The chilling case of a missing woman on a Caribbean cruise | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website in the autumn of 1998 23 year-old Damien
Bradley was told by her parents that they had been gifted a Caribbean cruise ami wasn't excited by the news like they
were she had only just moved into her own apartment after graduating from her degree in physical education and she was
just about to start a new job she was busy but more than that the idea of a cruise across the sea gave her the
creeps she didn't really want to go she would be just as happy settling into her
new place which was nearby her parents and brothers home in Chesterfield Virginia amy was really close with a
younger brother Brad who was 21 and he and their parents Ivor and Ron were eventually able to talk Amy into joining
them Ron had been given the trip by the insurance agency he worked for and he believed it was a great chance to spend
some quality time together seven days of sunshine cruising the Caribbean cocktails and Danish sunsets it wasn't
long before Amy thought perhaps a cruise wouldn't be so bad after all it was starting to sound like the trip of a
lifetime [Music] amy was born on May 12th 1974 and grew up with her family in the Creek Woods
subdivision in Chesterfield Virginia she loved sports and excelled particularly in basketball and swimming
when it came time for college she chose to study close to home and attended Longwood University she was a
star basketball player and at the time was the only student in the school's history to attend on a full athletic
scholarship by the time she completed her degree in physical education she was a trained lifeguard a strong swimmer and
had a teaching certificate but despite those attributes Amy couldn't help but feel nervous about going on a cruise it
just didn't sit right with her the day before they left for their cruise amy adopted an English bulldog puppy which
she named Daisy Daisy would be ready to pick up the day she got back from the cruise the Bradley's flew to San Juan
Puerto Rico where on Saturday March 21st 1998 the cruise would depart for seven nights they would cruise the waters of
the Southern Caribbean to Aruba curaçao on to sink Barton and back to Puerto Rico
the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas was a brand-new luxury ship at the time
with its first voyage less than a year earlier it was owned and operated by Royal Caribbean cruise lines of Miami
Florida and although it has been registered in the Bahamas since 2005 back in 1998 it
was registered in Norway at 280 metres long the ship carried close to 2,000 passengers and over 700 crew with
Norwegian officers and crew members from over 50 nationalities like many cruisers the itinerary was a
mix of days docking at port for day trips as well as days cruising the see passing islands and watching the sunset
in a new place each evening itineraries were planned with formal dinners and casual meet and greets the cruise
experience was enhanced by personal service crew members are encouraged to be friendly with passengers many
addressing them by name the allure of cruising has been at the heart of American vacations for decades
with TV shows like The Love Boat painting a picture of luxury fun and adventure the 80s and 90s saw the cruise
industry become the fastest-growing category in the laser trouble market continuing to consistently grow
approximately 7 percent per annum since 1980 cruisers are a loyal type of vacationer with many returning year
after year passengers are drawn to the fun party atmosphere in 1998 the cruisers of the Caribbean
were the most sought-after voyage and now almost 20 years on 34% of all cruises worldwide are on the Caribbean
and Bahamas routes when it came to traveling in style and luxury close to American soil people loved to the idea
of days wandering exotic places crystal blue waters clear skies and quaint charming tropical islands it gave them a
taste of the island life without having to stay on the islands themselves as they could return to their luxury cabin
on what was essentially a floating city in 1998 few people questioned how things
were run aboard a luxury cruises most passengers received information from their travel agents and then read the
brochures listing all the perks and offers available to them although there have been some changes
made now in 98 the US government had no jurisdiction over cruise ships governed by century-old maritime laws if
something went wrong aboard an international cruise on international waters u.s. passengers were not
protected by any US laws instead they were governed by the laws of the country of the ship's registry and or the laws
of the country of the port of call even the FBI often had their hands tied many passengers who went on luxury cruises at
the time believed they were boarding an extension of their own country especially in the case of Americans
boarding ships like the Rhapsody of the Seas where the cruise company was based in Florida but with offshore
registration and ancient laws of the high seas they were actually entering an almost lawless floating City with
regulations specific the country's many passengers had never been to and knew very little about the end of the
tropical paradises that awaited them had their own dark and secret underbelly not
advertised in the glossy brochures many destinations were rife with illegal trading of drugs money sex and people
islands of great unknown [Music] the Bradley's traveled to Puerto Rico to board the Rhapsody of the Seas on
Saturday March 21st 1998 prior to boarding a me sent some postcards to friends in one she wrote hey girl
that's gorgeous here we leave for uber tomorrow take care till medicine and Niles hello I'll be
home Saturday at 10:00 see ya Amy on another she wrote hey it's beautiful here old scent one has got some amazing
buildings I am taking pictures maybe you can see the Modesto wish you were here Amy
seeing the new ship in the blazing sunshine crew rushing around and thousands of passengers ready to board
gave a nervous passenger like Amy comfort the excitement of other passengers was infectious it was an
exciting experience approaching a large ship about to hit the open sea and the sheer size of the Rhapsody was a comfort
itself it felt safer than a knee expected and she started to relax everyone received
their onboard cruise cards and room keys as Amy and her family prepared to walk the gangway under the cruise they had
their photo taken to remember the special occasion it was set to be a memorable week and with check-in over
the Bradley's bordered the Rhapsody of the Seas a moment they would never forget as Amy's mother Iver looked at
her family she thought how special that moment was the Bradley's were given a junior suede on decade cabin number
eight five or six four which was halfway down on the starboard side of the ship close to the elevators they were all
together in the same room they had their own private balcony where they could sit
and enjoy the view in their room had floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors so Ron and Iver could see out from their
bed there were twin beds for Amy and Brad and all the other amenities of a hotel suite
ami unpacked her bags including 9 pairs of shoes and 15 rolls of film she planned to take plenty of pictures to
make a collage for a coffee table for her new apartment as they departed dark shadows formed over the forts of Puerto
Rico right alongside the ship and as the Sun set they left the twinkling lights of the
city behind them the first nights before the cruise docked in Aruba the Bradley's
enjoyed everything promised by the Rhapsody there was a formal dinner where Amy and Brad pose for a photograph taken
by the ship's resident photographer Ron had other Insurance colleagues on the ship who they caught up with and
everyone talked excitedly about the places they were heading to three waiters who were stationed at the
Bradley's table began to flirt with Amy ever thought it was a bit forward but she was happy that her daughter was
getting attention either quote after dinner one evening one of the waiters approached us and asked for a me by name
the waiter stated they wanted to take Amy to a bar Carlos and Charlie's while docked in Aruba when Amy and Brad met
with us a short time later we told Amy about the waiter who had asked for her by name she responded I wouldn't go and
do anything with any of those crew members they give me the creeps Carlos and Charlie's was a hot spot for
partying for cruise crewmembers and holiday makers this is the same location where seven years later 18 year old
Natalie Holloway would disappear while on a school graduation trip when the ship docked in Aruba the following
morning the Bradley's disembarked together and posed for a family photo on the gangway with the ship in the
background everyone was relaxed and all were looking forward to a day of shopping and
sightseeing they rented a jeep to tour the island and Amy bought some gifts for her friends to take back home as of the
day drew in they returned to the cruise terminal to reboard the ship that evening there was a Calypso dinner
party onboard the Rhapsody of the Seas the Bradley's had enjoyed their day off the boat in Aruba but we're looking
forward to a relaxing evening and some fun entertainment Amy and Brad had no intention of going partying with the
crew members off the ship in Aruba they were happy just to stay together on board later that night the ship would
leave Aruba for the island of Curacao which at the time was a small island territory of the former Netherlands
Antilles another top destination of the cruise circuit and only 70 miles east of
Aruba they got ready and headed up to the upper deck where the house band was entertaining guests a dance troupe had
boarded the ship in Aruba temporarily to perform and with them they brought a group of locals who were standing
alongside the ship's railing the Bradley's weren't the only passengers to notice the group it seemed a bit weird
to them they weren't paying guests and they weren't there to perform themselves either quote how could they be allowed
to board a ship and just stand around watching the performance with paying passengers during the party Amy and Ivor
went to the fourth deck to look at the photos that have been taken after dinner that evening as well as the evening
before like all cruises they were board set up where passengers photos were displayed every table had group dinner
shots taken and the photographer had also taken other photos around the ship the photos were then put up on display
for sale either quote we asked the person in charge of the gallery where Amy's pictures would be posted he said
he remembered placing them with the other photos taken at the same time but acknowledged he couldn't find them
either I asked him if he could have them redeveloped and he agreed claiming that
would be available the next day either walked away wondering why anyone else on board the ship from outside their family
would want to take the photos of Amy the Calypso party continued on and Damian Brad won a limbo contest during the
evening Amy met the basis from the ship's beamed Blue Orchid the bassist Alastair Douglas also known
as yellow had taken particular interest in her and do they enjoyed a few drinks together after the being finished plane
they danced together with a large group of other guests and some of the crew at 1:30 a.m. on March 24 I've earned Ron
retired to their family suite on the 8th to deck leaving Amy and Brad dancing at
the Calypso party after the party Amy and Brad continued on at the nightclub Amy and yellow were slow dancing on the
dance floor at 3:00 a.m. Brad left back for the cabin just before 3:30 and a few
minutes later Amy was seen approaching a lift at the side of the dance floor alone the nightclub had around 30 to 40
people still dancing by the time Amy left the ship's computerized door lock system recorded Brad's return to the
suite at 3:35 amy's arrival was five minutes later Iver and Ron were asleep so Brad and Amy sat on the balcony and
chatted for a little while Brad started to fall asleep so he went inside the bed
Amy stretched out on a lounge chair on the balcony and fell asleep there around 5:30 a.m.
Ron woke up as he looked outside from his bed he saw Amy's legs on the lounge chair he couldn't see her face but
assumed because she was so still she was asleep Amy cigarette sunlight I lay on the deck
next to her chair and the sliding glass door was closed he thought it best just to leave her Amy
and Brad had had a big night and it wasn't long before they would have to wake up the ship was already heading
towards Porter Curacao and after an early breakfast the ship would dock Ron dosed a little more himself just before
6:00 a.m. Ron thinks he may have heard their cabin door quietly closed at 6:00 a.m. Ron woke up and saw that
Amy wasn't on the balcony and the sliding glass door was near ajar about 16 inches he looked around a little and
saw that her shoes were still out on the balcony but as cigarettes and loiter were gone
she was nowhere in the cabin so he thought that she must have gone up to one of the decks to have a cigarette and
watch the ship come into port he thought it was a bit strange that she hadn't taken her shoes but perhaps she had only
popped out for a moment Ron got dressed and headed out to look for her but the time he got to the upper
decks the cruise ship was approaching the dock after looking around the open areas of the ship and finding no sign of
Amy Ron's concern turned into panic he didn't have a good feeling on his way back to the cabin Ron ran into the
ship's security chief Lou Costello he told Costello he was unable to find his daughter and he asked him if you
would look out for her - the security chief of a 2000 person cruise ship a 23 year old who left her cabin with a
packet of cigarettes less than an hour before was not a great concern Costello believed amy was likely
standing somewhere watching the view of the island as they drew nearer with 35 beaches on such a small island the view
was a memorable one and many passengers often worn the rails to watch just before 7 a.m.
Ron went back to the cabin and woke up Iver and Brad Oliver said that from the moment she saw her husband's face she
knew that something terrible was going on he was frantic and in turn that made either panic the Bradley's left their
cabin and walked the entire length of the ship deck by deck passengers were busy getting off the ship and onto the
island Ron and Ivor went to the captain and requested he make an announcement over the speaker system for Amy the
captain refused he said it was too early in the morning to use loudspeakers the Bradley's requested that the
gangways be secured to stop letting people off the cruise until they found Amy they were worried that if someone
had her they may carry her off the ship the captain refused they requested that they post the picture up of Amy
but again the captain refused the captain remained adamant that any announcement or formal search would
disturb the passengers it was now 8 a.m. and Ron had been looking for Amy for almost two hours
after more cleaning some of the ship's officers finally agreed to make an announcement but not that she was
missing the message simply said Amy Bradley please contact the Purser's desk the Bradley's were frantic the cruise
personnel kept telling them that Amy must have gone ashore either quote Amy would just never think of going ashore
or does some secluded part of the ship without telling us because she knows how we'd worry the Bradley's continued to
search everywhere and the security chief Lou Costello and the captain told them that they were conducting a thorough
search themselves while searching an internal deck Brad green Ian to yellow the bass player from the ship's beings
who amy was dancing with the night before yellow said he was sorry to hear about Amy
but he didn't offer to help look for her by lunchtime the Bradley's were literally begging the captain to make an
announcement that amy was missing either quote around lunchtime again the captain
of the cruise ship told us that it would not make an announcement that she was missing or post the photo for other
passengers to view as this would alarm the other guests and he was not prepared to do that he told us that every nook
and cranny of the ship had been searched for Amy all ten decks in to 999 rooms there was no sign of angle in Bradley
anywhere it was then that the captain made the comment that Amy may have fallen overboard but the Bradley's
weren't having it in order for her to fall she would have had to have been climbing or flung in
rough seas the sea was calm that morning and the Bradley's were adamant that there was no way Amy would climb the
railings she was nervous enough about stepping on the boat they also knew that the railings were designed so that
people didn't just stumble over them even after a night of drinking the railing on their balcony also had a
shelf below it so Amy falling overboard didn't make any sense to them but the captain felt it was a possibility and he
contacted the US Coast Guard to organize a sea search it was at this time that a
member of the crew suggested that the Bradley's disembark and search for Amy in Curacao as the Bradley's had already
done a thorough search of the ship they felt this was a good idea and too they prepared the disembark the cruise
terminal at the pier in Curacao is an open area thousands of passengers disembark and go through the formalities
of customs and are then free to go while the ship is docked staff come and go in
the laundry carts and garbage bins irregularly will passed customs officials by crew members in 1998
regulations were not as strict as in the years that followed 9/11 it was highly possible that someone could travel will
be moved through the customs area without being checked when Ron Iver and Brad got off the ship they immediately
contacted the Curacao authorities and the US Embassy for help they were soon in touch with the FBI but
they were told that investigators would not be able to get there for 24 hours they were completely lost they didn't
know where to look or how to ask anyone for help they walked the streets and beaches but there was no sign of aiming
anywhere on the island the Bradley's then had to decide whether they would get back on board the Rhapsody of the
Seas and head on to the next destination Sint Maarten or stay in Curacao and keep
searching for Amy while waiting for the FBI in the end they decided to stay in Curacao they watched as the Rhapsody of
the Seas pulled out of Port at the time a mule in Bradley disappeared she was five feet seven inches tall weighed 120
pounds and had short brown hair and green eyes she had a Tasmanian Devil cartoon with a basketball tattooed on
her left shoulder blade a Chinese symbol tattooed on her right ankle a green and
blue gecko lizard tattoo around her navel a navel ring and multiple ear piercings Curacao was and still is one
of the most anticipated destinations on any Caribbean cruise the island is small
and built up with quaint colorful Dutch style architecture it's a sought-after spot for divers and snorkelers with
around 60 dive sites surrounding the island it's known for its relaxed and fun atmosphere but there is a dark side
the busy tourist market the constant comings and goings of aircraft cruise ships cruise and tourists provided an
infrastructure in which illegal activity flourished drug trafficking and money laundering mainly at the time of Amy's
disappearance US officials estimated that 40% of all drugs reaching the US mainland passed
through the Caribbean that figure was four times what it had been a decade earlier the 90s were a very busy time
for illegal activity in the Caribbean and a very busy time for tourism including sex tourism
on the majority of the Caribbean islands sex work is illegal but the Dutch Antilles provided a unique opportunity
for the sex industry not legally available in the rest of the Caribbean according to a Leia Walker a researcher
for the Council on hemispheric Affairs quote as present or former territories of the Netherlands the Dutch Antilles
fall under many of the same general laws as their mother country including the controlled legalization of sex work on
the sixth dutch-speaking islands being regulated arguably makes the work safer than other Caribbean locations Sint
Maarten and Curacao are particularly prime locations for sex tourism as they house the two largest brothels in the
Dutch Caribbean the largest Campo Alegre is located on Curacao while the smaller
seaman's club is located on Sint Maarten although the regulations were stringent
it was widely known that much of the sex trade was being running outside the parameters of the law with it amending
creasing a huge influx of women were brought in from other parts of the Americas many without appropriate
permits a new type of sex holiday emerged where both men and women would book holiday packages linked to brothels
and with that came a dark underworld of sex trafficking kidnapped people mostly women were sold into sex rings they were
often drugged and tortured and threatened that they or their families would come to harm if they didn't do
what they were told the Bradley's felt this is what happened to Amy while waiting for the FBI to arrive in Curacao
they wondered helplessly how Amy could have disappeared in the space of half an hour
Brad told I haven't drawn more about yellow and how he and Amy had been dancing together nothing seemed to make
sense and with such a short time frame of her going missing it seems like a bad dream in 1998 the Royal Caribbean
Rhapsody of the Seas was registered in Norway but being known as a Norwegian flagship it was governed by the maritime
rules of Norway rather than the USA even though the owners were and still are situated in the US this is the same from
most cruise ships often flying the flags of Panama Liberia and Greece just the name of you cruise ships are rarely
registered to the USA because if they were they would be beyond by the u.s. maritime laws for building regulations
crew members nationalities and work permits minimum wages working hours and also certain laws when things go wrong
the cruise lines being registered in the USA is just too costly and too strict the crew restrictions ship construction
and ownership requirements to flag a vessel in the US are among the most restrictive at the maritime nations by
registering your ship elsewhere Cruise Lines pay cheaper or no taxes get cheaper labor and it can essentially
sidestep laws the Freedom of the Seas law allows a ship to move freely on the ocean as long as it follows the
international law and remains governed by its registered country the Bradley's learned very quickly that
the US government had virtually no jurisdiction over whatever had happened to Amy in their waters just off the
coast of Curacao because the Rhapsody of the Seas was within 12 nautical miles of
Curacao when amy went missing it wasn't international waters so the situation was technically in the hands
of Curacao police and governed by the maritime laws of Norway in the event of death of an American citizen at see that
being a relevant death that occurs beyond three nautical miles from shore worldwide the death on the high seas Act
applies this is a United States Admiralty law which was created in 1920 to ensure that the widows and children
of seamen could get a share of their husbands or Father's salaries if they were killed at sea but for it to apply
at all shipping companies need to be charged either with negligence or unlawful actions at this point the
Bradley's didn't know if Amy was alive or dead and if she fell off the ship was it beyond three nautical miles from
shore they had no idea and of the only people who were willing to help we're the FBI and Evon they had their hands
tied the Rhapsody of the Seas was self-regulated there were no investigators or police onboard no
policies in place for dealing with an incident of this nature and to no legal responsibility to investigate a
situation that could very well have been an accident or suicide at the time US federal law enforcement agencies
including the FBI Navy and Coast Guard had to obtain permission from a cruise ships flag country before beginning a
criminal investigation US agents couldn't just board a cruise ship that may have been the scene of a crime if
the ship was located beyond US waters while not getting back aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas the Bradley's had
the ability to call and gain the assistance of the FBI but they lost all control of what was happening aboard the
ship security footage if they had it access to their cabin and other rooms preserving evidence that was all left in
the hands of the ship's crew who had nearly 2,000 passengers left on board to keep happy
the following day Wednesday March 25th the Bradley said helpless in their hotel room in Curacao the FBI phoned and
informed them that they would meet them in sync Martin the following day the plan was for the Bradley's and the FBI
to board the Rhapsody of the Seas together while it was docked in st. Maarten the FBI would then meet with the
captain and other personnel and conduct their own investigation while on the phone the agent told the Bradley's that
they had been in touch with some of the ship's crew already when they asked the crew about the search they had conducted
after Amy went missing they learned that the search hadn't been as extensive as what was originally made out to the
Bradley's the Bradley's listened as the agent told them that only a cursory search of the common areas and the
restrooms had been conducted the Bradley's fell apart back on board the Rhapsody of the Seas rumors began to
circulate that a young woman had committed suicide Chris Fenwick was a videographer and
editor who had been contracted the work aboard the cruise his job was to create an entertaining video of the cruise and
edited onboard the video would then be shown to guests on the last night and be made available to purchase as a memento
one of Chris's team members asked him that morning if he had heard about the young woman who ended her life
Chris's team member had heard about it upstairs from another crew member this got Chris wondering if he had footage of
the woman he tried to find out more information on Thursday March 26 over 48 hours after
the last sighting of Amy FBI agents boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas in st. Maarten together with the
Bradley's who had met them there they went directly to the captain the chief of security Lou Costello under
the ship's risk management representative this risk management representative was in fact an attorney
for Royal Caribbean International while the FBI met with this attorney the Bradley's were not allowed to be present
agents spoke with the coast guard who were two days into what would eventually be a three-day air and sea search
despite the captain's belief that Amy had gone overboard quite close to the port the Coast Guard had found no sign
of her and nobody had been found washed up along any of the beaches of Curacao the Bradley's felt that the lack of
cooperation from the ship's personnel extended to that day in front of the FBI when members of the cruise started to go
hostile and defensive the FBI conducted their own search of the ship including the Bradley's cabin and other areas they
surveyed the railing of the cabin and to looked for evidence of Amy either falling overboard going overboard by her
own doing or foul play they then commenced separate interviews with each family member and two during these
interviews the ship's attorney was permitted to be present thus allowing the Royal Caribbean personnel to later
be made aware of everything that was said by the Bradley's band members including yellow had their room searched
by investigators nothing was found yellow himself was also interviewed Ron Bradley sat outside the room while
yellow was being interviewed when he left his interview yellow walked past Ron smiled at him and gave him a thumbs
up yellow had been given a polygraph test so Ron assumed this thumbs-up was a sign
that he had passed these tests during his interview yellow maintained that he didn't know what happened to Amy he
claimed to that Amy had a drink in the disco with the band at about 1:00 a.m. and then he didn't see her after that
other crew members including the waiters who had been in contact with Amy were also interviewed that afternoon Chris
Fenwick the videographer was with his colleague Steve in the editing room Steve mentioned the Chris that the ship
security had instructed him to make sure that there were no images of the missing
girl in his cruise video meanwhile new whispers started circulating around the ship maybe amy Lynn Bradley didn't
commit suicide maybe she had been abducted it didn't take long for crew members to start
talking about yellow lots of people had seen he and Amy flirting and dancing at the Disco just a few hours before she
disappeared the Bradley stayed on board the Rhapsody of the Seas and returned to their cabin
the last few days had been a blur and the whole thing felt like a bad dream they kept turning things over and over
in their heads trying to make sense of it all they couldn't get any sleep many passengers had no idea what had happened
and continued on with their vacation sipping cocktails and watching the sunset while the Bradley's were living a
nightmare about 3:00 a.m. on Friday March 27 Chris Fenwick took a break from video editing he was standing on the
eighth deck looking over a central banister down through an atrium to the lower levels two floors down he watched
his two young women ran towards a group of people as he looked closer he realized that the group of people were
the Bradley's and they were with someone from Royal Caribbean the two young women
seemed stressed him more explaining something to them as Chris listened on he overheard the two women tell the
Bradley's that they had seen Amy just before she went missing they had been hoping to come across the Bradley sooner
but they couldn't find them anywhere on the ship this must have been when the Bradley's disembarked in Curacao the
women said they saw Amy around 6 a.m. coming out of an elevator near the Disco and she was with yellow at this point
Iver became frantic it had taken almost three days to hear this information the women explained that they were waiting
near the Disco as the ship came into port around 6 a.m. it's then that they saw a yellow and Amy get off the large
glass elevators and walked to the bar in the disco yellow turned up the music on
the sound system and then got a mere drink containing a dark liquid which they assumed was a Coke or a coffee then
moments later Amy and yellow were gone it was around this time when Ron was getting dressed to go and look for Amy
ten minutes later yellow exited the elevator again this time he was alone not thinking much of it the two women
left the disco after that and got ready to disembark in Curacao they both pass polygraph tests the Bradley's were
furious had the ship's personnel helped conduct the proper search of the ship early on and made a proper announcement
that would likely have found out this information days before after overhearing misinformation Chris Fenwick
went back to his cabin and pulled the tapes he had from the Monday night after almost an hour of watching partygoers
enjoying the calypso party and disco he found what he was looking for he had footage of Amy the time the footage was
shot was just after 3 a.m. Chris had three different sections towards the end of the tape where Amy
could be seen dancing there were around 30 to 40 other people also on the dance floor at the time firstly Amy was
dancing with yellow quite close to the camera along the edge of the dance floor that was separated by a couple of feet
but facing each other and clearly dancing together then the video cut to yellow and Amy further into the middle
of the dance floor dancing close together they were both facing the same direction smiling and their bodies were
touching a few moments later you can see that they are holding hands on the last
section on the tape there was a shot of Amy standing by the elevators on the side of the dance floor it appears she
is dancing or while waiting for the elevator to arrive the time was 335 a.m. the same time that the computerized
thought system recorded her brother Brad returning to the family's cabin it was five minutes after this final shot that
the computerized door system recorded Amy returning to the cabin he said that Amy had joined been members for a drink
at the ship's disco after the band's performance and he parted with her about 1:00 a.m. he headed to the staff
elevator and Amy went off in another direction Chris Fenwick's video footage told a
different story and there were two witnesses who said they saw them together again around 6 a.m. right at
the time Amy went missing yellow also said in his interview that he was asleep when cruise security
knocked on his door in the morning looking for Amy they then searched his cabin he said
this door knock was around 6 a.m. the same time the two witnesses saw him back at the disco with Amy
according to Royal Caribbean security actually knocked on yellows door sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.
given that run Bradley didn't alert security officer Ron Costello until around 7:00
there's no way security were knocking on yellows door at 6:00 a.m. as he claimed
sometime during the morning search carried out on the ship Brad stated that he ran into yellow and
yellow said something along the lines of I'm sorry to hear your sister is missing
Brad took this as odd as he believed that yellow shouldn't have known at that time that amy was missing according to
the Bradley's only the ship's captain a security chief Lou Costello knew amy was
missing at that stage but according to Royal Caribbean they had already begun searching by then this was after the
gangway had been lowered and passengers were disembarking and word had already spread mostly through the crew that Amy
Bradley was missing presumed overboard so according to Royal Caribbean yellow would have known amy was missing at the
time he made that comment to Brad when Chris Fenwick found a me on his tapes he copied the footage to a blank better SP
tape he wrote his name and room number on the tapes label and then headed out his door to the location he had seen the
two witnesses talking to the Bradley's the time was now 4 a.m. the Bradley's and the witnesses were gone but a man
was standing there this man was Mike McCord Ron's boss Mike told Chris who was a
good friend of the Bradley's and he would give them the tape after handing the tape over to Mike Chris went to bed
around a 9 a.m. later that morning Friday March 27th the Bradley's were sitting at a breakfast table with Mike
McCord they looked distraught and by now more passengers knew what was them whose
daughter was missing the rumors were rife but the question of suicide had clearly now moved on to abduction or
maybe even murder Kris Fenwick approached Mike McCord later that day and Mike told Kris that the tape was now
in the hands of the FBI later that afternoon Kris received a call in his cabin it was Lou Costello
the chief of security Costello wanted to know if Kris was the guy with the video Kris Fenwick quote at
that point he told me that he was going to have to get that tape from me I informed him that there was no way I was
going to give up my master tapes I never give these away and that besides that it
was on a tape format that I'm sure he didn't have access to and that I would be glad to make a broadcast quality
double if you liked he then informed me that the FBI were involved in this and they would want the original tapes I
told him that if that was the case and the FBI I wondered what master tapes then they would have to contact me Kris
never heard from the FBI and he never heard from Lou Costello again by the time the Rhapsody of the Seas docked
back at Puerto Rico the Bradley's had no answers and they had no support from the
cruise line the cruise line was adamant nothing untoward had happened to Amy and
they were in the process of doing whatever they could to protect their gleaming reputation a Royal Caribbean
spokeswoman said that the company had cooperated with investigators and didn't believe foul play was involved they
stated that they believed that Amy had accidentally fallen over a railing and drowned
perhaps while intoxicated after the calypso party they quoted numerous cases of cruise ship passengers going
overboard but the majority of these cases involved people recklessly climbing railings or committing suicide
although regulations for railing heights has changed since 1998 FBI investigators
didn't believe Amy accidentally fell over the railing of either one of the main decks or on her own balcony which
actually had a small shelf below the US Coast Guard completed their three-day air and sea search and found no trace of
Amy the sea conditions become amy was a lifeguard in a very proficient swimmer and the ship was believed to be very
close to land at the time of her disappearance making it seem less likely that she would drown there was a chance
however that she hit her head and entered the water injured or unconscious but in that case it was believed that
the Coast Guard would have found some sign of her body either in the water that morning or washed up ashore or
another vessel in the busy port would have seen some sign of her from there onboard investigation the FBI could find
no evidence to directly link yellow to Amy's disappearance and he was not detained nor was he considered a suspect
neither were any of the other crew members the Bradley's wouldn't accept the idea that Amy fell overboard and
they didn't believe she committed suicide they said she would never abandon her family or her dog the FBI
agreed with the Bradley's they didn't believe Amy had committed suicide her background her life back in Virginia
with a new job and a new home and her making plans for when she returned all pointed to someone who didn't fit the
general criteria for someone wishing to end their life Amy had no history of running away hadn't had any family
disagreements or issues with anyone back home they found no reason for a me to cause harm to herself yellow was fired
at the end of the cruise for fraternizing with a passenger the Bradley's returned home to Chesterfield
County Virginia without Amy friends and family was shocked and soon the Bradley's had a large support group
rallying around them they decided that they needed to do something to get answers they set up a hotline and
website in the hope that someone might come forward with information with their phone hotline set up the
Bradley's barely left their home office which had once been their dining room the walls were filled with photos of Amy
notes and a map of the world friends and family were often around to help for days after they returned home a
spanish-speaking man called the hotline the Bradley's got a spanish-speaking neighbor who was a good friend of theirs
to translate for them the caller was a Puerto Rican man who was studying to be a police officer he had just seen a news
report about Amy's disappearance on Puerto Rican television and he realized from a photo that it was her he saw it
just days before he believed he saw Amy being forced into a taxicab by a man in a baseball cap at the terminal at San
Juan Puerto Rico shortly after the Rhapsody of the Seas docked back there on March 28th after the crews had
finished a core desired because he felt it looked like a policeman forcibly leaving a person into a cop car the
woman he saw didn't appear happy and she looked disorientated he thought they looked like they were fighting or at
least disagreeing after hearing this Ron Bradley found the FBI agents investigating Amy's case and gave them
the witness's details with this new information Ron and Brad made plans to go back to Curacao Ron's boss helped
fund the search and helped put up a reward that was posted on their website a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar
reward was offered for any information leading to Amy safe return as well as a further fifty thousand dollar reward for
information that pinpointed a verifiable location within a few weeks the Bradley's had
hired private detectives to board the Rhapsody of the Seas undercover but it turned up nothing in desperation they
consulted psychics which also came up with nothing the FBI continued to look into Amy's
background after interviewing family and friends co-workers and school associates
they confirmed once again that they didn't believe Amy had committed suicide Brad Ron and diver all took polygraph
tests and nothing seemed unusual with the results the Bradley's believed that Amy may have been drugged while drinking
that coffee or coke in the disco area with yellow the drink that the witnesses saw them have together around 6:00 a.m.
then they believe she was possibly put into the nearby staff elevator in a drugged condition and then sent to a
lower level of the ship there she may have been put in a garbage bin or a laundry cart and smuggled off the ship
through a crew door and through the cruise terminal others believed that Amy may have willingly met with someone and
left the ship of her own free will or she may have been forced off under duress or that she may have witnessed an
illegal activity and somebody panicked but for the Bradley's nothing would sway their belief that somebody had her
either quote somebody saw her wanted her and had to have her she would have been
a trophy hany would have been someone that I believe could have been picked out and fingered to move off that ship
she could have been held and hidden she could have been possibly drugged and taken from that ship according to the
us-based international cruise victims Association which was set up in 2006 by loved ones of several people who had
gone missing from cruises between 1995 and 2012 more than 170 people went missing off cruise ships in 1998 the
Bradley's weren't alone in their situation but there weren't many records or investigations for them to draw on
the murky jurisdictions and laws made their case difficult the Bradley's found it difficult to
ignore the possibility that Amy's disappearance may have been linked to sex trafficking according to the UN
refugee agency the Netherland aunt Elise is a transit and destination point for women and children who are victims of
forced sex work in what is a multi-billion dollar industry they estimated optimally eighty percent of
all sex workers in the Netherland in Talisa foreigners the UN Office on Drugs and Crime lists the Netherlands and
Netherland dentally says some of the top destinations for victims of human and sex trafficking women who were coerced
or kidnapped facing humane conditions extreme violence and multiple rapes to break their spirit victims are often
threatened with death along with the death of their family members should they try to escape and force drug
dependence is also common when Ron and I looked back over their time on the Rhapsody of the Seas they realized the
extent of the unusual behavior of some of the staff towards Amy they couldn't get past the behavior of the way does
that first norm the behavior of yellow and even the disappearance of Amy's photographs from the photo gallery to
them they felt she had been targeted on April 17th 1998 three weeks after returning from the Caribbean the
Bradley's put out a public plea for help quote the family of a mule in Bradley who has been missing since March 24th
1998 from the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas as it arrived the port in Curacao would like to make the following
plea please let Amy go blindfold her and to leave her somewhere safe at night unharmed she doesn't know who you are
and only wants to be with her family in her country we will ask no questions you will remain unknown please let Amy
go the Bradley's were 100% adamant she had been abducted Ron and Brad made their
way back to Curacao there's another taxi driver had come forward saying that he had been parked at the cruise terminal
at Curacao the morning Amy went missing he saw a woman fitting Amy's description
looking for a phone she seemed in a rush but she didn't seem frantic or scared despite the FBI's intensive
investigation heavy publicity in newspapers and numerous TV shows like America's Most Wanted vanished and dr.
Phil as well as numerous news outlets and magazines nothing of any value had arisen Amy had simply vanished
once again Ron and Brad came home with nothing in November that year 7 months after Amy disappeared the FBI confirmed
during an interview with the New York Times that they had nothing quote we've pursued every angle from whether there
was foul play a suicide or an accident and a way of basically not gotten anywhere
in December that year eight months after the Bradley's informed the FBI of the phone call they had received from the
Puerto Rican men who believed he saw Amy being forced into a taxi they discovered
that the FBI never interviewed him despite the Bradley's providing proof they forwarded on the information the
FBI denied receiving the lead US Department of Justice agents working with Interpol did go on to interview the
man in early 99 he positively identified Amy from a photo lineup as the woman he
saw the previous April that wasn't confirmed publicly if he positively identified the man he saw her with given
the media saturation of the case by then including Amy's photo being broadcast everywhere it's not known how much
weight this idea was given either quote we had lost time because the leads were not followed up we were told the FBI
would leave no stone unturned we were confident that they were contacting the witness following the lead intending to
everything fed up with getting nowhere with the FBI the Bradley's raped the congressman foreign officials and even
the president they continued to me in a 24 hour hotline and kept up the press employed to find Amy they still held the
belief that Amy was alive and being held against her will that same month Chris Fenwick's saw the
America's Most Wanted episode on Amy he was surprised that the videotape that he
had provided Mike McCord Ron's boss wasn't used on the show he began thinking about the conversation he
had with the chief of security Lou Costello Costello had been adamant that the FBI wanted the original tapes Chris
had given the copy to Ron's boss who said he passed that on to the FBI but Chris had never heard from the FBI
himself he picked up the phone and left a message for an agent but he never heard anything back
another man was also watching America's Most Wanted that North Canadian computer
engineer and avid scuba diver David Carmichael came forward immediately after seeing the episode he
and another scuba diving friend were on a beach in Curacao in August of that year approximately five months after Amy
disappeared David Carmichael quote I noticed three people walking along the beach one of
them was a young girl and she was flanked by two fellows she had two tattoos one of them was of a gecko the
other was of a Tasmanian devil the girl walked towards me she started to stare at me just as she was about to
say something she looked frightened like she was about to say something when one of the guys
motioned her away and gave me a menacing look I was stunned the minute I saw her
picture and saw her face on the program I realized that was the girl on the beach I am haunted by that encounter
with Amy I know it was her David Carmichael flew to Virginia to meet the Bradley's although Amy's family had a
feeling that she was still alive they started legal proceedings in late 1998 in order to have Amy declared dead in
June 99 their wish was granted this allowed them to pursue legal proceedings against the Royal Caribbean cruises the
Bradley's filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean cruises Limited alleging negligence security defamation and
intentional infliction of emotional distress but in November 99 the judge dismissed all lawsuits against the
cruise line as the Bradley's were accused of perjury and committing fraud in court when presenting evidence the
Bradley stated that they only had three witnesses who had seen Amy since she disappeared all three said she was under
duress but what they withheld was that they actually had over 100 eyewitness sightings reported of Amy living on the
island of her own free will not under any duress these extra sightings could have indicated to the court that Amy if
it was her who the witnesses saw may have left the cruise on her own free will the court ruled that the Bradley's
misdirected the court in an attempt to portray that the only explanation for Amy's disappearance was that she was
abducted despite the setback the Bradley's continued to search for answers the Bradley's had also heard
from a woman in Curacao a local cook named Judith margarita she believed amy was being held by heavily armed
Colombian guards in a housing complex protected with barbed wire she also said that she regularly saw Amy shopping at a
grocery store and working out at a gym and that she was often with a man with long blond hair and tattoos all the way
down one arm Judith was able to give the Bradley's an accurate description of tattoos that Amy had but it was when
Judith hummed a lullaby that either used to sing to Amy when she was a baby that
the Bradley's were completely convinced she was telling the truth officials on the island told the
Bradley's they could do nothing with the information because there was no evidence of a crime end of the
investigation by the FBI had made little progress so it wasn't a priority for them while Ron and Iver were deciding
what to do and how they should deal with the information they had been given by Judith they received an email from a man
named Frank Jones Jones told the Bradley's who was a former US Army Special Forces officer
with the team made up of ex Army Rangers and ex Navy SEALs who might be able to help rescue Amy when the Bradley's told
him about the information they had received from Judith Jones offered to act as a private investigator in order
to scope out the situation and then carry out a stealth mission to rescue her either quote he told me that he put
Amy on his own back and swim her out of there his team had the experience and credentials to rescue Amy the Bradley's
felt that their prayers had finally been answered and they agreed to hire Frank Jones in order to do so they had to sell
their car and Ron's boss also chipped in in the year that had passed since Amy disappeared the Bradley's and the FBI
continued to get leads which all ended up going nowhere but this information from Judith seemed different and Ron and
Ivers gut feeling told them it was going to lead to Amy Frank Jones sent two of his men former Navy SEAL was down to
Curacao to check out the information given by Judith shortly after Jones sent the Bradley's a
report saying that he believed Amy was in a dangerous situation and was under guard they had attempted to set up
surveillance points at the locations Judith had given and they had seen Amy being driven by her kidnapper believed
to be a man with long blond hair and one arm sleeved with tattoos in a dark green
SUV but Jones and his men were forced to flee for a week after being fired upon by around 10 men things had gotten
serious but knowing amy was alive gave the Bradley some level of comfort the next few months were brutal they
constantly felt that amy was in imminent danger and may be killed at any moment they wanted Jones to get her out
immediately but they needed to trust him in his men it was on the right time it was too dangerous
over the following months Jones sent two more obese operatives to the island and
provided a series of reports to the Bradley's on the whereabouts of Amy the Bradley's continued the way hoping that
the next day would be the day Amy would be rescued and they would be a complete family again in 1999 there was another
possible sighting of Amy in Curacao this man didn't want any reward money but his
conscience had gotten the better of him he was an American sailor who stopped off in Curacao and visited a brothel
something he wasn't supposed to be doing at the brothel he claimed he approached two women
sitting at a table and one of them told him her name was Amy Bradley and she began begging for help he told her there
was a Navy ship just down the road but she said you don't understand I can't leave help me please help me
he said he dismissed her plea because he wasn't aware Amy was a missing person and he was also worried his superiors
would find out he was there but after he saw the picture of Amy in People magazine he recalled that after pleading
with him to help her the woman was escorted forcibly upstairs by two men when investigators went to
check on the brothel that had burnt down it was around this time Chris Fenwick received a call from his brother who had
seen a rerun of the TV segment on Amy on unsolved mysteries once again the dance
floor video wasn't used by the show Chris's brother took it upon himself to call the network and ask if they were
aware of the dance floor video a few days later Chris's brother got a call from my for Bradley he was shocked to
learn that the Bradley's had never seen the video Chris immediately made a copy for them it was almost a year and a half
since he attempted to give it to them the first time the remainder of 1999 in the year 2000 was excruciating for the
Bradley's Frank Jones continued his surveillance and kept them up to speed his surveillance validated Judith's
information it seemed what she had seen was legit the continued surveillance and
the additional operatives cost Ron an either more money every month but they kept going they'd spent all their
savings by this point and accepted help from donors and nonprofit organizations that were willing to help
eventually the Bradley's received word from Jones that he was ready to launch the rescue mission he just needed the
final payment so he could arrange his team with the financial help and the advice of Ron's boss Ron and neither
asked Jones for some kind of proof that amy was still a lot of so he sent them a
photo it was of a young woman sitting on the beach with her back to the camera the man next to her had long blonde hair
and a slave tattoo on his arm the woman was wearing a wide-brimmed hat so you couldn't say it face but the
tattoos were unmistakable they were all there when Oliver saw the picture she knew it was Amy
either quote when I got the pictures I knew amy was okay and it was just a matter of time the Bradley's arranged
the final payment and flew to Florida to wait in a hotel room to heat word from Jones he said he would call to let them
know the rescue had been successful as the donation from Ron's boss the Bradley's had a private jet on standby
so that they could immediately fly out to Curacao to meet Amy when she was rescued the Bradley sat in the hotel
room for a week waiting for the phone call that was so anxious that they hardly left the room in Curacao one of
Jones's men a former Army Special Forces sniper Tim Buchholz had been noticing over time that Jones was towing the
Bradley's things that weren't true when Buchholz was on duty watching the house where Amy was supposedly being held he
never saw any sign of her the residents of the house appeared to be regular people and he hadn't seen anything
suspicious but he later overheard Jones on the phone in a bar drinking telling that Bradley so that his people were
watching the house at that very moment Buckholtz his heart sunk as he realized it was all a lie Buchholz contacted the
Bradley's who were still desperately waiting in Florida for word from Jones he had to tell them that Frank Jones had
lied to them some of the operatives employed by Jones were legitimate those that were were unaware until that point
what they were involved in - Bradley struggled to cope with what had happened they had paid Jones approximately
$24,000 of their own personal savings and over a hundred and eighty thousand dollars from the Amy bradley fund at the
nation's missing children organization a nonprofit that provided assistance to the family and held a restricted fund
specifically for costs related to search and recovery when they found out the photo of Amy was
fabricated they literally fell apart no one could comprehend how someone could prey on
parents of a missing woman in such a desperate time later Johnno sank who had been working with Jones admitted to
pront on that he agreed to wear a blonde week and pose as the kidnapper he said they staged the photograph on a
beach with a young woman they knew who resembled Amy they had temporary tattoos made to match Amy's and Frank Jones took
the picture Judith Margaretha son Giovanni came forward to say that his mother made up the story he believed she
was just trying to steal reward money but Judith maintained she had never lied to amy's parents she was paid $8,000 for
her tip in February 2002 federal prosecutors charged Frank Jones with the frauding the Bradley's of $24,000 in the
nation's missing children organization of one hundred and eighty six thousand dollars Jones pleaded guilty and was
sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to repay the money to both parties he had never served in the
Special Forces when the Bradley's finally spoke publicly about the ordeal Ron said quote if there's a chance I
mean what else do you do if it was your child what would you do so I guess we took a chance and I guess we lost
in 2004 seven years after Amy went missing an anonymous source and online photos to the Bradley's they were from a
sex website selling what was essentially sex holidays in the Caribbean the site consisted of mostly naked women in
sexually suggestive poses for buyers to choose for their holiday the photos sent
to the Bradley's were of a woman named jazz who resembled a slightly older and harsher looking Amy and the email seemed
to suggest that she had been sold into sexual slavery FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt who has worked on many kidnapping
cases and top forensic artists experts looked at the pictures they concluded that the woman in the photos could be
Amy the following year in 2005 Judy Moore was on holiday in Barbados when she entered a public toilet in a
department store in Bridgeton while in the toilet stall she overheard some men come in and threaten a woman in another
store she heard them say quote the deal is coming through you need to obey to not mess it up after a few minutes
Judy Moore coked out of the stall and approached the woman who was carrying over the basin Judy asked though who she
was the woman who she thought was in her 30s said she was from Virginia and that
her name was Amy moments later the men opened the door not saying Judy who was standing to the side of the door they
grabbed the woman and dragged her out Judy was terrified and went to the local authorities she also later provided the
FBI with the description of the men allowing them to circulate sketches from her descriptions
in 2006 the international cruise victim association was launched also known as the ICV
it was launched to offer support and assistance to those affected by crimes committed against themselves or family
members while on cruise ships Kendall Carver the company's CEO and founding president of the ICV began
lobbying for change after his daughter Marion Carver disappeared aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship the mercury
in 2004 Kendal Carver quote we're not here to put these companies out of business we just want to see that if a
crime takes place appropriate action is taken and people are prosecuted whether this can never be achieved voluntarily
however is a different question entirely in the time between Kendall's thought of
disappearing into the official setup of the ICV was when Natalie Holloway disappeared at
the front of Carlos and Charlie's in Aruba the ICV became the subject of five congressional hearings in Washington
they brought the cruise companies to account after years of them being able to run outside US laws in 2008 the
cruise vessel security and Safety Act supported by Senator John Kerry was unveiled which pushed for stricter
regulations and systemic change Kendall Carver quote the cruise lines tell us they're not equipped to
investigate crimes and that they report everything to the FBI meanwhile the FBI top brass claimed they lack the
resources to follow up such reports nobody is assuming responsibility so nothing is getting done in 2005 10
million passengers embarked upon cruises 50 criminal cases were opened and only four convictions were made that is scary
on July 27th 2010 President Obama signed Senator John Kerry's cruise vessel security and Safety Act which increased
security law enforcement and accountability on cruise ships in international waters all cruise lines
and passenger shipping operators are required by law to report to the FBI any criminal activity against US citizens
reports are mandatory even on incidents at sea when vessels are in international
waters the cruise vessel security and Safety Act will improve ship safety by requiring 42 inch guardrails peepholes
in every passenger and crew members door on deck video surveillance and an emergency sound system that will provide
transparency in reporting by establishing a structure between the cruise industry the FBI under the Coast
Guard that will improve crime-scene response by requiring rape kits and a trained forensic sexual assault
specialist to be aboard each ship and it will establish a program designed in consultation with the FBI to train
appropriate crew members in crime prevention detection evidence preservation and reporting of criminal
activities in the international maritime environment Senator John Kerry quote we
have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the millions of Americans who will board cruise ships this year this
law will finally do away with the murky lines of jurisdiction that have put American cruise ship passengers at risk
in the past I applaud President Obama representative Matsui and my colleagues for helping to
ensure the security safety and accountability be strengthened to hold criminals accountable and to end the
cycle of serious crimes on these vessels Kendall Carver quote today marks the beginning of a new accountability for
any crimes that are committed against passengers on cruise ships this came about because a small group of victims
joined together 4 and 1/2 years ago to form ICV from just a few families ycv now has membership in over 20 countries
the lesson learned from this is that no one should ever underestimate the power of organized victims who are all
volunteers to make changes this legislation would not have happened without the dedicated support of Senator
Kerry and representative Matsui who joined our efforts to pass this historic legislation this legislation will
protect millions of passengers in the coming years and we are deeply indebted to all those who helped make it happen
in 2010 an American tourist who was holidaying on the western side of Aruba found a human jaw bone washed up on the
beach after forensic testing the jawbone which had a wisdom tooth attached was found to be likely from a Caucasian
female forensic testing was able to determine that the jawbone did not belong to Natalie Holloway or amylin
Bradley in 2016 of the 200 overnight ocean-going cruise vessels owned by knowing cruise lines there were four
suspicious deaths one of those on Royal Caribbean cruises there were six missing
us passengers four of those on Royal Caribbean cruises and of the 62 sexual assault allegations made aboard cruise
ships in 2016 15 of those were aboard Royal Caribbean cruises in the first three months of 2017 the near ten cruise
line companies worldwide reported two missing passengers one kidnapping two assaults with serious bodily injuries
six thefts over $10,000 and 16 sexual assaults in 2017 after years of staying quiet on the case and despite the fact
that Amy Bradley was declared dead in 1999 the FBI released the video relating to her disappearance quote the FBI is
offering a reward of up to twenty-five thousand dollars for information leading to the recovery of a mule in Bradley and
information that leads to the identification arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for
her disappearance either Bradley quote our lives have been so drastically changed every waking
moment is where is Amy I just want people to know that when girls disappear outside of the [ __ ]
they're disappearing for a reason and slavery and sex trafficking is so alive and well that would absolutely blow you
away we believe with every fiber in our being that someone took her and we want it back and I have tried to make deals
with God if we find her today you can take me tomorrow when they say it's the worst nightmare it is it's the worst
nightmare [Music]

Case 59: Amy Lynn Bradley

In the autumn of 1998, 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley was told by her parents that they had been gifted a Caribbean cruise. Amy wasn’t excited by the news like they were, she had only just moved into her own apartment after graduating from her degree in Physical Education, and she was about to start a new job.

She was busy. But more than that, the idea of a cruise across the sea gave her the creeps. She didn’t really want to go. She would be just as happy settling into her new place, which was nearby her parents and brother’s home in Chesterfield, Virginia…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Anna Priestland Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-59-amy-lynn-bradley

Brief Summary

Amy Lynn Bradley vanished during a 1998 cruise, sparking a complex investigation and legal battles over safety and jurisdiction.

Key points

The Caribbean Cruise. In 1998, Amy Bradley reluctantly joins her family on a Caribbean cruise, unaware of the impending tragedy.
The Mysterious Disappearance. Amy Bradley vanishes from the cruise ship, sparking a frantic search by her family.
Curacao's Dark Side. While known for its beauty, Curacao has a troubling underbelly of illegal activities.
The Disappearance of Amy. Amy's sudden disappearance raises questions about safety and the cruise line's responsibility.
Conflicting Accounts. Witnesses report seeing Amy with a crew member just before her disappearance, complicating the narrative.
The Bradley's Search for Answers. The Bradley family refuses to believe Amy committed suicide and seeks answers.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

How could they be allowed to board a ship and just stand around?

Amy's confusion about locals on the ship.

11:41WatchNov 20, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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