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Unsolved Mysteries covered the March 1998 vanishing of 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley, while on a Caribbean cruise with her family on Royal Caribbean International's Rhapsody of the Seas. She boarded the Caribbean cruise that left Puerto Rico and arrived in Curaçao. Last seen on March 24, nobody has been able to locate Amy ever since.
The case caught the public's eye after it aired on Unsolved Mysteries. Amy Lynn Bradley's disappearance remains unsolved to date, with numerous theories spanning from falling off the boat accidentally to being kidnapped and human trafficked.
"Unsolved Mysteries" reaired her case years later with the highlights of key events and revived interest among the public. Although there have been several reported sightings of her since then, none of them have led to confirmed identification or resolution. So far, Amy is formally missing, and her case continues to haunt the minds of law enforcement bodies, such as the FBI.
Background: Who was Amy Lynn Bradley?
According to Unsolved Mysteries, Amy Lynn Bradley was born May 12, 1974, in Petersburg, Virginia. Amy was a young woman who had graduated from Longwood University with a degree in Physical Education, just before taking the cruise. Amy was a new hire and was soon to return to work after the cruise set out.
Amy accompanied her parents, Ron and Iva Bradley, and brother, Brad, on a seven-day Caribbean cruise that sailed March 21, 1998. Rhapsody of the Seas was carrying travelers on a voyage where they would be stopping at some of the islands in the Caribbean. The family had arrived in Puerto Rico and was scheduled to have a stopover at Curaçao on the day Amy went missing.
Timeline of the disappearance
As shown in Unsolved Mysteries, Amy and her brother Brad went to a nightclub party, referred to as the "Mardi Gras party," aboard on the night of March 23. Amy and Brad were observed socializing with some passengers and crew members of the live band of the ship, Blue Orchid. Brad testified that they got back to their cabin at about 3:35 a.m. Amy was awake and sitting on the balcony.
Amy's dad, Ron Bradley, said afterward that Amy was still on the balcony when he caught a glimpse of her around approximately 5:30 a.m., but she had disappeared from the cabin at 6:00 am in the morning, with her shoes, cigarettes, lighter, and identification left behind in the room. The family immediately reported it to the ship staff and began searching for Amy themselves.
A the cruise liner arrived in Curaçao that morning, and the Bradley family pressed the crew to keep passengers off the ship, worrying Amy might be carried ashore. Still, disembarkation was carried out normally, and passengers were allowed to leave the ship.
Search and law enforcement intervention on the Cruise Ship
As per Unsolved Mysteries, the initial response of the cruise ship was criticized. Amy's family contends that the ship crew members ignored their requests to make announcements, in addition to allowing the passengers to disembark. The crew of the cruise, according to the Bradley family, made public announcements after some guests had left the cruise and waited, purportedly several hours, before a comprehensive ship search took place. The family was also upset that the authorities and passengers were not informed promptly to assist with the search.
The FBI became involved within days. The vessel and waters off Curaçao were scanned, and sweeps along the beach and underwater searches were conducted looking for her. All of the efforts led to nowhere. Amy's disappearance was downgraded to a missing persons case with suspected criminal activity.
Reported sightings
As per Unsolved Mysteries, various individuals in the years since Amy has disappeared, reported seeing someone resembling her, in numerous locations in the Caribbean.
A month later, a taxi driver reported having seen her as she was trying to look for a phone, on the morning of her disappearance. Reportedly, two Canadian divers saw Amy on the beach in 1998, who correctly identified her tattoos and stated that she was in the presence of two men.
An American petty officer in the Navy appeared during the same autumn, stating that he had encountered Amy in a Curaçao brothel, where she had introduced herself to him and begged for his assistance. He did not report the sighting immediately as he was afraid for his professional career, but later reported it through official channels.
In 2005, a woman in Barbados reported seeing a woman resembling Amy with two men.
In 2008, a picture of a woman was posted on an adult services website with advertisements that some believed could have been Amy. There have been no theories proven by officials and no physical evidence to back up any of them.
Theories and investigative leads as depicted on Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries discussed several theories offered for the disappearance of Amy:
Falling overboard: This was at first considered, but ruled out by her family and police as an option due to Amy's proficient swimming ability, absence of evidence, and last seen.
Voluntary disappearance: Some wondered if Amy voluntarily walked off the boat or not. The family immediately ruled this out as a possibility because she left her personal items and did not have a history of running away or leaving.
Abduction and trafficking: The theory was again popularized after the reported sightings. As Amy was last seen in the company of crew members of the ship's entertainment team and was single-handedly targeted onboard, there have been hypotheses by some investigators and the sightings included, that she was abducted and trafficked upon disembarkation. The spokesperson of the Bradley family, Marianne Noblin, claimed that it was foul play, and stated to the Times-Dispatch,
“Somebody threw her off that ship, or somebody has her”.
No evidence has been found, and no person has officially been charged or named a suspect.
Current status and reward
Unsolved Mysteries shows that as of 2025, Amy Lynn Bradley is still officially missing. The FBI keeps the case open, and up to $25,000 is offered in exchange for information that leads to her location. Her family still has a website and speaks to private investigators and agencies with the hope of finding some answers. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released age-progressed photos to help identify her.
Amy Lynn Bradley's disappearance case is one of the longest in cruise travel history and missing persons investigations globally. More than three decades of public interest, police investigation, and reported sightings, to date, no concrete evidence has surfaced to account for her disappearance. The case still stands, with authorities continuing to encourage anyone with credible information to come forward.
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This case, as told on Unsolved Mysteries, has much to ask of international law, cruise safety, and the long-term effects on families who search for loved ones.
Also read: Unsolved Mysteries: Who is Lena Chapin? Details of the 2006 disappearance, explored
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