VA - Amy Bradley, 23, Petersburg, 24 March 1998 - #3

[Bsublime]

She has to be valuable to someone in some way. Someone has paid people to guard her and transport her around the world. I think if AD was just pissed at her he would have just raped her and dumped her. If he did sell her to someone, they would still have to have seen value in her. She seems such an unlikley target for the sex trade. Her skills were unremarkable. We have never heard that there was any blackmail or connections that she had that could be taken advantage of. I am just left continually racking my brain as to why Amy.

Just totally brainstorming:
1. Breeder (seems unlikely and she is getting to old now anyway. No sightings of her pregnant or with a child that we know of)
2. Organ "donor" (wouldn't she be dead now?)
3. Gun trafficking
4. Drug trafficking
5. Counterfeiting money
6. Money laundering
7. People trafficking
8. Selling babies (this seems unlikely too. If she is posing as a mom, wouldn't the babies be white? where are those babies coming from?)
9. Making drugs (she wasn't a chem major or anything, what skills would she have?)
10. *advertiser censored*

With all of the trafficking I would think the goal would be to keep her looking wholesome and normal. All the sighting with the wild hair goes against that.

 

[danzn16]

if you go through some of the old threads we did use the wayback web site to find an old copy of the aav site. several of us went through the html for clues and found what appeared to be the nickname of the creator of the site. we tried to find information such as an email but didn't have much luck. the idea was if we could figure out who created the site we could figure out where he/she got the pictures. the site was very amateurish so it's extremely likely the web site creator also maintained it and probably also uploaded new pictures from whoever paid him/her to make the site. it's also extremely likely that the web site creator had nothing to do with anything illegal and might be willing to tell us who paid for the site, who supplied pictures, etc.

at some point during this, someone claimed they got malware on their pc from sleuthing the sites and then the whole thing derailed into folks being worried the thread was being watched, etc etc and that's pretty much where i lost interest.

No, the VI specifically stated that some of us were being tracked by Amys kidnappers, that they knew who and where we were, and that we may be in danger. It was not the websleuthers that were paranoid and derailed the thread. Just wanted to state the truth.

 

[danzn16]

Interesting. I just read all of the old threads over the last couple of days. I think the mods removed a lot posts. Things are sorta alluded to, but you have to put things together in order to understand the drama. I poked around the AAV website and html through the wayback machine a lot and didn't get pick up anything (that I know of). Looking at all the bickering between the competing escort services in their newsletters and so it, it is hard to see them as dangerous criminal masterminds. They seem more like teenagers playing at mean girls. Those web sites are so immature it is hard to believe that anyone would fork over a couple grand to them for a vacation. I would think the whole thing was a scam.

All of those posts have been removed. If say at least half of all the posts once there are now gone.

 

[danzn16]

One thing that I found fascinating about myself and my psychology is that I trust WS. The mods work so hard here and are so diligent. When they verified an insider and told they were for real, I totally believed it and it and as I read through the threads I didn't really question it. But I have also gone to other boards where the VI was posting, but not verified (same person [I think] but on a forum without verification) and the whole tone was changed and there was so much more skepticism. I found myself for the first time doubting and thinking in other directions.

I just found the whole processes interesting. I realized I really am trusting of authority and not much of a skeptic or conspiracy theorist.

Our mods freakin rock and took any safety concerns, whether they were real or not, and dealt with then. think that's why this thread is now the way it is and why it's now in the parking lot. Websleuths is great. And were still allowed to discuss Amy and keep her story alive

 

[danzn16]

Has AD been linked to any other crimes?

 

[dotr]

Cannot recall if this old article from People mag. was posted or not, but it is a huge write-up about various girls who have gone missing, including Amy.
It reminded me that Amy caught the eye of other passengers on the ship quite early on and now I wonder who ultimately wanted her?
Was AD sent out as a kind of " wing man", how about any of the females Amy was talking to?
Perhaps someone simply pulled out the right amount of cash and said, " Yours, if you get me that girl, the cute sporty one, with the cartoon tattoo"!
Maybe they even sent someone ahead to pick up the pics of Amy that were missing from all the other photos?



PEOPLE MAGAZINE
bbm
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20134944,00.html
"Amy Bradley, 23

Five months after she disappeared from the balcony of a cruise ship, a reported sighting gives her family hope

Iva Bradley delighted in the way other passengers on the Norwegian-registered cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas reacted to her vivacious daughter Amy, then 23. "I remember watching people watch her admiringly," she says, "I felt proud."

Now she is convinced that at least one of those admirers got too close. At 1:30 a.m. on March 24, 1998, Iva and her husband, Ron, 49, an insurance executive, retired to the eighth-deck cabin the family shared, leaving Amy and her brother Brad, then 21, at a calypso party. Four hours later Ron woke briefly and noticed Amy resting on a lounge chair on their cabin's private balcony. When he stirred again at 6 a.m., she was gone, along with her cigarettes and lighter. He and his wife immediately reported Amy missing and pleaded in vain with the crew to keep the other passengers from leaving the ship when it docked that morning at the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

A search of the ship and an aerial hunt turned up nothing, so the Bradleys stayed on Curacao hoping for word. After four fruitless days they returned to their home in suburban Chesterfield County, Va., setting up a hotline and Web site for information about Amy. The most intriguing lead came from David Carmichael, 46, a Canadian computer engineer and avid scuba diver, who is certain he saw Amy with two men on the beach in Curaçao in August 1998—five months after she disappeared. "She looked frightened, like she was about to say something, when one of the guys motioned her away and gave me a menacing look," says Carmichael. He thought nothing of it until that December, when he saw a picture of Amy on America's Most Wanted. "I was stunned," says Carmichael, who flew to Virginia to meet the Bradleys. "I am haunted by that encounter with Amy. I know it was her."

A Norwegian government inquiry found no sign of foul play. And though the FBI found marks on the ship's balcony railing consistent with someone having sat on it, investigators say there is no evidence that Amy, a trained lifeguard, fell overboard, was pushed or committed suicide. The case is still open. Meanwhile, the Bradleys, who sued the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line for negligence and wrongful death last year and lost (they're appealing), can only wait and hope. "I just know she is alive," says Iva, 48. "I can feel it."

 

[masootz]

No, the VI specifically stated that some of us were being tracked by Amys kidnappers, that they knew who and where we were, and that we may be in danger. It was not the websleuthers that were paranoid and derailed the thread. Just wanted to state the truth.

i believe you are correct. thanks for the clarification on that point as i had forgotten the details.

 

[marie-chantal]

No, the VI specifically stated that some of us were being tracked by Amys kidnappers, that they knew who and where we were, and that we may be in danger. It was not the websleuthers that were paranoid and derailed the thread. Just wanted to state the truth.

It was at that time that I started to have my doubts about info that was being shared. The mods were great for nipping that in the bud. MOO.

I really want to believe that she's still alive, but I just have a hard time understanding why she'd continue to be so valuable to traffickers all these years later. I don't find it all that believable that she'd be brought back into the US and surrounded by four "handlers" at all times. What is the point? That just seems really outlandish to me. Hope I'm wrong, and that she is alive and will one day be brought home. I just have serious doubts about the "facts" in this case.

 

[danzn16]

I have serious doubts about the facts in this case too. I think now it's almost impossible to discern what's what. I take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[Dushi]

It was at that time that I started to have my doubts about info that was being shared. The mods were great for nipping that in the bud. MOO.

I really want to believe that she's still alive, but I just have a hard time understanding why she'd continue to be so valuable to traffickers all these years later. I don't find it all that believable that she'd be brought back into the US and surrounded by four "handlers" at all times. What is the point? That just seems really outlandish to me. Hope I'm wrong, and that she is alive and will one day be brought home. I just have serious doubts about the "facts" in this case.

I hear what you are saying. I agree with you... outlandish

 

[masootz]

I have serious doubts about the facts in this case too. I think now it's almost impossible to discern what's what. I take everything with a grain of salt.

agreed. that's why i keep saying we should start over by figuring out which of the "facts" are indisputable to see where we are. then start adding in some of the things that are likely to be true and really scrutinize the things that contradict each other (i.e. - she's not in the sex trade but is in sex pictures) as well as the things that seem far-fetched. it doesn't mean the far-fetched things aren't true, simply that we have to figure out a way for them to make sense in the context of the things we know to be true.

 

[Murkywaters]

Whew! I just spent literally days reading through all of the posts. So much information and so much mystery. Great job sleuthers!!

One of the things that I have thought interesting is the San Fran sighting. It is an unlikely place to see her, and yet they seem very confident in it. This makes me wonder if the person who spotted her knew her. I mean in all the other reported sightings, they didn't do anything right away becasue they didn't know who she was or that she was missing. Also in the other sightings Amy told the person her name. This time someone recognized her. I read a lot of these cases but I can't imaging being confident enough to shout out a victim's name.

That makes me think it is someone who knows her. Like a friend from college or something. This would give the story credibility. The fact that Amy was then dragged off means that probably lots of people witnessed it and were able to back up the first person's story. All of this would greatly increase the credibility.
.

About the San Francisco wharf sighting. As strange as it might sound to us it really isn't as unusual as we think. The San Francisco sighting was en route to a location that is very important to this group Amy is with. FindAmy has also stated there are locations in the US Amy could possibly show up in as well, such as Florida, San Francisco and the east coast. As far as the witnesses, there were around 10 people that saw this take place. They have cooperated very well with the FBI and helped compile the sketches which they said looked like actual photographs. As far as Amy's tattoos, apparently the captors are so dumb they allow Amy to walk around with them exposed. It shows the arrogance and disconcern they have of getting caught. FindAmy has been very discreet about answering questions if Amy still has her tattoos or if they have been surgically removed, FindAmy says Amy definitely still has her tattoos. This had led me to believe there has been sightings post-2005 where Amy has been officially identified by her tattoos.

Also i do understand all the confusion about if Amy is NOT being used for sex work why the sex pictures? This also did throw me as well, i really didn't get it either tbh. However FindAmy has stated they do not believe Amy is being used a prostitute because if she had been being used for sex work she would most likely be dead by now by disease, drugs or worse. And Amy has been seen looking healthy, sometimes even very well dressed but under a lot of stress. Plus they also have information that Amy is being used as a mule in a very illegal profession. But we also need to remember that it's very possible that Amy could have been being used as a escort on the side. That is one theory how the AAV photos came about. FindAmy hasn't necessarily said without a doubt she isn't being used in the sex trade, however just believes that prostitution isn't the main purpose why Amy was abducted being she didn't really fit the profile. Also if Amy was just a prostitute she would not need four bodyguards surrounding all the time while in public. This shows me she is carrying something very illegal.

 

[trenchmouth]

Wouldn't she have been caught doing this illegal activity by now? That's what happens on Locked Up Abroad

 

[masootz]

Wouldn't she have been caught doing this illegal activity by now? That's what happens on Locked Up Abroad

right, the only illegal activity i can think of that would fit the bill is being a drug mule, but that wouldn't work very well if you're surrounded by four bodyguards. even TSA would get suspicious at that kind of group coming and going.

 

[marie-chantal]

I really, really, really do not believe the San Francisco sighting. If that was enroute to a place where they have been known to do business, then what kind of traffickers would wear matching Hawaiian shirts, and stop to watch a band in a HIGHLY populated and well-patrolled place with an American kidnapping victim? They ran off, but nobody followed them? They ran off, and LE didn't see this? The place is crawling with PD all the time. If they knew that they'd been recognized, then how did they know? Did they hear someone call out, "Hey! That's Amy"? Why did nobody chase after them? I certainly would have since it was daylight and in a populated and patrolled area. The likelihood that they'd open fire in a place like that is pretty small.

Why are they keeping her? What does she offer that someone else cannot? This is where I really have a difficult time believing what we've been told. If they know of areas where they're conducting business, and some of those areas are in Canada and/or the US, then why hasn't LE/FBI/Whomever gone after them? Having Americans involved, as has been claimed, does not mean that LE can't go after this group. No way.

I struggle to see the credibility of the information that's been shared after the "they're watching you" nonsense. There's no way that this is true. I wish we had more sources of info for this case. Clearly it doesn't jeopardize her that much since this case is discussed in other places, and a TV program has been made. MOO.

 

[trenchmouth]

I'm with you. I think the SF sighting is the least probable. The others sound legit. How would a complete stranger know for sure it was Amy in SF? Did many witness and independently say it was Amy? Were there any news reports at the time detailing the sighting and who witnessed?

 

[Murkywaters]

Wouldn't she have been caught doing this illegal activity by now? That's what happens on Locked Up Abroad

FindAmy has expressed they do not believe that they are bringing Amy through high tech airports or terminals because Amy has what is called an Interpol Yellow card. If she is recognized, an International alert will be sent out. Her handlers can't risk this. The equipment in large airports and large Customs areas are also getting very sophisticated and they will pick up images if Amy is packed for a delivery. They believe that she is being moved through small harbors and possibly small airports. And has even been told by one law enforcement agent that there are ports in some of the Caribbean islands that are not even computerized. The customs agents still use paper and pencils. These are the ports that this group would be using. FindAmy also suspects that there might be some payoffs in some locations.

 

[marie-chantal]

FindAmy has expressed they do not believe that they are bringing Amy through high tech airports or terminals because Amy has what is called an Interpol Yellow card. If she is recognized, an International alert will be sent out. Her handlers can't risk this. The equipment in large airports and large Customs areas are also getting very sophisticated and they will pick up images if Amy is packed for a delivery. They believe that she is being moved through small harbors and possibly small airports. And has even been told by one law enforcement agent that there are ports in some of the Caribbean islands that are not even computerized. The customs agents still use paper and pencils. These are the ports that this group would be using. FindAmy also suspects that there might be some payoffs in some locations.

Then that eliminates any port in California as a place of entry. They're all computerized. San Francisco is a major hub for ship traffic of all types. The US Navy is located nearby, as well as the US Coast Guard. It is heavily patrolled. That also eliminates all airports in the US as a place of entry. The customs areas in all US airports are tied in to Interpol, and are computerized, and there's no way she'd easily slip by. 9/11 made things very difficult in terms of entering the US.

 

[marie-chantal]

As has been discussed on another site, the picture of "Jaz" appeared on that site from 2002-2005. Why would they keep it up there for three years if it was not for the purposes of advertising her as an escort? I've read that some claim that this was done for humiliation purposes. Why? And why for three years? What would be the point? Very strange to me.

 

[Sillybilly]

OMG ... I just stumbled across this thread for Amy. I was the last post in Thread 2 and thought the entire case was gone forever when it was "Closed". I have forgotten so much detail and see I have lots of catching up to do.