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in: Texas, 1983, Disappearances,
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Amber Crum

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Real Name: Amber Nichole Crum
Nicknames No known nicknames
Location: Dallas, Texas
Date: December 26, 1983

Bio[]

Date of Birth: September 25, 1981
Height: 2'4"
Weight: 24 lbs.
Characteristics: Caucasian female with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pierced ears. She was wearing a lavender or purple snow jacket, a hooded Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt, a light blue shirt, blue jeans, and brown Earth shoes.

Case[]

Details: Two-year-old Amber Crum is the daughter of nineteen-year-old Stephanie Hughes and twenty-two-year-old Larry Crum. She and Stephanie lived in Dallas, Texas, with Stephanie's twenty-two-year-old boyfriend, James Britton "Britt" Monroe. Stephanie and Larry divorced in early 1983. He lived in Carrollton, Kentucky, and was not actively involved in Amber's life.
On December 26, 1983, Amber went with James to McDonald’s Grocery store in Pleasant Grove, which was two blocks from their home. At around 9:45am, he left her in his unlocked pickup truck, which was parked in front of the store. He went inside and purchased paper towels and soft drinks. He left her alone for between two and five minutes. When he returned to the truck, she was gone.
James immediately contacted the police. At first, they thought Amber might have walked away from the truck, but a ground and helicopter search of the area turned up no trace of her. Child-sized footprints were found at an abandoned rendering plant near the store. However, a search of the plant turned up no trace of her. They soon determined, based on how difficult the truck doors were to open, that she could not have walked away on her own.
Police next suspected that Larry was involved in Amber's disappearance. They had received information that he might have taken her or had someone take her. However, he was located in Kentucky soon after. Police confirmed that he was not in Texas at the time of her disappearance, and he was ruled out as a suspect. After learning about her disappearance, he flew to Dallas to join in the search.
Police then believed that Amber had been kidnapped by a stranger. However, they noted there were no signs of struggle in and around the truck, and the doors were shut.
Three weeks after Amber's disappearance, on January 13, 1984, James was arrested and charged with her murder. Police believed he killed and disposed of her on Christmas night. They found evidence that he had abused her. Several people saw bruises on her in several places, including her back, legs, and ear; there is even a photograph of her with a hand-shaped bruise on her face. On separate occasions, Stephanie told her sister and grandmother that James had beaten Amber. She also stated that he had "lost his temper at Amber" in the past.
James admitted to a private investigator that he spanked Amber when she tried to crawl into the dryer. He denied any other abuse. When police tried to give him a polygraph test, he reportedly tried to control its results by "altering his breathing pattern."
When the private investigator tried to reconstruct the scene at the store, James insisted he had parked the truck in a certain space. However, it was confirmed he actually parked in a different space. None of the witnesses that were at the store that morning could remember if James was alone or if Amber was in the truck with him. No witnesses reported seeing anyone approach the truck either.
In a sworn statement, Stephanie told police that she and James used "illegal drugs" on Christmas Day. That evening, she heard James yelling at Amber while he was giving her a bath. At around 8:30pm, he put her in her crib. When Stephanie checked on Amber at 9:30pm, she noticed that Amber was facing the wall and was very cold. Her eyes were open, and she was not blinking. She also was not moving. Stephanie believed she was dead.
In her statement, Stephanie said that when she woke up the next morning, December 26, she noticed that Amber’s blanket, sheets, nightgown, and pillowcase were missing from the crib. James told her that he washed them. She said it was unusual for him to do the laundry; he had never done it in the seven months they had been living together. He told her he was "just helping."
During a preliminary hearing on January 19, Stephanie changed her story; she said Amber was alive on Christmas night and police pressured her into making her previous statement. She said she was not sure if Amber had been kidnapped, but she believed she was still alive. However, she maintained that other parts of her statement (such as them taking drugs, James yelling at Amber, and him doing the laundry) were true.
A friend and coworker of James' said he spoke to him on the phone on the morning of December 26 and heard Amber talking in the background. Police searched James' home but found no evidence of foul play. On January 20, after the preliminary hearing, a judge released James from custody, citing insufficient evidence. In February, a grand jury heard the evidence against him. On March 30, it was announced that they chose not to indict him.
The charges against James were never re-filed. However, police still believed he was involved in the case. They noted he gave inconsistent statements regarding the events leading up to Amber’s disappearance. They do not believe he told them everything he knew. He also had previous convictions on drug and weapons charges. He maintains his innocence in the case and maintains that Amber was abducted.
After James was arrested, he and Stephanie ended their relationship. She later moved to Indiana to live with her mother. She still hoped that Amber was alive. However, after undergoing hypnosis, she recalled an incident that occurred on Christmas night. She said Amber followed James into the bathroom. A few moments later, she heard Amber scream. She went into the bathroom and found him shaking Amber. He said Amber had something in her mouth and he was trying to get it out. She could not remember anything else about the incident.
In August 1986, police looked into the possibility that a girl found abandoned in Chino Hills, California, was Amber. The girl resembled Amber, matched her physical description, and was about the right age. She also gave her birthday as September 22, 1981, which is three days before Amber's. However, a fingerprint comparison confirmed she was not Amber. Years later, the girl was identified as Dawn Beaudin, the daughter of the still-missing Denise Beaudin. Denise’s boyfriend, Terry Rasmussen, was the one that abandoned Dawn in California. He is believed to be responsible for Denise's murder, as well as the Bear Brook Murders.
In 2007, serial child killer David Elliot Penton was identified as a person of interest in Amber's case, as well as several other cases of missing/murdered young girls. He has been in prison in Ohio since 1987 for the murder of a friend's niece. He was also found guilty of murdering his infant son. He later pleaded guilty to murdering three girls in Texas. The Texas victims were all from the Dallas area; their murders took place between 1985 and 1987. His cellmates told investigators that he implicated himself in Amber’s case, along with several others. However, he has never been charged in connection with it.
Police believe Amber is deceased, but her family maintains hope that she may still be alive. Her aunt has been very active in the search for her and even created a Facebook page dedicated to her.

Suspects: Police initially suspected Amber's father Larry was involved in her disappearance. However, he was quickly ruled out.
Police suspected and then charged James Monroe, her mother Stephanie's boyfriend, with murder in her case. He was reportedly abusive towards her. Stephanie made statements that indicated Amber was dead the night before she reportedly disappeared. Witnesses could not remember seeing Amber with him that morning. However, Stephanie later changed her statement, saying she believed Amber was still alive the night before. The charges against him were dropped. However, he still remains a suspect.
David Elliot Penton was also announced as a person of interest in this case as well as other disappearances and murders of young girls in 2007.
Extra Notes:

  • This case was first released on October 19, 2020 as a part of the second volume of the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries. It is featured at the end of "Stolen Kids" as a part of a long-term missing children roll call along with Andre Bryant, Cherie Barnes, Corey Edkin, Desiree Carroll, Ke'Shaun Vanderhorst, Aaron Anderson, and Christopher Abeyta.
  • Some sources state that the charges were dropped against James on January 20. Some also state that Amber was last seen at 9:30am and that her middle name is spelled "Nicole".

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