VA - Amy Bradley, 23, Petersburg, 24 March 1998 - #1

[MysteryMaven]

If only there was surveillance video of the disco, elevators, and corresponding hallways from that morning available. I'm sure Royal Caribbean made sure there weren't any.

 

[JaimeSommers]

We know that Amy was well educated, in good athletic shape, very personable with a nice personality, American, English speaking, computer literate, she had a degree in education, "All-American" in appearance, and she was very smart.

Am I remembering correctly that her parents and/or brother mentioned people on the ship were paying an inordinate amount of attention to Amy? Can you say whether that means these people were staring at her, or were they also asking Amy a lot of questions about herself in order to assess all of the characteristics you mentioned above?

 

[FindAmy]

Until we find out what happened to Amy, people are still going to think she went overboard. It just doesn't fit this scenario. Find Amy pointed out earlier that when someone goes overboard, there is usually some forensic evidence to support this. In this case, no forensic evidence was found, at least that I know of. A lot of times, people will hit something on the way down and leave blood, etc. Nobody saw or heard anything that would point to her going overboard. What WAS seen and reported was Amy in the disco at 6 am with Douglas, and he was giving her something to drink-coffee, maybe. I don't think she went down there to continue to "party" as someone else mentioned. Then, the witness reported that she saw Douglas again, alone not long after this. So where was Amy? Also, her brother really stressed in the Unsolved clip that she was not comfortable around the railings of the ship. And, nobody has reported that Amy was wasted drunk during her night out, especially enough to be lollygagging around the railings at 5:30 am. I have not heard anyone say that she was so drunk that she was incapacitated. She was with it enough to go grab a coffee with that guy.

Amy and Brad were absolutely not drunk. The entire Bradley family had rented a jeep and toured Aruba all day. They returned for dinner. After dinner, they spent time as a family until Ron and Iva decided they were sleepy. They left and went to bed. Amy and Brad did the limbo contest. Brad came in first and Amy came in second. Amy and Brad then headed for the large open disco area on the upper deck, where they were dancing. There is a video of Amy dancing in that disco. She isn't drunk. They returned to the family suite and sat on the balcony. Brad went to bed. Amy stayed on the lounge chair. I can't think of a nicer way for a brother and sister to spend an evening with their parents and then together after the parents went to bed. Amy and Brad were really nice kids. They were enjoying the family vacation and they weren't doing a thing that was wild or inappropriate. They were not drunk and I don't understand why anyone would want to disparage them.


Amy was a competitive swimmer and a lifeguard. She wasn't wild about boats, though. She had felt seasick on and off during the cruise. I guess the fresh air felt good to her.

 

[FindAmy]

If only there was surveillance video of the disco, elevators, and corresponding hallways from that morning available. I'm sure Royal Caribbean made sure there weren't any.

You just wouldn't believe what disappeared.

 

[SmoothOperator]

I really do feel badly, but I can't answer some of your questions. As I explained before, information about sightings has not been shared with the public since Barbados in 2005. This is for the integrity of the investigation and Amy's safety. Details from the previous sightings have not been shared, either. I will tell you that this is not a cold case. It is an active investigation.

We don't know why Amy's photograph appeared on the escort resort website because there was absolutely no evidence that she had ever been there. Her photographs don't even match the rest of the escorts. I have personally wondered if someone wanted us to think that she was an escort or prostitute. It seems pretty dumb to me to post the photograph of a high profile missing American woman on an escort website.

The "brothel" where she was seen in Curacao was not a brothel. In Curacao, prostitution is legal and there are designated brothels. Amy was seen in an old hotel in the Ortobanda section of Willemstad. It was not a brothel, although I'm sure there were some prostitutes legally available through the hotel. The hotel had a bar that was an attraction in the harbor area. This is where the Navy sailor saw Amy and she spoke to him. He never reported that she was trying to attract a "client" and he never said that anyone was pimping her out. She might have just been staying there with the two handlers because the hotel was a regular hotel for guests. It burned down about a year later. It was an old hotel that was probably built in the early 1900s.

I must say that this doesn't at all seem to correlate with what Amys parents say from their own mouths.. They speak about it being a brothel that the navy guy was approached by Amy.. And No he wasn't being approached by her for a motive of soliciting on Amys part.. But rather that she strictly approached him seeking help telling that she was unable to get away and gave her name..

What further solidifies that it was a brothel is the fact that he waited to tell for a long period of time due to the fact that he as a naval officer was strictly prohibited from being in the brothel along with the fact that he was married at the time and didn't want his wife to learn of him being in a brothel..

Why now rewrite history.? It is what it is and Imo its important to be factual with what very little is known and not worried about what some people's judgemental opinions are of this young woman's abduction..

All jmo..

 

[JaimeSommers]

[...] The hair seems to be styled and layered in that way, and it has been consistent through the sightings. [...] She has also been described as wearing heavier makeup than she wore before her disappearance. This is probably an attempt to make her less recognizable.

In my opinion, that hair and makeup make her MORE obvious -- not "obvious" that she's Amy, but "obvious" as in she stands out. In my opinion, she wouldn't exactly blend in, especially if surrounded by equally conspicuous men. Why would they want their mule to look so wild? Wouldn't it draw attention?

 

[Fukiyama]

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8149901#post8149901"]FindAmy's first post in this thread[/ame]


For those who are coming in due to the case becoming featured for the week, this is the link to FindAmy's first post in the thread. It and the following posts from FindAmy are well worth reading through before asking any questions because more likely than not the answer's already been given.

 

[FindAmy]

Am I remembering correctly that her parents and/or brother mentioned people on the ship were paying an inordinate amount of attention to Amy? Can you say whether that means these people were staring at her, or were they also asking Amy a lot of questions about herself in order to assess all of the characteristics you mentioned above?

Iva was talking about Alister Douglas and a waiter. The waiter was overly attentive and Douglas was acting obnoxious. He was acting like he was hitting on her. It was all just excessive. The waiter is the one who invited her to Carlos and Charlies.

The man who Iva saw staring at Amy was not a waiter. He was a middle aged man, but she doesn't know if he was a crew member or a passenger. He didn't mean that much to Iva until after Amy disappeared. It was enough for her to notice, but at the time she didn't really feel that he was a threat or anything. It really bothers her now that she didn't pay more attention to this man.

During the FBI investigation the waiter made some very strange statements to the authorities. He tried to tell them that Iva had personally asked him what would happen if someone fell off of the ship. Iva had never even had a conversation with the waiter. He also approached Brad and expressed how sorry he was that Amy was missing. This was before anyone would have known she was missing. I personally feel that this guy was involved with Amy's disappearance.

 

[~n/t~]

If only there was surveillance video of the disco, elevators, and corresponding hallways from that morning available. I'm sure Royal Caribbean made sure there weren't any.

There is a video.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqzW5QNmxk4&feature=player_embedded#"]Amy Bradley - Compilation - YouTube[/ame]!

 

[MysteryMaven]

I have seen those videos of Amy dancing with Yellow. It's odd, the way they are dancing, but that's just MOO.
I am talking about surveillance videos. Do cruise ships have security cameras? Did the Rhapsody have them, and where were they pointed? That's what I'm getting at.

 

[~n/t~]

I have seen those videos of Amy dancing with Yellow. It's odd, the way they are dancing, but that's just MOO.
I am talking about surveillance videos. Do cruise ships have security cameras? Did the Rhapsody have them, and where were they pointed? That's what I'm getting at.

Oh ok. You mentioned the disco in your post.

 

[MysteryMaven]

Good question was raised--what kind of attention was being paid to Amy specifically?

 

[MysteryMaven]

I feel that anyone who is still believing the "overboard" theory must operate under the assumption that she had a lot to drink and was tired, therefore making a fall overboard possible. There is absolutely no evidence of her drinking too much. Just trying to point out another reason for people to get off the overboard theory. Not disparaging them at all.

 

[FindAmy]

I must say that this doesn't at all seem to correlate with what Amys parents say from their own mouths.. They speak about it being a brothel that the navy guy was approached by Amy.. And No he wasn't being approached by her for a motive of soliciting on Amys part.. But rather that she strictly approached him seeking help telling that she was unable to get away and gave her name..

What further solidifies that it was a brothel is the fact that he waited to tell for a long period of time due to the fact that he as a naval officer was strictly prohibited from being in the brothel along with the fact that he was married at the time and didn't want his wife to learn of him being in a brothel..

Why now rewrite history.? It is what it is and Imo its important to be factual with what very little is known and not worried about what some people's judgemental opinions are of this young woman's abduction..

All jmo..

Prostitution is legal in Curacao. There are locations that are specified as brothels. The largest of these is Camp Alegre near the airport. The brothels are required to have certificates for all of the girls who work there. The girls are also required to have health examinations at specific intervals.

The hotel where Amy was seen was not a registered brothel. It was a very old hotel in the Otorbanda section of the city. It had a bar in the hotel which was a focal point for the area. I understand that this was also a place of trouble. The hotel did not have a good reputation. It is my understanding that the hotels in Curacao do have prostitutes available through their hotels, even though these women are not registered and the hotels are not registered as brothels. I guess authorities look the other way.

When Ron went to Curacao after learning that Amy had been seen in the hotel, it had already burned to the ground. There was no trace of anything or anyone. Had the hotel been a brothel, there would have been records on file with the health department and Curacao. Ron and Iva could have tracked other women who might have had contact with Amy. Because the hotel was not a brothel, there was nothing they could do.

I am giving you accurate information about brothels in Curacao. There are very specific laws and requirements. The hotel was not a brothel, it was a hotel. It wasn't a five start hotel, but it was a hotel with a bar. Americans tend to refer to any location that has prostitution as a brothel. In countries where prostitution is legal, there is a distinction between a hotel and a brothel.

I am not rewriting history.

 

[FindAmy]

In my opinion, that hair and makeup make her MORE obvious -- not "obvious" that she's Amy, but "obvious" as in she stands out. In my opinion, she wouldn't exactly blend in, especially if surrounded by equally conspicuous men. Why would they want their mule to look so wild? Wouldn't it draw attention?

I agree with you. I think the wild look would attract attention. When one of the witnesses saw Amy walking away, surrounded by the handlers, she commented that all you could see was this wild hair in the middle of a group of men.

 

[FindAmy]

I have seen those videos of Amy dancing with Yellow. It's odd, the way they are dancing, but that's just MOO.
I am talking about surveillance videos. Do cruise ships have security cameras? Did the Rhapsody have them, and where were they pointed? That's what I'm getting at.

The Bradleys don't have them.

 

[~n/t~]

Thanks FindAmy if I can remember more I will call. I did not watch any of those programs! I didn't even know about this case until yesterday.

This man, If and a big if I met him, is Puerto Rican...that is all I can remember at this time.

Lera, for what it's worth, at the bottom of the FBI site for Amy there is a link to San Juan, Puerto Rico. So, you may be onto something. IDK

If you click on the link at the bottom where it says "field office" - San Juan it takes you to the San Juan division of the FBI.


http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/amy-bradley

 

[FindAmy]

If only there was surveillance video of the disco, elevators, and corresponding hallways from that morning available. I'm sure Royal Caribbean made sure there weren't any.

There aren't any.

 

[~n/t~]

The "wild look" might not be what she looks like now after 7 years (if her last sighting was in 2005). Unless there were more recent sightings and she had the same "look". IMO, people should not be fixated on her hairstyle. They should look at her facial features and she also has very distinctive tattoos tha may help identify her.

From what I can tell, she has high cheek bones, green eyes. How many ear piercings (?)

 

[FindAmy]

I have seen those videos of Amy dancing with Yellow. It's odd, the way they are dancing, but that's just MOO.
I am talking about surveillance videos. Do cruise ships have security cameras? Did the Rhapsody have them, and where were they pointed? That's what I'm getting at.

The Bradleys don't have anything.