VA - Amy Bradley, 23, Petersburg, 24 March 1998 - #2 - ***READ FIRST POST***

[Dushi]

This was not kidnap for ransom
Someone suggested drug smuggling, but, how long before someone gets caught
Someone else suggested to produce children, but why move her all around

I am lost

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Mho is that there's a possibility she was used however many times it took to break her, then she was used as a "factory", then used as a "character witness" for black market sales...hence seeing her in different places with "handlers". When people purchase babies illegally, they want to see & know what kind of "stock" they come from, otherwise they'll only pay chump change. Green eyes, light skin, intelligent background = profit.

This is the last I'll note that bc in all reality if a bunch of people start sleuthing that angle & subsequently post about it, it could bring it to the attention of the people responsible & perhaps endanger the innocent victims involved...that is if there's any basis to it...

 

[Dushi]

Mho is that there's a possibility she was used however many times it took to break her, then she was used as a "factory", then used as a "character witness" for black market sales...hence seeing her in different places with "handlers". When people purchase babies illegally, they want to see & know what kind of "stock" they come from, otherwise they'll only pay chump change. Green eyes, light skin, intelligent background = profit.

well of course you may be right
after being "broken in", used for stock, How do you think she would look?
I just feel it is safer for the purchaser to go to them, then them taking Amy to the purchaser

 

[Jersey*Girl]

well of course you may be right
after being "broken in", used for stock, How do you think she would look?
I just feel it is safer for the purchaser to go to them, then them taking Amy to the purchaser

Unless the money is right.

High dollar needs to see the host for verification. Some high profile nefarious persons might not wish to risk being seen in a known location of skeptical activities. Therefore maybe they require a meeting place on neutral territory, say not on their home land nor on the hosting land?

 

[masootz]

This was not kidnap for ransom
Someone suggested drug smuggling, but, how long before someone gets caught
Someone else suggested to produce children, but why move her all around

I am lost

the only reason someone would go to the trouble to kidnap her was profit of some kind. there are endless ways someone could make a profit from her, and we've discussed the most likely ones. you bring up a good point that the profit from her had to outweigh the cost of keeping her around. when we look at these options we have to weigh the cost of keeping specifically amy bradley (an american citizen with a family and government actively seeking her out) versus keeping someone else who fits the same profile but who wouldn't be as costful (e.g. - a woman who would willingly be a prostitute, a woman who would willingly be a drug mule, a woman who would willingly marry a rich guy to have his kids, etc).

i don't think it's disputed that whoever took her kept her alive for at least several years after her disappearance.

1) which of the likely reasons that provide the kidnapper a profit would outweigh the cost of keeping her?

2) which of the reasons above would make her more valuable than someone who would go along willingly (unless she in fact went along willingly)?

take as an example the "drug mule" scenario.

for #1 - she's an american so she has a passport, she looks like the "every woman" american so she'd be least likely to raise suspicion in airports or security checks, she went along with the ruse on the ship that was set up to kidnap her so she was available to grab.

for #2 - that's where this theory dies for me. we know of at least two verified sightings where she tried to get help. that indicates she was not cooperating with whatever they were doing. why risk her blowing your cover in an airport with $100,000 worth of your drugs on her? it makes no sense when you could easily find someone willing to try to go through customs with drugs for a small sum of cash (see the "locked up abroad" tv show for an abundance of dummies who have tried and failed).

wash, rinse, repeat for the other scenarios and i think we'll end up with one or two that make a lot more sense.

 

[Dushi]

Do you think in the photos posted she looks like every woman american?

And if she smuggled drugs for a handler originally when she looked like a sweet young american woman, did what she was told.. why the change in her appearance

I am certainly not arguing any ones points, just trying to get a clear picture in my head

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Do you think in the photos posted she looks like every woman american?

And if she smuggled drugs for a handler originally when she looked like a sweet young american woman, did what she was told.. why the change in her appearance

I am certainly not arguing any ones points, just trying to get a clear picture in my head

Not certain I'd say she "looks like every American woman" but rather I'd say she looks like most average looking people in Caucasian colored countries - with the exception of her eyes. She'd blend in so to speak.

I wonder if there's a significance surrounding the dates she was sighted. The San Fran sighting was the week of an international film festival. What about the other sightings?

 

[neesaki]

Not certain I'd say she "looks like every American woman" but rather I'd say she looks like most average looking people in Caucasian colored countries - with the exception of her eyes. She's blend in so to speak.

I wonder if there's a significance surrounding the dates she was sighted. The San Fran sighting was the week of an international film festival. What about the other sightings?

I was just thinking of this and wondering if we can deduce much from the sightings in Curacao and Barbados, as it seems that is likely the area she was being kept.

The San Fran sighting is always nagging at me.

 

[Tabs1]

Great sleuthing folks, but I'm seeing over and over within this thread that SoSueMe confirmed, verified, etc., that the photos are Amy Bradley. For the record, I have not personally verified any such thing. I do believe the photos are Amy based on what our Verified Insider FindAmy has told us about the photos. Websleuths stands by the verified insider and the information they have put forth to our members.

We've been told the FBI believe the photos to be Amy Bradley. As pointed out in previous posts, the FBI surely maintains advanced forensic photo technology which drew them to this conclusion. We're going on that premise, so to keep questioning whether the photos are Amy, is a waste of time and is derailing the discussion for the members trying to sleuth the photos, their origin and what can be determined by enhancing the photos.

Further, I'm seeing where members are confused as to whether Amy might have been taken for the sex trade. While this is always a possibility, and no one knows for sure, many close to the case feel it is unlikely and perhaps a red herring. Prostitution is legal in many of the areas where Amy has been sighted. It would stand to reason there would be many willing participants in this profession. I don't think anyone can definitively say Amy is not being used in this regard, so it's a possibility. Members have been asked to think outside the box, so while discussing Amy within the sex trade is not off limits, we'd like our members to expand their sleuthing to other areas as well. I've seen a lot of speculation as to why Amy may have been taken and we encourage this type of discussion. We feel you're doing some phenomenal work on this case.

We were given a rare opportunity when FindAmy came to our site in an attempt to dispel rumors and give our members a direction which might be helpful to the case. Dispelling rumors and correcting misinformation was the main goal for the verified insider, yet I still see references to misinformation found on other websites. We believe the information provided by FindAmy is the most current, up-to-date information on the case and we're fortunate to be privy to it. We prefer that our members consider the information put forth by FindAmy and leave the outdated misinformation behind.

Websleuths owners are often asked how many cases we've solved. We can't answer this question because frankly, we're never told. We're occasionally told when we've been helpful. Sometimes (not always) we're told when LE is reading a particular thread. The truth is, I think we've been helpful in many of the cases we've covered. You never know what tiny piece of the puzzle might fit nicely in a case or trigger another avenue for LE to follow. This is what we do because we have caring members with hearts of gold who care about victims, their families, law enforcement, justice and a better world. We're very proud of our members.

My point is, and I do have one, I see a lot of good, intelligent discussion on this case. We'd like you to concentrate on the latest information available to us and we believe that to be the information put forth by FindAmy.

Please carry on and thank you.

No disrespect AT ALL intended here, but may I just ask:

How is it that FA blatantly contradicted info given publicly *by* the Bradleys....? Specifically, I am thinking of where Brad said on 'Vanished' that it was Alister Douglas that approached him shortly after Amy first went missing - yet FA insisted it was NOT Alister Douglas but rather another staff member.....??

Again NO disrespect intended. I find this case aggravating beyond words and would love to see Amy Bradley reunited with her family. However, if I am being asked to trust what the verified insider says 100% then I need to understand the aforementioned contradiction.

 

[Dushi]

I know it can be irritating to re-answer old questions but....

When the sailor saw Amy and spoke to her
Tell me again about the place this happeded
A hotel? a bar?
Why were american sailors not permitted to visit it?

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I was just thinking of this and wondering if we can deduce much from the sightings in Curacao and Barbados, as it seems that is likely the area she was being kept.

The San Fran sighting is always nagging at me.

Nags me too. I think it's bc it's a date during the film festival where noted famous people would be. However, it also brings in people from all over involved in the back end portion of making & producing films. Viewing the films isn't the only thing done at a film festival. So maybe there's some kind of link to someone in that particular industry. She was seen in San Fran. Which portion of the festival was hosted there? For instance, Indie might be hosted or screened in one city while another venue is hosted in San Fran, etc. Usually there's 3-5 locations within the hosted area.

Or maybe somebody from the San Fran area was meeting up with her.

God help us all, child *advertiser censored* is made all over the world, there's no end in sight. When you pair the brain of a computer tech with a film editor & a sicko predator, it becomes a cancer to society with no known cure except locating & treating different strains every now & then.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I know it can be irritating to re-answer old questions but....

When the sailor saw Amy and spoke to her
Tell me again about the place this happeded
A hotel? a bar?
Why were american sailors not permitted to visit it?

They weren't permitted to visit it bc of what was known at the time regarding that area - drugs & prostitution.

IMO, its very important to note that the ship the naval guy was stationed on was there for a drug reconnaissance in the Caribbean. It was there to obtain intel. It's my belief that the sailor couldn't speak of Amy's sighting until cleared to do so...but I know I could be wrong in that thinking. Nothing else would explain why this sailor didn't do anything when Amy asked for help. Nothing at all. His ship is there for a specific purpose. If he'd have grabbed Amy & ran then he'd have placed his whole company fleet at risk for the job they're supposed to be doing there. How could he risk that when there's already beef between the US & Venezuelan leaders? Curaçao is a hop, skip & jump from Venezuela. Is a jumping point, like a trampoline mind you, much in the same way Aruba was. Aruba has made many changes over the years, for the better, but its still a haven somewhat for certain activities. Personally, I think it's a very beautiful island and its people are tremendously gracious. It gets a bad rap sometimes bc of laws they have no control over.

My very honest opinion.

 

[masootz]

Mho is that there's a possibility she was used however many times it took to break her, then she was used as a "factory", then used as a "character witness" for black market sales...hence seeing her in different places with "handlers". When people purchase babies illegally, they want to see & know what kind of "stock" they come from, otherwise they'll only pay chump change. Green eyes, light skin, intelligent background = profit.

This is the last I'll note that bc in all reality if a bunch of people start sleuthing that angle & subsequently post about it, it could bring it to the attention of the people responsible & perhaps endanger the innocent victims involved...that is if there's any basis to it...

the notion that she could have been used to help facilitate the transfer of children on the black market makes more sense to me than most of the other options. it would also give a realistic explanation for san francisco. even if she's not the mother of any of the children, having an american with you when you attempt to do these illegal adoptions is likely to significantly increase your chance of finding someone willing to deal with your criminal organization. i could also think of several easy ways to get her to go along with things and not blow your cover (such as "if you screw this up we kill the kid"). it's an "out there" theory but it fits much of what we know.

 

[neesaki]

Regarding the sighting in the Barbados store restroom:
The witness had described the scene between Amy and the man as him basically threatening her that she had better not screw up his "deal" or something like that. What kind of deal is something else that's always nagging at me. Who am I kidding, this whole case is like that... :banghead:

 

[neesaki]

the notion that she could have been used to help facilitate the transfer of children on the black market makes more sense to me than most of the other options. it would also give a realistic explanation for san francisco. even if she's not the mother of any of the children, having an american with you when you attempt to do these illegal adoptions is likely to significantly increase your chance of finding someone willing to deal with your criminal organization. i could also think of several easy ways to get her to go along with things and not blow your cover (such as "if you screw this up we kill the kid"). it's an "out there" theory but it fits much of what we know.

Well, if it's an "out there" theory, I guess I'm out there with you as I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Dushi]

Mission or no mission, seems rather cold hearted to me to walk away from a woman asking for help and not mention it for two months

He could have at least taken it to his commanding officer
He must have realized she was american

JMO

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Honestly, I can't think of anything else that would match up with the reasoning for keeping her.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Mission or no mission, seems rather cold hearted to me to walk away from a woman asking for help and not mention it for two months

He could have at least taken it to his commanding officer
He must have realized she was american

JMO

I agree, but something inside of me tells me that he actually did but they couldn't blow their cover.

Think about it. Naval ship with sailors stationed there for awhile to do drug recon. They are gathering intel. That's what recon is. So how can he go into a hotel / brothel known to host prostitution & drugs without his commanding officer knowing about it? Not buying it. Not at all. There's no way imvho that the navy sailor would have intentionally taken a chance in doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing knowing full well the very purpose of why his ship was there in the first place. The US knew something was up bc of the drug trade being off the hook, illegal arms dealings skyrocketing, and the threat of terroristic attack at that time.

I remember Chavez looking extremely pleased after the US was attacked by Al Queefa - lol sorry I refuse to give them proper entitlement as I loathe what they stand for!

 

[Dushi]

Doesn't the US have a military base on Curacou?
I could be mistaken

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Still totally cold hearted IMO.

But then again, the US was going to shoot down the plane that landed in Shanksville PA if it hadn't crashed bc of the level of threat with being under attack at the time during 9/11. So would the US authorize blowing cover to only save 1 life when navy dude saw her? Idk. I'm up in the air but leaning toward them not allowing it. Then again, maybe it really is the truth that they didn't know, & that the naval guy didn't really think anything nefarious til he saw that People magazine. Although, I do find it ironic his ship wasn't there anymore when he did have this epiphany of seeing Amy.