THEORIES have been swirling around about the mysterious disappearance of a cruise passenger nearly 27 years after she was last seen.
The case of Amy Bradley remains a mystery after she disappeared from the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas at 6 am on March 24, 1998.
Bradley, 23, is the subject of Netflix’s latest docu-series “Amy Bradley is Missing.”
Bradley was last seen by her father at 5:30 am with her feet hanging from a chair on her cruise balcony.
She and her brother had just returned from a long night of partying before she vanished without a trace around 6 am.
The three-part series looks into what exactly happened the night the young woman disappeared from the cruise ship.
Throughout the series, family members, friends, and investigators are interviewed to try and give a look into what could have happened to her.
Through the series, five different theories are presented, with some believing that she’s still alive to this day.
GOING OVERBOARD & STARTING OVER
The first theory is that Bradley fell overboard.
Some suspect that the 23-year-old was intoxicated, leading her to trip and fall overboard.
Critics of this theory contend that others would have heard her go overboard and emphasize that her body was never discovered during the water search.
Critics also point out that Bradley was a registered lifeguard and strong swimmer, which may have helped her if she fell off the cruise ship.
Others believe that Bradley committed suicide by jumping off the ship intentionally.
In the documentary, concerns are raised regarding Bradley’s relationship with her girlfriend.
Bradley’s family, however, doesn’t believe she would have intentionally taken her life.
“She had just settled into her new apartment and was set to start a new job the following Monday,” Iva Bradley mentioned in a post for International Cruise Victims.
Timeline of Amy Lynn Bradley’s last hours before her disappearance
March 23, 1998, evening Amy Lynn Bradley and her brother, Brad, participated in a dance party at the ship’s disco, where they were observed with members of the ship’s band. The ship was journeying from Aruba to Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 3:35 a.m. Brad Bradley returned to the family cabin, followed by Amy five minutes later, after an evening of dancing and drinking. They conversed on the balcony before Brad went to sleep.
March 24, 1998, 5:15 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Amy’s father, Ron Bradley, woke briefly and noticed Amy asleep on a lounge chair on their cabin’s balcony. This marks her last confirmed sighting by her family.
March 24, 1998, 5:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. Later, three witnesses reported seeing Amy on an upper deck of the ship with Alister “Yellow” Douglas, a member of the ship’s band, noting that he was seen departing 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.
“She had so many plans and was so happy about all of them.”
Another theory suggests that she fled the ship to start a new life.
While there isn’t much evidence to support this theory, IP addresses traced to Barbados have recorded a person logging onto amybradleyismissing.com on key family anniversaries and holidays.
MURDERED & TRAFFICKED
Another widely believed theory is that Bradley was murdered, kidnapped or trafficked.
The 23-year-old was allegedly seen dancing with the ship band’s bassist, Alister “Yellow” Douglas, around 5:45 am.
However, Douglas passed a polygraph and was never charged with any crime pertaining to the case.
Since Bradley disappeared, numerous people have reported seeing her around Curaçao, where she last visited.
The alleged sightings have led many to believe that Bradley was kidnapped and trafficked.
One tourist reported seeing the young girl with two men, and in 2005, the Bradley family was sent a photo from an adult website of a woman who resembled their daughter.
Bradley was officially declared dead in 2010, but her family believes she is still out there.
“Since the time of her disappearance, we have continued to search for our daughter and seek answers for finding her,” Iva ended her 2021 post for ICV.
“It is believed that there are certain individuals in the Caribbean, and possibly even in South America, who have knowledge of Amy’s disappearance.
“All we want is the safe return of our daughter. We continue to plead with anyone who may have knowledge of her whereabouts.”
The FBI is still offering a $27,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to discovering what happened to Amy.
