Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley
Amy Lynn Bradley | |
---|---|
Born |
Petersburg, Virginia, U.S. | May 12, 1974
Disappeared |
March 24, 1998 (aged 23) While onboard a Royal Caribbean cruiseliner, the Rhapsody of the Seas, she disappeared during the leg of the cruise while en-route to Curaçao |
Status | Missing for 18 years, 8 months and 12 days |
Nationality | American |
Home town | Petersburg, Virginia |
Amy Lynn Bradley (born May 12, 1974) was a 23-year-old American citizen who went missing during a Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas in late March 1998.[1]
Case history
On the morning of March 24, 1998, Bradley had been drinking in the dance club with the ship's band, Blue Orchid. One of the band's members, Alister Douglas, known as Yellow, said he parted with Bradley at about 1 am.[1] Some time between 5:15 and 5:30 am, Bradley's father, Ron, saw her asleep on the deck. When he got up at 6 am, she was no longer there. He later said, "I left to try and go up and find her. When I couldn't find her, I didn't really know what to think, because it was very much unlike Amy to leave and not tell us where she was going."[2]
The ship was en route to Curaçao, Antilles, at the time she was last seen.[1] The ship docked in Curaçao shortly after she was discovered missing. Extensive searches on the ship and at sea produced no signs of her whereabouts.
There were possible sightings of Bradley in Curaçao in 1998 and 1999. Two Canadian tourists reported seeing a woman resembling Amy on a beach in Curaçao in 1998. The woman's tattoos were reportedly identical to Bradley's.[3] Bradley's tattoos included a Tasmanian Devil spinning a basketball located on her shoulder, the sun placed on her lower back, a Chinese symbol located on her right ankle, and a Gecko lizard on her navel. She also had a navel ring.[4] A member of the Navy claimed that he saw Bradley in a brothel in 1999. He claimed she told him that "her name was Amy Bradley and [she] begged him for help," explaining that she wasn't allowed to leave.[3]
There was another potential sighting in 2005, when a witness claimed to have seen Bradley in a department store restroom in Barbados.[1]
Bradley's mother and father appeared on the November 17, 2005, episode of Dr. Phil.[5] An image of a young woman resembling Bradley that was emailed to her parents was shown on the show, and it suggests that she might have been sold into sexual slavery.
There is a $250,000 reward for information leading to Bradley's return. Her case has been featured by America's Most Wanted[6] and by the television show Vanished.[7]
Renewed attention was paid to her case after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005.[5][8][9]
See also
- Disappearance of George Smith, from a cruise ship in the eastern Mediterranean in 2005
- Rebecca Coriam, a cruise ship worker who disappeared off the coast of Mexico in 2011.
- List of people who disappeared mysteriously
References
- 1 2 3 4 Mikkilineni, Rupa (January 3, 2011). "Jawbone rekindles cruise ship mystery". CNN. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.drphil.com/slideshows/slideshow/2926/?id=2926&slide=1&showID=623&preview=&versionID=
- 1 2 http://www.drphil.com/slideshows/slideshow/2926/?id=2926&slide=2&showID=623&preview=&versionID=
- ↑ "FBI - AMY BRADLEY". FBI. Federal Bureau of Investigations. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
- 1 2 "The Search for Natalee and Amy". Dr. Phil. November 17, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Amy Lynn Bradley". America's Most Wanted. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ "Amy Lynn Bradley". amybradley.net. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ "Striking Similarities in Two Disappearances". ABC News. January 7, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ Van Zandt, Clint (November 17, 2005). "Why some say Natalee may still be alive". NBC News. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
External links
- Family's Web Site
- MSNBC June 9, 2005 interview
- Visit Aruba Missing Persons
- Details, Photos
- Van Zandt Interview