A mourning brother reveals that new leads and evidence have emerged concerning the perplexing disappearance of his sister from a cruise ship over twenty years ago.
Brad Bradley, whose 23-year-old sister Amy vanished during a family vacation on Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas in 1998, reported “credible tips” surfacing after a new Netflix docuseries sparked renewed attention to the case.
The Bradleys, from Virginia, were just three days into their Caribbean cruise when Amy went missing on March 24 as the ship approached Curacao.
“We believe she was targeted, we believe she was taken, and we believe she was removed from the ship,” Brad told NewsNation.
Amy had spent the previous night dancing at the ship’s nightclub with a band member known as “Yellow” before returning to her family cabin.
She was last seen early that morning resting on the cabin balcony, but was gone when her father awoke.
Despite extensive searches and no evidence suggesting she fell overboard, Amy was never seen again.
The family has long suspected she was abducted and possibly trafficked.
Her brother said photos of Amy from a formal night mysteriously vanished.
He recounted an incident involving two men who queried him suspiciously about the timeline of her disappearance, suspecting it might have been an attempt to synchronize stories.
Speaking to TMZ, Brad mentioned that several tips have surfaced since the Netflix series “Amy Bradley is Missing” was released, and described some on NewsNation as “credible,” without providing further details.
The three-part docuseries includes alleged sightings of Amy alive years after her disappearance, such as a woman resembling her appearing in photos on a website featuring sex workers.
Amy was legally declared dead in 2010, but the FBI still considers the case open and is offering a $25,000 reward for information.
The show’s producers confirmed to The U.S. Sun that they’ve received new tips, but cautioned they could be hoaxes.
“The primary focus has always been to find Amy,” stated producer Ari Mark, expressing that the family is thrilled her story is reaching new audiences.
Mark said Amy’s cabin was cleaned before investigators could treat it as a potential crime scene, and no video footage showed her leaving the ship.
Cruise security was in charge of interviewing the crew, and Mark said no evidence was ever found that she jumped or fell.
Timeline of Amy Lynn Bradley’s last hours before her disappearance
March 23, 1998, evening Amy Lynn Bradley and her brother, Brad, attended a dance party at the ship’s disco, where they were seen with members of the ship’s band. The ship was sailing from Aruba to Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 3:35 a.m. Brad Bradley returned to the family cabin, followed five minutes later by Amy, after a night of dancing and drinking. They sat on the balcony and talked before Brad went to sleep.
March 24, 1998, 5:15 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Amy’s father, Ron Bradley, woke up briefly and saw Amy asleep on a lounge chair on their cabin’s balcony. This is the last confirmed sighting of her by her family.
March 24, 1998, 5:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. Three witnesses later claimed to have seen Amy on an upper deck of the ship with Alister “Yellow” Douglas, a member of the ship’s band, and said he was seen leaving alone shortly after 6 a.m.
March 24, 1998, 6:00 a.m. When Ron Bradley woke up again, Amy was no longer on the balcony, but her shoes were still in the cabin, and her cigarettes and lighter were missing. He began to search the ship for her.
March 24, 1998, 6:30 a.m. The family reported Amy missing to the ship’s crew and asked that passengers be prevented from disembarking, but their request was denied. The ship had already docked in Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 7:50 a.m. The ship made a public announcement for Amy to come to the purser’s desk, but by this time, many of the passengers had already disembarked. A full ship search was conducted later in the day, but no sign of Amy was found.
March 24-27, 1998 The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard conducted a four-day air and sea search for Amy around Curaçao and Aruba, but no trace of her was ever found. Authorities initially considered the possibility that she fell overboard, but this theory was later dismissed.
Bass player Alister “Yellow” Douglas, who danced with Amy the night she vanished, has always maintained his innocence.
Douglas’ daughter confronted him in a tense phone call shown in the doc, accusing him of hiding something. He denied it.
Douglas, now an exorcist and reverend in Grenada, recently gave a rare interview to YouTuber James Renner, insisting again he had nothing to do with Amy’s disappearance.
Renner, who traveled the same cruise route for research, said he believes Douglas is innocent and may sue the Netflix filmmakers over his portrayal.
The FBI questioned Douglas shortly after Amy vanished and again years later, ultimately clearing him, Renner said.
Douglas said in his interview that he left Amy shortly before 1 am that night and returned to his cabin, where ship security later questioned him.
He claimed he was told not to leave and cooperated fully with the investigation, though he’s faced death threats and harassment ever since.
Douglas broke down during the interview, saying, “I’ve lost so many opportunities because of this.”
“The truth will come out,” he added. “And when it does, I will sue the people who have been making documentaries about me.”
