Amy Lynn Bradley: The tragic story of Amy's disappearance
Imagine going on holiday, but instead of having a good time, the opposite happens after a loved one goes missing. This narrative might sound like a movie recap, but you'll be surprised to learn that the events happened in real life. A holiday cruise became a nightmare for Amy Lynn Bradley's family after she disappeared mysteriously. Learn more about the tragic story of Amy Bradley's disappearance.
Source: UGC
Amy Lynn Bradley's case made international headlines due to the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Despite the case remaining unsolved for over 25 years (at the time of writing), her disappearance has piqued the public's interest, with many curious to know what happened to her.
Amy Lynn Bradley's profile summary
| Full name | Amy Lynn Bradley |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 12 May 1974 |
| Age | 23 years old (during her disappearance on 21 March 1998) |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| Place of birth | Petersburg, Virginia, USA |
| Status | Missing person |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Height in feet | 5'6" |
| Height in centimetres | 170 |
| Weight in pounds | 120 |
| Weight in kilograms | 54 |
| Hair colour | Brown |
| Eye colour | Green |
| Mother | Iva Bradley |
| Father | Ron Bradley |
| Siblings | Brad |
| University | Longwood University |
Who is Amy Lynn Bradley?
Amy Lynn Bradley is an American woman from Chesterfield County, Virginia, who went missing while on a holiday cruise with her family. She was born on 12 May 1974 in Petersburg, Virginia, USA. Lynn was 23 years old during her disappearance in 1998.
Bradley attended college at Longwood University, where she graduated with a degree in Physical Education. She attended college with a scholarship in basketball and was known for her athleticism, especially her strong swimming abilities. Lynn had also previously worked as a lifeguard.
What happened to Amy Lynn Bradley?
Lynn went missing while on holiday at the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas. She disappeared on 24 March 1998 while en route to Curaçao, and her whereabouts remain unknown. Here is a timeline of Amy's disappearance.
21 March 1998: Boarding the ship
Source: UGC
After graduating from campus, Amy decided to join her family on a cruise vacation on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas. On 21 March 1998, Lynn and her family boarded the cruise. Rhapsody of the Seas was en route to the Dutch Caribbean island Curaçao.
23 March 1998: Partying at the nightclub
Amy and her younger brother Brad attended a party at the cruise ship's nightclub two days after boarding the ship. The siblings stayed out late, having fun while enjoying the Blue Orchid's performance, the ship's band.
Amy's brother, Brad, decided to rest for the night, retiring to the family cabin at around 3:35 a.m. Amy followed five minutes later, with Brad reporting that they sat on the balcony for a while to talk before going to sleep.
24 March 1998: Amy's disappearance
On the morning of 24 March 1998, from around 5:15 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., Amy's father, Ron, woke up to go and check on his children. He reported seeing her daughter sleeping on the lounge chair of their cabin's balcony. Ron disclosed that he had seen Amy from the hips down and that the balcony door had been closed.
However, after waking up again at 6:00 a.m., Ron discovered his daughter was missing, along with her cigarettes and lighter. He tried to look for her in the common areas of the cruise but didn't find her.
At 6:30 a.m., Ron told the rest of the family that Amy was missing. They reported the issue to the onboard crew, requesting them to make a ship-wide announcement and to prevent all the 2000 passengers from disembarking. The staff declined, stating it was still too early to take the suggested measures.
At 7:50 a.m., the crew made an announcement requesting that Amy make her way to the purser's desk. However, by then, most of the passengers had already disembarked. After receiving no response, the cruise staff searched the ship from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. to no avail.
24 March 1998: The Coast Guard is alerted
After the searches on the ship yielded no result, the crew made a report to the Dutch authorities. The Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard launched a sea search, assuming that Lynn had fallen overboard or taken her life.
27 March 1998: The Coast Guard concludes the search
After searching the water for four days, the Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard ended their probe after finding no traces of Amy.
When was the last sighting of Amy Lynn Bradley?
According to the family, their daughter was last seen in her family cabin on 24 March 1998 at around 5:30 a.m. by her father. However, after her disappearance, there have been several reported sightings. Here are some other reported sightings:
24 March 1998 sighting
On the morning Amy was reported missing, two passengers told Ron they had seen a young woman, matching her description, taking the elevator to the ship's deck. The passengers said they saw the woman holding a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
Unnamed date sighting
A cab driver reportedly claimed to have encountered a woman matching Amy's description. The driver claimed the woman approached him, saying she urgently needed a phone.
August 1998 sighting
A Canadian computer engineer claimed to have seen Amy walking down the beach in Curaçao with two men. The man claimed that the woman constantly tried to get his attention until he lost sight of her in a nearby cafe.
The computer engineering graduate provided an intriguing lead, especially when correctly describing Amy's tattoos to investigators.
January 1999 sighting
In January 1999, a US Navy Petty Officer claimed to have encountered a woman who identified herself as Amy in a Curaçao brothel. He said that the woman asked for help, but he didn't act, fearing repercussions from the Navy for visiting the brothel. The officer only contacted the Bradleys after he had retired after seeing her picture in a magazine.
March 2005 sighting
A woman, Judy Maurer, claimed to have encountered a woman matching Amy's description in a department store's restroom in Barbados. She claimed a woman entered the bathroom accompanied by three men threatening her if she did not follow through on a deal.
Amy Lynn Bradley's theories
Amy's mysterious disappearance has led to many hypotheses. Here are some common theories surrounding her disappearance:
Somebody kidnapped her
One of the most prominent theories is that Amy was kidnapped and sold into the human trafficking industry in the Caribbean. This theory has garnered support due to the various reported sightings of a person fitting her description.
Somebody killed her
Authorities considered that somebody might have killed Amy and thrown her body overboard. According to CNN, this theory gained validation after authorities discovered a human jawbone on the shoreline of the island of Aruba in 2010. However, there has been no DNA test to prove the theory.
Amy fell overboard
The final theory suggests that she might have fallen overboard or could have taken her life. However, this theory is invalid since Amy was a good swimmer and a former lifeguard.
Her family also dispute that Amy took her life because she had just graduated college. The family said she was looking forward to beginning her career at a computer consulting firm.
Amy Lynn Bradley's tattoos
During her disappearance, Amy had several tattoos on her body. According to the FBI, she had a Chinese symbol tattooed on her right ankle and a Tasmanian Devil spinning a basketball on her left shoulder blade.
She also had a sun tattoo on her lower back, a green and blue gecko lizard tattoo around her navel, a navel ring and multiple ear piercings.
Amy Lynn Bradley's update as of 2023
Did Amy Bradley ever get found? Amy's case remains unsolved, and she has been missing for over 25 years as of 2023. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information leading to her recovery.
On top of this, Amy Lynn Bradley's family is awarding $250,000 for information leading to her safe return. The family is also offering a reward of $50,000 for information leading to her current location.
FAQs
- Who is Amy Lynn Bradley? She is an American woman who mysteriously disappeared while onboard a cruise ship in 1998.
- What happened to Amy Lynn Bradley? She disappeared while on holiday with her family onboard the Rhapsody of the Seas Royal Caribbean cruise liner on 24 March 1998.
- Who was the girl who vanished from the cruise ship? Amy Lynn Bradley from Petersburg, Virginia, USA.
- Was Amy Bradley ever found? Despite there being many reported sightings, authorities have not found Amy.
- How long has Amy Lynn Bradley been missing? She has been missing for 25 years as of October 2023.
- Where are Amy Lynn Bradley's parents now? They are reportedly living in Virginia, USA.
Amy Lynn Bradley is an American woman who went missing aged 23 during a Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean International ship Rhapsody of the Seas. She disappeared in late March 1998 while en route to Curaçao. Her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
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