More details continue to surface after a Texas toddler and his mother who were the subject of an Amber Alert in March warning the child was in “immediate danger” were found dead in what officials ruled a murder-suicide.
Weeks after the deaths, how the search ended for 3-year-old Kaiden Kriger and his mother, Savannah Kriger, became clear as she left a trail of heartbreaking videos and text messages.
Those dramatic moments include a final FaceTime call Savannah made to her ex-husband saying: “You won’t have anything at all at the end of today.” Minutes later, Savannah’s last text message telling him: “Say goodbye to your son.” Another 21-second video features Kaiden saying “Bye to daddy.”
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar provided a timeline earlier this week of the final hours on March 18, when Kaiden was last seen alive in San Antonio. Police provided details about the mother and her child’s last movements based on cell phone information, video, GPS data and what they discovered during the investigation.
Timeline of final dramatic moments
12:49 pm: Savannah Kriger leaves a parking garage in the 200 block of East Travis Street in her 2023 Lincoln Aviator.
1:15 pm: Kriger heads to her ex-husband’s home about eight miles away in the 3800 block of Verde Bosque, while he is at work. Police said during this time it’s believed Kriger went into the home and damaged her ex’s clothes, furniture and other items.
1:24 pm: Kriger leaves ex-husband’s home.
1:57 pm: Kriger goes to her home, which is about 27 miles away. When she arrived at her Dovers Den house, police said it is believed she fired two shots into her wedding portraits, displayed on her bed with a wedding dress.
2:18 pm: Kriger leaves her residence.
2:32 pm: Kriger arrived at her son’s daycare. Parking lot and surveillance footage shows Kriger get out of the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
2:33 pm: Kriger officially checks her son out of daycare. Video shows her loading Kaiden into the rear passenger seat of the vehicle before getting back into the driver’s seat.
2:42 pm: Kriger leaves the daycare with her son.
2:46 pm: Kriger’s call history log shows a FaceTime call to her ex-husband, who recorded the call while he was at work. During the 2-minute and 13-second conversation, Kriger says in the video: “You don’t have anything to home to now. You really don’t. You don’t have anything at the Dovers Den house either. And you won’t have anything at all at the end of today.”
3:03 pm: Kriger then drives the eight miles to Tom Slick Park. At the same time, her ex-husband called San Antonio Police Department to file a criminal mischief report at his home. During the 3-minute and 37-second call, he explains he’s about to arrive at his residence.
3:13 pm: Photos are taken of the damaged items at the ex-husband’s home. Cell photo data confirms he is now there.
3:19 pm: Kriger’s cell phone history shows another attempt to FaceTime her ex-husband. She then sends her last text message: “Say goodbye to your son.” At this time while her whereabouts are unknown to authorities, Kriger is about 15 miles away from her ex-husband’s home.
3:21 pm: Kriger tries to make another FaceTime call to her ex-husband. She then records a 21-second video where she and Kaiden appear to already be seated at the drainage ditch where their bodies were found about 19 hours later. She tells Kaiden to “Say bye to daddy,” which he does. She then apologizes to her son for his daddy not being there, and kisses him.
3:37 pm: San Antonio police meet with the ex-husband at his home. The search for Kaiden begins.
It would be hours later in the early morning of March 19, when park police found the bodies and Kriger’s gun. Salazar said the shelling casings found at Kriger’s home matched those found at the park where their bodies were found.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on March 22 the bodies found were that of Kaiden and his mother. He ruled the manner of death murder-suicide.
What is an Amber Alert?
As of 2023, 1,200 children were successfully recovered through the AMBER Alert system and 180 children were rescued because of wireless emergency alerts.
“Every child featured in an AMBER Alert has been reported missing to law enforcement. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of a missing child,” Alan S. Nanavaty, Executive Director of Special Programs for National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in an email to Newsweek.
Nanavaty said on average, there are generally fewer than 200 AMBER Alerts issued each year. The alerts are broadcast through radio, TV, road signs, cellphones, and other data-enabled devices. The AMBER Alert system is being used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also leverages ways to include poster and social media distribution to amplify AMBER Alerts to the public, Nanavaty said.
Newsweek created a map using 2022 data showing states have seen the most Amber alerts in 2022. According to the data, there were 31 Amber Alerts in Texas in 2022.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
