A seven-year-old girl named Amber was last seen jumping rope in her front yard in Pinole in 1988 and would have turned 45 on August 19, 2025. Family and community gathered at Amber Swartz Park adjacent to her former home to mark the milestone. In 2009 a prisoner, Curtis Dean Anderson, reportedly confessed to her kidnapping and murder before his death, but no corroborating evidence was found. Multiple people have claimed responsibility over the years. Pinole police and city officials are re-examining evidence and attempting to obtain DNA, including family samples and an old tooth, to compare against Amber and potential suspects.
"Here we are 37 years later still looking for Amber," her mom Kim said. Kim gathered with community members on Tuesday night in Pinole at what is now Amber Swartz Park to acknowledge what would have been Amber's 45th birthday. The park is right next to the home where Amber lived, and the front yard where she was last seen jumping rope in 1988 at the age of seven.
Back in 2009, Pinole police announced that Curtis Dean Anderson, who was in prison and had a long criminal record, had previously confessed to her kidnapping and murder a month before he died. But no evidence was ever collected proving that was true. "He's not the only one who has said he took my daughter and what he did to her and blah, blah, blah," Kim said. "There is about half a dozen of them who have done that through the years."
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