Comic Book Hero Takes on Real Life Murder Case

Teen writer hopes his latest book will help solve Amber Hagerman's murder

Who killed Amber Hagerman? Night Owl is on the case.

Jake Tinsley, a 14-year-old comic book writer from North Texas, is teaming up with an Atlanta-based college student organization to solve the mystery.

Tinsley hopes his latest comic, "Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice," will educate people about the case.

Nine-year-old Amber was abducted and killed 13 years ago in Arlington, Texas.  Her death led to the creation of the national sex offender registry and the AMBER Alert system, but no arrest has ever been made and the case remains unsolved.

Tinsley's character Night Owl, a 12-year-old superhero who inherited powers after his grandfather's death, recounts the case and offers tips on child safety in the story.

The book is the latest comic from Tinsley, who co-founded Wham Bang Comics with his father.

"I basically wanted to inform a lot of people, especially kids, about this just in case they know something or, like, their parents know something, they can come forward," he said.

The book comes with the announcement of a yearlong investigation into Amber's death by the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute.

"We take on cases every year that have an area of research that students have not researched in the past," said Sheryl McCollum, CCIRI director. "And when we started looking at child adductions, this was just the obvious case to take on."

Donna Norris, Amber's mother, said she is ecstatic about the comic book and the renewed efforts to find her daughter's killer.

"I want him behind bars where he belongs," she said. "I am willing to do anything and everything to get him caught and get him behind bars, because my daughter Amber really needs justice."

"Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice" can be purchased from ComiXpress.comor downloaded free of charge from Wham Bang Comics' MySpace page.

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