VA - Amy Bradley - missing from cruise ship, Curacao - 1998 #3

[fridaybaker]

Regarding sightings, there have been many, many "sightings" over the years. I don't know about the one on the ship, but the FBI did take several sightings very seriously, and they seemed to have some consistency across them. What I discount are the "sightings" produced by the cruiseline during the court case aimed at claiming that Amy hadn't been kidnapped. They claimed sightings all over the place, which is odd that she wouldn't have turned up by now. But I guess she's either everywhere or at the bottom of the sea. LOL.

We all have our opinions on whether or not this was foul play, but Amy's case is very, very different from most cruise disappearances/overboards. The fact that Amy herself expressed unease about some crew members, the fact that all of her photos were missing, and so much more.

Also, I did some research quite some time ago on the incidence of cruise ship overboards and I can't remember it all right now, but the number I came up with showed that it is extremely rare for such an occurrence. It happens, but boy is it unlikely considering the number of cruise passengers per year!

 

[Rob774]

Bump for Amy. I think about her because we are just over a month apart in age and our 50th is approaching. My only hope is that she aged-out a long time ago, thus has been in the hands of the father for decades now. Its just sad that she was taken before she got to live the next stage of her life.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Theories she might've fallen overboard and drowned were dismissed because 23-year-old Amy was a proficient swimmer who had previously worked as a lifeguard. She had been on a luxury trip from Aruba to the Antilles with her parents, Ron and Iva and brother, Brad and was last seen asleep on her cabin balcony.

Iva told reporters: ”When we discovered Amy missing, we begged the ship's personnel to not put the gangway down, to not allow anybody to leave the ship."

Brothel mystery of missing woman last seen on balcony of luxury cruise ship

The case of Amy Lynn Bradley, 23 who vanished while onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 1998 is said to be one of the most disturbing missing person cases in history

www.dailystar.co.uk

 

[DD Byrd]

It makes the most sense that she went overboard either by her own choice, accidently, or against her will. Swimming proficiency doesn't matter out at sea, there is only so long Michael Phelps could tread before exhaustion and death (let alone hypothermia long before). If she fell from a higher deck she'd be dead on or shortly after impact.

Yet some of the sightings do give pause. So, how do you smuggle a live (drugged, bound, gagged, etc) person off of a ship? There is a lot of activity between sailings at port. If crew were involved, the amount (and size) of the cargo equipment certainly make it possible, and even easier for a dead person. And however much of a stretch, a big suitcase might work. Folks that cruised for multiple legs or intercontinental often had comically huge suitcases, at least then.

It's also possible she was onboard the whole time, and departed with the next cruise. A crewman would know the darkest nooks and crannies to hide her. But statistically, and rationally, it still seems she went overboard, alive or already dead.

 

[neesaki]

Theories she might've fallen overboard and drowned were dismissed because 23-year-old Amy was a proficient swimmer who had previously worked as a lifeguard. She had been on a luxury trip from Aruba to the Antilles with her parents, Ron and Iva and brother, Brad and was last seen asleep on her cabin balcony.

Iva told reporters: ”When we discovered Amy missing, we begged the ship's personnel to not put the gangway down, to not allow anybody to leave the ship."

Brothel mystery of missing woman last seen on balcony of luxury cruise ship

The case of Amy Lynn Bradley, 23 who vanished while onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 1998 is said to be one of the most disturbing missing person cases in history

www.dailystar.co.uk

Thank you, thank you! @imstilla.grandma There are times I so wish I still had the :banghead: emoji
How some discount the FBI reports is mind boggling to me. There were multiple sightings, and they, the FBI, know that at least some of those are verifiable.
It’s completely clear to me that they know she didn’t fall overboard.
If so they wouldn’t have bothered with offering a reward, and her own FBI missing poster if they didn’t have information leading them to believe someone was responsible for her disappearance. They say it right here. What else does anyone need. Rhetorical question, thus no question mark, lol. I sometimes think some people don’t want to admit that human trafficking actually exists.

AMY LYNN BRADLEY | Federal Bureau of Investigation

March 24, 1998

www.fbi.gov

Snipped quote:

“The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of Amy Lynn Bradley and information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.”

 

[DD Byrd]

The FBI would weigh in on an American citizen disappearance in international waters. At the time RCI may have been based in Miami, but certainly a field office where the ship involved was actually registered takes a gander. Obviously there's the potential for foul play, and a reward can be offered for information in any event, likely said recovery. With an initial release they're looking for evidence of foul play aboard the ship and potentially leading to risk or injury or death, etc. Not sure why some people think one possibility closes the door to all others. lol. Meanwhile, human trafficking existing and Amy's disappearance are not mutually exclusive. We can certainly hope she is alive and will come home.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*Brad was the last person to see her alive, according to authorities. He said the last word he said to Amy were I love you.

Knowing that that's the last thing I said to her has always been very comforting to me," he said in the footage.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Amy Lynn Bradley, of Petersburg, Virginia, was last seen on March 24, 1998. At that time, she was 23 years old and vacationing with her loved ones aboard the Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line’s ship Rhapsody of the Seas.

The FBI said the agency is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to Bradley, as well as information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of whoever is responsible for her disappearance.

According to a news release, the ship departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 21, 1998 and headed to Aruba. Two days later, it made its way to Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, with Bradley going missing the next day.

Missing for 25 years: FBI searching for woman who disappeared on family vacation in 1998

Authorities continue searching for a woman who went missing while she was on a cruise to the Caribbean with her family more than 25 years ago.

thenationaldesk.com

 

[ilovewings]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Amy Lynn Bradley, of Petersburg, Virginia, was last seen on March 24, 1998. At that time, she was 23 years old and vacationing with her loved ones aboard the Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line’s ship Rhapsody of the Seas.

The FBI said the agency is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to Bradley, as well as information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of whoever is responsible for her disappearance.

According to a news release, the ship departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 21, 1998 and headed to Aruba. Two days later, it made its way to Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, with Bradley going missing the next day.

Missing for 25 years: FBI searching for woman who disappeared on family vacation in 1998

Authorities continue searching for a woman who went missing while she was on a cruise to the Caribbean with her family more than 25 years ago.

thenationaldesk.com

Sounds like they believe she is alive or may have been murdered--- and that a crime probably has been committed. I have thought she went overboard- either by accident or by someone.
It certainly is a mystery.

 

[fridaybaker]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Amy Lynn Bradley, of Petersburg, Virginia, was last seen on March 24, 1998. At that time, she was 23 years old and vacationing with her loved ones aboard the Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line’s ship Rhapsody of the Seas.

The FBI said the agency is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to Bradley, as well as information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of whoever is responsible for her disappearance.

According to a news release, the ship departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 21, 1998 and headed to Aruba. Two days later, it made its way to Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, with Bradley going missing the next day.

Missing for 25 years: FBI searching for woman who disappeared on family vacation in 1998

Authorities continue searching for a woman who went missing while she was on a cruise to the Caribbean with her family more than 25 years ago.

thenationaldesk.com

Yes. How many other people who went missing over the years from cruise ships are still being searched for by the FBI??????

 

[fridaybaker]

Ilovewings, I don't know how much of the Amy's threads you've read over the years, but there is really nothing similar about Amy's disappearance to other cases of people presumed to have fallen overboard from cruise ships. It's a frustrating case, because there are always the same tropes trotted out about Amy's disappearance, such as "why would someone bother kidnapping Amy for trafficking when there are easier targets" and "wouldn't it be easier to kidnap someone from land rather than off a ship" and "occam's razor is that she simply fell overboard". Yada, yada, yada.

Um, no. Amy's kidnapping wasn't necessarily about sex trafficking her, although it was possibly linked to sex or another type of trafficking, and she was most likely used for sex herself at some point. I have no idea why it would be easier to kidnap someone from anywhere on land than a cruise ship, especially if a cruise ship is where a potential kidnapper happened to work. I actually think it would be pretty easy to do it, considering how little security there traditionally has been on cruise ships, the amount of drinking among masses of strangers, the coming and going of ship crew and often large crates, the issues of jurisdiction at sea, the protective might of the cruise line insurance companies, etc., etc., etc.

Then there's occam's razor. That's the one that I find so compelling as to pointing toward it being a "non-overboard" situation: I once did the math on the percentages of overboards on cruises, and the liklihood of falling overboard, although it does happen, is almost infinitesimal, especially where there was no evidence of it. It also doesn't fit with all the other problems, such as only Amy's photos were missing, etc.

Then there are all those sightings: The only sightings the FBI had ever listed on their webiste were one's the cruise line and their noxious, insurance company never did: They only listed ones that were totally un-confirmed in any way, and completely all over the place. On the other hand, they also suggested that she fell overboard. So let's see: She's been seen all over the place, but she also went overboard.

Amy's parents were up against an overwhemingly powerful foe: A billion-dollar business backed by a poweful insurance company, whose interest was in protecting that billion-dollar business. If Amy's parents were able to successfully claim that she was kidnapped off a cruise ship, gee, what do you think would happen? People would freak out, that's what. They'd stop going on cruises. Masses of people. It's simply business to make Amy's highly unusual disappearance into something it's not, such as her running away from a family with whom she was very close, and a life that was, by all accounts, very full and happy. Or falling overboard.

All MOO.

 

[dotr]

No idea of who, what, where, when and why Amy went missing, but i do think she was targeted for a scam (money/politics/kidnapping/trafficking) of some kind or another. imo, speculation.

 

[fridaybaker]

Many years ago, the verified poster suggested that Amy was targeted because she fit a profile. The poster was purposefully vague because she was convinced that Amy was alive and could be put in danger if too many details surrounding her situation were made public. The poster was very focused on just getting Amy's physical description and possible locations of sightings out to the public, rather than the actual situation, because of this concern.

There are many, many strange aspects of Amy's case that simply don't jibe with any other case of a person missing off a cruise ship. The implication from the VI here was that Amy was targeted by very powerful people, for a very specific purpose -not that she was taken for run-of-the-mill sex trafficking. In fact, there was an incident talked about here where her family found people surveilling their home. There were sightings listed on the FBI's website years ago about Amy being seen in San Francisco. The VI tried to point us to a situation that is much bigger than what people normally think of regarding kidnapping.

I don't have much imagination, nor do I have any experience within the world of "trafficking", but my interpretaion from the VI was something along the lines of a person of Amy's profile would be needed to perhaps put potential clients at ease, or care-take people who were the actual targets of trafficking. Something like that. Babies maybe? Parents of babies? Unsuspecting organ donor victims? There are many possibilities. All of these things happen today. Whatever the case, I do think Amy would probably fit an awful lot of awful situations.

Sadly, I think she's probably no longer alive. I think she likely suffered an awful existence for some time, though. These threads are so frustrating at times for many reasons, but especially when there is evidence, everyday, if one cares to look, of so much evil in this world. It's very hard to face, though, and much easier to dismiss as isolated cases, or too fantastical to be real. One of the worst aspects of this case, in particular, is the often cavalier attitude and posts that seem to mock the idea that Amy could have been a victim of kidnapping.

Well, tell that to the FBI.

All MOO.

 

[IDK]

Ilovewings, I don't know how much of the Amy's threads you've read over the years, but there is really nothing similar about Amy's disappearance to other cases of people presumed to have fallen overboard from cruise ships. It's a frustrating case, because there are always the same tropes trotted out about Amy's disappearance, such as "why would someone bother kidnapping Amy for trafficking when there are easier targets" and "wouldn't it be easier to kidnap someone from land rather than off a ship" and "occam's razor is that she simply fell overboard". Yada, yada, yada.

Um, no. Amy's kidnapping wasn't necessarily about sex trafficking her, although it was possibly linked to sex or another type of trafficking, and she was most likely used for sex herself at some point. I have no idea why it would be easier to kidnap someone from anywhere on land than a cruise ship, especially if a cruise ship is where a potential kidnapper happened to work. I actually think it would be pretty easy to do it, considering how little security there traditionally has been on cruise ships, the amount of drinking among masses of strangers, the coming and going of ship crew and often large crates, the issues of jurisdiction at sea, the protective might of the cruise line insurance companies, etc., etc., etc.

Then there's occam's razor. That's the one that I find so compelling as to pointing toward it being a "non-overboard" situation: I once did the math on the percentages of overboards on cruises, and the liklihood of falling overboard, although it does happen, is almost infinitesimal, especially where there was no evidence of it. It also doesn't fit with all the other problems, such as only Amy's photos were missing, etc.

Then there are all those sightings: The only sightings the FBI had ever listed on their webiste were one's the cruise line and their noxious, insurance company never did: They only listed ones that were totally un-confirmed in any way, and completely all over the place. On the other hand, they also suggested that she fell overboard. So let's see: She's been seen all over the place, but she also went overboard.

Amy's parents were up against an overwhemingly powerful foe: A billion-dollar business backed by a poweful insurance company, whose interest was in protecting that billion-dollar business. If Amy's parents were able to successfully claim that she was kidnapped off a cruise ship, gee, what do you think would happen? People would freak out, that's what. They'd stop going on cruises. Masses of people. It's simply business to make Amy's highly unusual disappearance into something it's not, such as her running away from a family with whom she was very close, and a life that was, by all accounts, very full and happy. Or falling overboard.

All MOO.

Thank you for this , I totally agree.

According to the video clip, the FBI agent has made finding Amy her life’s mission. That says an awful lot, IMO.

 

[neesaki]

Many years ago, the verified poster suggested that Amy was targeted because she fit a profile. The poster was purposefully vague because she was convinced that Amy was alive and could be put in danger if too many details surrounding her situation were made public. The poster was very focused on just getting Amy's physical description and possible locations of sightings out to the public, rather than the actual situation, because of this concern.

There are many, many strange aspects of Amy's case that simply don't jibe with any other case of a person missing off a cruise ship. The implication from the VI here was that Amy was targeted by very powerful people, for a very specific purpose -not that she was taken for run-of-the-mill sex trafficking. In fact, there was an incident talked about here where her family found people surveilling their home. There were sightings listed on the FBI's website years ago about Amy being seen in San Francisco. The VI tried to point us to a situation that is much bigger than what people normally think of regarding kidnapping.

I don't have much imagination, nor do I have any experience within the world of "trafficking", but my interpretaion from the VI was something along the lines of a person of Amy's profile would be needed to perhaps put potential clients at ease, or care-take people who were the actual targets of trafficking. Something like that. Babies maybe? Parents of babies? Unsuspecting organ donor victims? There are many possibilities. All of these things happen today. Whatever the case, I do think Amy would probably fit an awful lot of awful situations.

Sadly, I think she's probably no longer alive. I think she likely suffered an awful existence for some time, though. These threads are so frustrating at times for many reasons, but especially when there is evidence, everyday, if one cares to look, of so much evil in this world. It's very hard to face, though, and much easier to dismiss as isolated cases, or too fantastical to be real. One of the worst aspects of this case, in particular, is the often cavalier attitude and posts that seem to mock the idea that Amy could have been a victim of kidnapping.

Well, tell that to the FBI.

All MOO.

Thank you. Your post perfectly reflects the same thoughts I have, and have had for years. The whole falling overboard theory has never held any weight. It’s like some just can’t accept that crimes like this actually do happen.

 

[IDK]

Thank you for this , I totally agree.

According to the video clip, the FBI agent has made finding Amy her life’s mission. That says an awful lot, IMO.

OK— so I just relistened and, for the sake of accuracy, the FBI agent said it is her mission, she did not actually say her life’s mission.
Still a pretty powerful statement!

 

[megsto]

Amy Lynn Bradley is still missing

Website dedicated to spreading accurate information regarding the 1998 disappearance of Amy Lynn BradleyNew Information - Amy Lynn Bradley

amybradleyismissing.com

Has anyone else seen this post on the Amy is missing site? The admin says new credible info has been received! we haven’t heard anything officially in years I think, so really looking forward to an update!

Also someone earlier in the thread was asking what happened to FindingAmy, the VI

Someone posted under that username on the missing Amy site up til recently in 2023, so long after they stopped posting here. It may not be the same person, but I linked below

Amy Lynn Bradley is still missing

Website dedicated to spreading accurate information regarding the 1998 disappearance of Amy Lynn BradleyCuco's Lounge, Curacao - Amy Lynn Bradley

amybradleyismissing.com

Edit: disregard what I said about the user. the person posting on the missing Amy Bradley forum is FindAmy and the user posting here was FindingAmy.

 

[justbeachy]

Oh my gosh...I hope they finally get some answers!! This has been one of the cases that haunts me!

 

[fridaybaker]

Amy Lynn Bradley is still missing

Website dedicated to spreading accurate information regarding the 1998 disappearance of Amy Lynn BradleyNew Information - Amy Lynn Bradley

amybradleyismissing.com

Has anyone else seen this post on the Amy is missing site? The admin says new credible info has been received! we haven’t heard anything officially in years I think, so really looking forward to an update!

Also someone earlier in the thread was asking what happened to FindingAmy, the VI

Someone posted under that username on the missing Amy site up til recently in 2023, so long after they stopped posting here. It may not be the same person, but I linked below

Amy Lynn Bradley is still missing

Website dedicated to spreading accurate information regarding the 1998 disappearance of Amy Lynn BradleyCuco's Lounge, Curacao - Amy Lynn Bradley

amybradleyismissing.com

Edit: disregard what I said about the user. the person posting on the missing Amy Bradley forum is FindAmy and the user posting here was FindingAmy.

Is this website connected to the family in any way?

 

[megsto]

Is this website connected to the family in any way?

My understanding is that it is. There is a thread called For Amy with pictures of cards and things only the family would have, and others on WS have said it is, but someone who can actually verify with proof would be great.

Registration on the forum is closed so it's hard to get detail