0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:32.200 but for presentation, it has a beautiful striated striping of 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:37.320 a deep reddish brown most raspberry liqueurs, the very pale 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:41.280 gold of the cream soda, and then the bright red 0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:44.600 of the hibiscus, and it's quite pretty. And hopefully as 0:21:44.600 --> 0:21:47.080 you drink this you will consider just how recent some 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:49.800 things that we think of as having been around forever 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:54.280 are I mean I was alive then, I had already 0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:55.240 met my husband then. 0:21:57.240 --> 0:22:00.160 But I also like in the story that there's this 0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:04.119 thing now after her terrible tragedy that can help us 0:22:04.119 --> 0:22:05.040 with cold cases. 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:08.680 Yes, I mean, we're it's a very hopeful thing right. 0:22:08.760 --> 0:22:09.119 Yes. 0:22:09.600 --> 0:22:14.520 In addition to just it it establishing a hopeful methodology 0:22:14.680 --> 0:22:19.439 for sharing information and getting kids back to where they 0:22:19.480 --> 0:22:22.360 need to be and back to safety, which is wonderful. 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:26.320 It's also really nice to know that new technologies are 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:30.320 being not only developed but also applied to some of 0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:35.040 these cases where absolutely, again, this isn't that old of 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:39.600 a case, as her mom said, like that family still 0:22:39.640 --> 0:22:43.440 needs closure and they still want to feel like everything 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:46.879 possible was done to solve the crime, to bring the 0:22:46.880 --> 0:22:50.280 person who did it to justice. Like I'm sure they 0:22:50.320 --> 0:22:54.159 know nothing is going to bring their child back, but 0:22:54.160 --> 0:22:58.000 the closure still feels. Yeah, but you still need closure 0:22:58.119 --> 0:23:02.280 for something like that. So that is the nineteen ninety six. 0:23:02.440 --> 0:23:06.000 I hope that you have enjoyed as much as one 0:23:06.000 --> 0:23:08.680 can enjoy such a sad story, spending this time with us. 0:23:08.920 --> 0:23:10.800 I hope you enjoy this drink if you make it, 0:23:11.040 --> 0:23:14.040 whether you make it for littles. You're making it for kids, 0:23:14.040 --> 0:23:17.359 don't tell them what the inspiration is. Call it anything else. 0:23:17.520 --> 0:23:20.359 Call it pink bubble juice. I don't care. Don't ruin 0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:23.560 a child's sense of safety and security. If you don't 0:23:23.560 --> 0:23:25.200 have to with. 0:23:25.119 --> 0:23:28.080 A cotton candy on top, that's a very kid there. 0:23:30.080 --> 0:23:32.320 If you want to just call it pink bubble juice 0:23:32.320 --> 0:23:34.640 for yourself, or whatever else you want to call it. 0:23:35.240 --> 0:23:38.040 We're in a time when we need to protect our 0:23:38.119 --> 0:23:41.800 joy and our mental health as much as possible, where 0:23:41.800 --> 0:23:44.640 we can still know in our hearts that we're honoring 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:48.840 the story of someone who has ultimately led to you 0:23:48.880 --> 0:23:54.199 a lot of good in their unfortunate tragedy. But we 0:23:54.240 --> 0:23:56.479 will be right back here next week where we're going 0:23:56.560 --> 0:23:59.960 to wrap up this season on Cold Cases. That means 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:05.359 you're gonna get our top three stories and our top 0:24:05.440 --> 0:24:10.159 three cocktails of the season. Top three stories with honorable mentions. 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:14.760 It's a fuzzy it's a fuzzy one and Top three 0:24:14.800 --> 0:24:16.600 stories is going to be hard for this one because 0:24:16.600 --> 0:24:19.280 we don't really love any of these, but we'll do 0:24:19.359 --> 0:24:23.399 our best. We'll see what happens, so there will be 0:24:23.400 --> 0:24:25.120 a lot of fun talk next week and we hope 0:24:25.119 --> 0:24:49.560 you will join us here on Criminalia. Criminalia is a 0:24:49.560 --> 0:24:53.600 production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more 0:24:53.640 --> 0:24:58.680 podcasts from Shondaland Audio, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 0:24:58.800 --> 0:25:00.720 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.