AMBER Alert issued for missing San Antonio teenager

SAN ANTONIO — An AMBER Alert has been issued for a 15-year-old girl reported missing from San Antonio.

Savanna Cardenas was last seen at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 13, at 191 W Loop 1604 S in San Antonio. She is 5’4″, 140 lbs., and has black hair and brown eyes.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Savanna was last seen with an unknown woman, approximately 45 years old and blonde in hair. They may have been traveling in a silver Ford Fusion. The year and license plate are currently unknown.

Amber Alerts in Texas

The latest data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children suggests that Texas issues the most Amber Alerts.
Between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, 185 Amber Alerts were issued in 36 states. Data from the 2023 Annual Amber Alert Report shows that 26%, or 49, of these alerts were issued in Texas. North Carolina issued the second most alerts with 17, and Ohio ranked third with 13 alerts issued.

The history of the Amber Alert

The first Amber Alert was issued on January 13, 1996, after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was reported missing. The body of the little girl, who lived in Arlington, Texas, was found in a creek four days later. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children tells the story of a community woman who requested a public emergency alert system. Diane Simone wanted community members to be alerted when a child went missing so they could help with the search. She asked that the system be named after Amber Hagerman, and so Amber’s Plan was created in her memory.

RELATED: 28 years later, Arlington Police remain determined to find Amber Hagerman’s killer