Pod Insights Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder Ep. 93 | The DISTURBING Cold Case Of Amy Lynn Bradley About this episode One moment Amy Lynn Bradley was asleep on her family’s cruise ship - by morning, she was gone. What followed is a mystery filled with unsettling sightings and a truth no one can agree on.
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0:53 Speaker 02 The sea is a dangerous mistress that covers over 70% of our planet. With ships evolving from wood to steel, we tend to be able to conquer it much more easily and explore it somewhat safer. However, the sea still overpowers our attempts at conquering, leaving many to disappear without a trace. And this story shares the same elements. However, her story stands out among the rest and is a case still talked about today. This is the case and disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually-minded freak. And today, we are talking about
1:36 Speaker 02 a very troubling and puzzling disappearance case. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go Mach 5 down the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust through this windshield into this mysterious case together.
2:02 Speaker 02 On May 12, 1974, Amy Lynn Bradley was born in Petersburg, Virginia. And her mother, Iva Bradley, and her father, Ronald or Ron Bradley, were both insurance agents with Illinois Mutual Insurance Company. And her younger brother, Brad, would be born a couple of years later. And the Bradley kids were raised in Chesterfield County, Virginia. And it would also be where Amy would graduate from LC Byrd High School. And she would receive a full scholarship in basketball and attend Longwood University, where later she would graduate with a degree in sports psychology in December of 1996. And growing up, their family had close bonds that made even childhood friends jealous, such as one of Amy's friends named Aaron Cullather.
2:45 Speaker 02 And according to Aaron, the dynamics around the house were full of laughter and close family bonds, so much so that she felt like a fifth member of the family. And Amy, of course, shared this fun, bubbly attitude that the rest of her family shared. And the only awkward feelings in the family were during college when Amy came out to her family as gay. However, the family still loved her and accepted her all the same. And Amy would also enjoy swimming and was known as a very strong swimmer, enough to actually get a job as a lifeguard. And she also worked a full-time job at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, where she would later reduce her hours in anticipation of starting a new job at a computer consulting firm. So she was gearing up to start her new life.
3:27 Speaker 02 And she just bought a new apartment and got a dog to fill the empty space in the Timbers, which was a complex off Robious Road in Chesterfield. However, a final send-off was in order, a timely trip to celebrate her new beginnings. And this trip was an all-expenses-paid family cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean International Cruise Ship, Rhapsody of the Seas. And the ship would leave from San Juan, taking them to the islands of Aruba, Curacao, St. Martin, and St. Thomas, before returning and stopping in Puerto Rico. And according to some sources, the trip was won by Ron for his success in selling paid premiums, up to $145,000.
4:06 Speaker 02 And he was one of thirty-five agents around the nation who won this vacation. The vacation was only paid for Ron and his wife. However, the organizers actually let them bring their children along. But unfortunately, they would all have to share the same cabin. So Amy was over the moon about this trip, shopping for bathing suits she was going to wear for the beaches. And she was initially nervous and hesitant about the trip, stating her fear of heights and being so high up in the open ocean. And who could blame her, honestly? The ocean's terrifying. However, she pushed through these emotions despite her fears, excited that her little brother Brad was visiting from college and would be joining along with the whole family. Because this family was very close and they loved to do stuff together.
4:47 Speaker 02 So finally, on March twenty-first, nineteen ninety-eight, they would board the ship, The Rhapsody of the Seas. And this ship was massive, so it was fair that Amy had some fears of its height. Sitting at nine hundred and fifteen feet long and a hundred and five feet wide and standing at around twelve decks tall, the ship towered over the sea. And with a capacity of around twenty-four hundred guests and a crew of over seven hundred, she was an absolute giant beast with a beautiful interior to explore. And before boarding, Amy bought a couple of postcards and the Bradleys brought around a dozen rolls of film to document their trip. And Amy also had a use for it, and that was taking pictures to apply for a photo contest.
5:28 Speaker 02 So finally, with everybody packed up onto the ship, with horns blazing, they pulled away from the dock and headed to the open sea. And the mood was up and the cruise was set in motion. And days one and two were supposedly spent getting to know the cruise ship, enjoying the amenities and enjoying each other's company. And by day three, March twenty-third, was a stop in Aruba, where they rented a vehicle and took tons of pictures. And they had conversations with their family about what they were going to do the next day in Kirso once they arrived. And after finally returning to the boat as the sun began to set, they headed back to their rooms to change for the evening. And that night was a dinner and a formal night, where the family would enjoy a nice dinner and a late-night band named Blue Orchid.
6:12 Speaker 02 And the crew was very, very chummy with Amy, with the photographer even taking a picture with Amy and later with her brother, mistaking them for a couple. And according to Amy's family, the waitstaff was very attentive to Amy, so much so that they were making jokes about how if anybody needed anything, they should tell the staff that Amy needed something specifically. So after dinner, the family returned to their room and changed back into some normal clothing before heading to the pool deck for a night of activities, because there was a whole Dancing Under the Stars event with limbo and music and just good vibes. And at around 1 a.m., the parents decided to go back to the room and told Amy and Brad goodnight. And Amy and Brad just continued to party,
6:54 Speaker 02 listening to music and having drinks for a couple of more hours. So Brad would return to the room first at 3:35 a.m. And the ship's computerized door lock system recorded what time as well. And then it recorded Amy returning just five minutes later. So they both hung out on the balcony of their room, finishing their drinks and talking about the next day. And then according to their conversation, Amy stated that a man had actually made a physical pass at her, the bass player in the band named Alistair "Yellow" Douglas. But it wasn't a big deal to her, so after a few more minutes, Brad headed back into the room to get some sleep for the early day tomorrow. And Amy, feeling slightly sick, decided to spend some more time on the balcony to get some fresh air.
7:36 Speaker 02 So about around 5:30 a.m., her father Ron awoke and saw Brad asleep. And then he glanced out the window to see his daughter Amy's legs on the lounge chair on the balcony. So believing she was safe, he drifted back to sleep. So then at 6 a.m., Ron woke up again. And again, he looked outside, but this time, Amy was missing. And he noticed the door was cracked open about 12 to 14 inches, and her cigarettes were now gone. And her shirt was draped over a chair inside the room. So her father, looking at the obvious clues, thought she had changed her clothes and left the room to get coffee or take pictures as they were pulling into port. And Ron decided to get up and leave the room as well, to allow the rest of the family to continue to sleep.
8:20 Speaker 02 So then he would just naturally begin to kind of look around for Amy on the ship, thinking he'd spot her in a few minutes, but he couldn't. So Ron would hurry back to the room to wake up Iva, his wife, stating that he could not find Amy anywhere. So they both got up and left the room and headed to the front desk to get some help. So the family contacted the front desk and had Brent Hunter, the guest relations manager, notified. And at this point, the family was very concerned and forceful in their questions about what he could do for them. And one of these demands was a shipwide voice page to inform everyone of their missing daughter. You know, bottom of the barrel type of thing you could do to look for someone that's missing. But the manager would explain that due to the time being seven in the morning, they
9:04 Speaker 02 would not do that. And his reasoning was that it could be seen as intrusive to the rest of the guests. And he then said that he thinks they've had a good look around and should keep looking for around 30 minutes or more. And if they still couldn't find her, to return to him, where he would get the security officer. And Amy's family would beg them not to let anyone off of the boat. Because if something did happen to Amy, she might potentially disappear under their noses. But the staff said, the show must go on and they could not do that. And in the Netflix documentary, Kirk Detweiler, the ship's cruise director, stated that just because a girl was missing, doesn't mean he should stop 2,400 paying guests from getting off.
9:49 Speaker 02 Which is horrible to even fathom, that one person's life isn't more important than 2,400 other people's brief comfort. So, they weren't helping. And at 9:00 AM, after she had been missing now for three hours, the ship crew finally did a large search. So they sent the family back to their room to wait until they had searched the entire ship. And after they did search every inch of the ship, the captain arrived at the room informing the family that their daughter was nowhere to be seen. And the crews believes were that she jumped over the railing or had fallen off the boat. With no evidence, by the way, that's just what they said.
10:32 Speaker 02 But, concerned, the ship contacted the local authorities. on Curacao. And one of those people was the chief of the island police, Azir John Mentar. And he and his team stated it was the biggest search they had ever had with helicopters and boats. So Marines, Navy, and the Curacao Coast Guard were all searching a large area near the area where she could have been if she had fallen off or had jumped off, just hoping that something would turn up. So they waited and assumed that eventually if she had drowned, her body would wash on shore. Even sharks don't fully eat a body. And at the very least, they would find a piece of her clothing, a hand or a foot, just anything. But nothing turned up.
11:17 Speaker 02 And afterward, the cruise director gave the all clear to continue to set sail despite what had occurred, stating the show must go on in the documentary. It just completely paints him as a villain in all of this, just a complete disregard for human life. And you definitely do not like him in this documentary. But of course, he would be on the cruise ship's side to save face and keep that sweet paycheck going. Because that's all that matters, right? Wrong. Because what many people forget is that the open sea is lawless. They're open waters without borders. So you are outside of the law, technically speaking. And the only semblance of security is the hired cruise-paid security team, which fearfully is going to look out
12:01 Speaker 02 for the cruise ship's best interest first and foremost, which is a huge conflict of interest on the waters. So a ship unwilling to stop everything and serve for a missing person with the mindset of keeping things running smoothly in the interest of money and saving face is just awful. So the fact that the cruise line decided not to make a shipwide announcement until a majority of the people had already left the boat is widely considered to be the biggest mistake in her disappearance. And honestly, I completely agree. But finally, the FBI field office out of St. Thomas would be notified about the incident. And a woman by the name of Erin Sheridan, not to be confused with Amy's best friend, was notified of the situation very vaguely.
12:46 Speaker 02 And another member of the team, Victor McCullin, was also part of the task force. So, March 26, 1998, two days after Amy's disappearance, the FBI team flew from St. Thomas to St. Martin. But the problem at St. Martin is that the cruise ship do not dock on the island, and the only way onto the ship is to be brought by a dinghy. So the dinghies picked up the FBI team and drove them over to the boat. And once they had landed on the ship and spoken to the captain, he informed them of the basics of what was going on, stating that Amy had disappeared from the balcony. So they made their way to the room that the Bradley slept in. However, the biggest problem they noticed was that the room was not locked down as a potential crime scene. Instead, the room had been cleaned.
13:31 Speaker 02 Are you fucking kidding me? So any evidence that could have been left behind was completely gone, since the staff decided to clean the room like nothing had happened. So fingerprints, fibers from the sheets, and any DNA that could have been available were wiped up and vacuumed. Or thrown out. So the only evidence left behind were her shoes neatly put together on the balcony. And the FBI did notice that the railing to the ship was quite high, and for a 5'6" woman would still be noticeably tall. But unfortunately, now the ship has gone through many makeovers, so this photo was not the actual room of the time or railing, but it is very close. So the only questionable piece of evidence that she could have jumped from the balcony would be from the table pushed close against the railing's glass.
14:16 Speaker 02 However, the FBI linked that due to the cleaning staff moving things around instead of direct evidence of her actually jumping over the railing. So more questions were left than answered, and the FBI needed to speak to the family to get more information. So the FBI first interviewed the family as a whole, and then split them up individually to see if they could draw out any clues or potential suspects. However, after interviews, nothing really stuck, and the family was not on the suspect list for Amy's disappearance. But the FBI weren't just looking for suspects, they were looking to eliminate any possibilities that were unlikely to make this case easier to solve. And the only thing they knew- for certain was that Amy entered her room at 3:40 a.m.
15:00 Speaker 02 and was seen by Ron Bradley at 5:30 a.m. and was gone at 6 a.m. So the next step was to talk to anyone else who could have seen Amy that night. And she was partying on the deck, so someone else had to have seen her that evening. And if she had left the room between 5:30 and 6 a.m., someone must have seen her. And one passenger by the name of Wayne Brittig, a door down from the Bradleys, was questioned. And Ivy Bradley mentioned that she had seen him on his balcony next to them frequently, leaning over the railing to speak to Amy. And he would talk to her about her schooling and finishing college, just things about her. And they told the FBI that he would go on these cruises himself, never taking anyone with him.
15:44 Speaker 02 And in the Netflix documentary specifically, they do kind of paint him as someone who was very suspicious. And I don't really personally think it was him. I think he was just a lonely guy being nice and talking to strangers, as a lot of people did in the 90s when we weren't looking at our phones. But I don't know, watch it for yourself. But another man would speak up by the name of Chris Fenwick, who was another passenger on the ship. And he had heard gossip around the passengers about a woman going missing, jumping from the boat, either accidental or by her own accord. However, it wasn't until he saw a notice taped to his door labeled "Amy Bradley Missing." So immediately, he recognized the girl.
16:26 Speaker 02 And Chris was a video editor working for a computer company in the San Francisco Bay area, and his job was to edit an almost best of or highlight reel of the fun everyone had on the cruise ship. So recognizing her face, he goes back through the footage his cameraman recorded and finds her dancing the night away. But she's dancing with someone else, a man that Amy had mentioned to her brother, the bass player known as Yellow. So he had footage of this exact man that Amy had mentioned to her brother, dancing that night at the party. And according to his claim, he would later get a phone call from the head of security on the ship, asking him for the master footage.
17:06 Speaker 02 And shocked, he answered strictly with a "No, no one gets his master footage, ever." Instead, he made a small copy and sent it directly to the FBI. Because why the ship would want that master footage? Is odd, seems a little fishy. Sorry about that pun, I didn't mean to make a pun. But anyway, that is the word of mouth from a single man. So another passenger saw the flyer, a woman by the name of Lori Thompson. And according to her, there weren't many young people on the boat, especially at the party she recognized Amy from. So Amy stood out to her. And at the time Lori was only 18, so hearing Amy's success with her apartment and finishing college intrigued her.
17:48 Speaker 02 And after the night of fun, she and her friend decided to go back to their room. However, they weren't tired. So instead, they went to the top of the deck to hang out between 5 and 6 a.m. And Lori stated that she saw Amy and a staff member together in the glass elevator. And she could see clearly due to the glass, that it was two people she recognized, Amy and the bass player, Yellow. And after about 10 to 15 minutes, she saw Yellow walk right past them, not a glance or a word. And she found that odd, since during the time at the nightclub, he was way chattier with them. So Douglas was seemingly a suspect, but unfortunately, being in international waters, you can't detain anyone.
18:32 Speaker 02 So the FBI got an interview with him and even a polygraph test. And he admitted to knowing who she was and flirting with her, but her disappearance, he wouldn't say. And as the cruise was coming to an end, the FBI was going to lose out on all elements of the crime scene. People, rooms, etc. And on the sixth day of the cruise and four days into Amy being missing, they finally docked at St. Thomas. And one of the family's close friends told them to not wait until they docked in Puerto Rico, but to go back home. So finally, after landing, they were greeted by their friends and family. And Iva's mother was there, and she began to sob uncontrollably. Naturally, their family was in despair. And after around 24 days of Amy's disappearance,
19:16 Speaker 02 the father and son returned to Curuso for a press conference. And the father, Ron, began to tell the story about what Amy was doing that night, what she was wearing and how intoxicated she was the night of the party. And eventually, they had Actually raised a reward for $260,000 with more and more being raised as the days went by. And her brother continually asked that if someone has her to please just let her go. No questions asked. They just wanted her returned home safely. And Iva, her mother, was destroyed, so she stayed home, manning the phones and tip lines and hotlines, contacting embassies, the media, anyone and everyone who could help.
19:58 Speaker 02 So as the news was being spread around with phone numbers and Amy's face plastered on newspapers and posters in Curacao, and as Ron and his son walked out of the press conference lobby, a man approached them. And this man stated he recognized that woman, holding a flyer in his hand of Amy. So this man was named Deschi, and he was a taxi driver. And he asked Ron Bradley if he was the woman's father. And agreeing, he apparently told Ron that despite what everyone was saying, she did not jump, and she did not fall, and she was not pushed off of the boat. She was there, on the island, and he had seen her. And according to the man, she had approached his taxi, acting frantic, and he would tell
20:40 Speaker 02 Ron that she was wearing a white top with jeans, staring at him with her bright green eyes. And she asked him where she could use a phone, to which he pointed toward the direction of some that she could use. And instead of walking towards them, she went the other way. And according to the Netflix documentary, he also told them places to look, those including the Coral Cliffs, a resort, and Kadushy Cliffs. But he warned them, however, that when you go there, do not speak to anyone. And instead, just observe your surroundings. So with this news, they met up with someone named Adzir John Mentor. The man I spoke about previously, the man that talked to Amy from his balcony to her balcony, had heard the man's story and was moved.
21:23 Speaker 02 And knowing the Bradleys were not familiar with the island, he joined them on their journey. Especially with the areas they were going to, they may get attacked. And it was not a shock that the areas they were going to were going to be dangerous with close proximity to Venezuela. And it comes as no surprise that there is drug trafficking. ...prostitution and even sex trafficking. And the areas were beachfronts, so things could be moved from land to sea quickly and be gone without a trace, similar to Amy Lynn Bradley. So after looking around town for a while and the boost of confidence from the taxi driver, they returned home and contacted America's Most Wanted. So six months into her disappearance in August of 1998, a man decided to go on a diving trip in Curuso.
22:08 Speaker 02 And this man went by the name of David Carmichael. And he was in Puerto Marie, a place that was popular with locals more than travelers visiting, at least at the time, according to Carmichael. So it'd be very rare to actually visit this part of Curuso by accident, at least rare to visit for someone who isn't diving. And he knew the reefs were large and beautiful, and the water was still warm at this diving depth, so it was the perfect place for a dive with plenty of wildlife to explore. So after a day of diving, he and his team surfaced and returned to the beach. And there, they began to wash their equipment. But coming down the beach, Carmichael looked up and saw a group of three people walking towards him. And these three people were a man, a woman, and another man who looked like a local from
22:53 Speaker 02 the island. And upon closer inspection, he noticed a tattoo of a Tasmanian devil, the cartoonish one specifically. The actual tattoo is actually Dizzy Devil, which is a younger purple Tasmanian devil from the Warner Brothers cartoon. So as he's standing there, the woman with the tattoo begins to approach him, almost as if she's going to say something. But before she can approach, the man with her cuts in front of her and then stares Carmichael down. And he says, "Without that stare down, he wouldn't have thought anything of it that day." And there wasn't a word from him, just this really mean stare down, before the man ushered the mystery woman away to the beach bar. And after, he was slightly confused and thought something was off, but paid no attention
23:38 Speaker 02 to it other than some strange beachgoers. And Carmichael states that he only recognized Amy after seeing her photo on America's Most Wanted. But unfortunately, after realizing who he had Months had passed and it was already December. And he would later state that he is quote unquote haunted by that encounter with Amy. And I know it was her. And also, that wasn't the only fact that he recognized. He recognized that the man who took the alleged Amy away, also shown on the show, Alastair Yellow Douglas, the bass player. And he called and told the FBI his story and what he could remember and all the details, stating that with a hundred percent certainty, that was Amy he was on the beach with that day.
24:23 Speaker 02 And later on, a man named Bill Hefner, full title, US Navy Petty Officer William Hefner, claimed to have encountered a woman claiming to be Amy Bradley. So the first time someone had a longer conversation with her. And Hefner aboard the USS Chandler stated that his ship had docked in Curacao, supposedly just for the night. And to get a feel of the town and have some fun, Hefner went deep into the island to a brothel he wasn't supposed to be in. And the place had a hotel above and at the front was supposedly a man with a snub-nosed 38 on his belt. And walking in, he watched two guys and two girls come from upstairs with the men armed with guns.
25:04 Speaker 02 And the men split from the women and approached the bar and Hefner decides to sit with these girls. And one girl was Hispanic, but the other was a white petite tattooed girl. So sitting there, the Hispanic girl stood up and walked towards the bar. And immediately, the white woman turned to him, stating that she is being held against her will. And she allegedly told him she owed $200 and can't get her freedom unless she pays. And Hefner had heard hundreds of these stories before because he was almost 18 years into his service. And in Singapore and Thailand, he had heard it all. But she would tell him her name in a southern accent, Amy Bradley. And she told him she left on her own and got off the cruise ship to get drugs, but
25:47 Speaker 02 now she's trapped in this place with those men, the men with guns. However, her story was cut short as the other woman returned to the table, showing that she did not want anyone else to hear. So after he quickly got up and left, stating that because of the guns in the establishment, he didn't want to cause any trouble. And he would later read a magazine and would inform the Bradley family that he recognized the woman in the picture. However, he would inform them years later, in 2002. So it's extremely unfortunate that he didn't say anything sooner or report it. Because apparently with his military career and being a couple of years from retirement, he could have lost his rank or worse, be kicked out. So he was too afraid to speak up about it.
26:31 Speaker 02 And the FBI took him in and interviewed him, showing him pictures of Yellow Douglas, but he didn't recognize him. And they even put him on a lie detector test, which means nothing nowadays, but it wasn't shown that he was lying. And he had valid conviction that it was indeed Amy Bradley that he saw and spoke to. And he had no reason to lie and no reason for the reward if they didn't find her, so there was nothing to really gain. However, things weren't really adding up. Because why would Amy want to score a drug deal and then owe people money? It just seemed unlikely, but it was not out of the question for the family. But I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that this guy, Yellow, the bass
27:13 Speaker 02 player, would tell her that he could get her drugs on the island and then she could have been kidnapped on the island. I don't see how that isn't a valid theory. But another story not mentioned in the Netflix documentary specifically happened in San Francisco, California. And the woman was watching a street musician with two men nearby in April of 2003. And allegedly, she walked up in front of the woman, stating she'd recognized her. And immediately, the two men seized the Bradley-looking woman and fled the scene. And supposedly, the woman gave a pleading look while being taken away. And later, after informing the FBI, they would provide sketches matching the descriptions of the alleged man for the general public to help spot. And this seems very far-fetched, but the FBI sketched the men regardless and added them
27:58 Speaker 02 to the database. However, the big reveal of what I think is the most important portion of the story and the most likely outcome was what happened after this. So in 2005, the Bradleys would open their email and open an attachment with a series of photos. And among these photos was someone scantily dressed. It was a woman lying on a bed. And upon closer inspection and to their horror, the woman looked oddly familiar. And these photos supposedly came from a website used for tourists to meet for free sex or engage with prostitutes. And the woman in the photo looked eerily like their daughter, Amy. And the photos were of this woman clearly posed and uncomfortable looking in minimal
28:43 Speaker 02 clothing. So the family naturally was horrified. And the FBI would do forensic analysis on this photo and came to the conclusion that it was highly likely that this was Amy Bradley. And their family stated that this was something she would never do unless it was against her will. And that photo made it seem like the case. Because Amy, as we know, liked women and these websites were made with men in mind. So with this horrifying knowledge, they went on Dr. Phil with the evidence to spread the news to anyone who would possibly watch the video. And in the episode, Dr. Phil shares the photo of supposedly Amy Bradley from this website. And he showed some of the photos provided and compared them to others specifying that
29:26 Speaker 02 cheekbones, ears and chin shapes don't change dramatically enough throughout your lifetime. So with that knowledge, you could compare two different photographs to see if they were the same person. But sadly, it almost seemed like she was positioned in a way to hide the areas where she had tattoos. Because these identifying markers would open the prostitution operation in half. So it makes sense if this were Amy, they would position her in that way. So after this episode aired, a woman claimed that she remembered the face of the missing woman from a trip just a few months before the air showed. So in March of 2005, in Bridgetown, Barbados, Judy Marr claims she saw a woman whom she believed to be Amy Bradley.
30:09 Speaker 02 And she was on a cruise just as Amy Bradley was with her family. However, one of her stops was in Barbados. And she was out shopping with her husband, exploring the town, hoping to bring back some souvenirs. For her family back home. And after exploring a shop, she told her husband that she didn't really want anything, so he suggested they head back to the ship. But first she wanted to use the restroom. So not even three or four minutes passed before she hears men at the door talking, speaking to someone and saying, "The deal's at 11 o'clock and I'm warning you, you better be ready to go." And she thought, maybe a drug deal, possibly, but something definitely illegal.
30:46 Speaker 02 And he also stated that she, "Better be all set to go and don't try to leave or do anything because we're going to be outside waiting and watching all night." And the woman then asked, quote, "Could we stop and see the children?" unquote. And then all of a sudden, the men left the restroom. Outside the stall was a woman still in the bathroom with long, dark hair that was a bit messy, or quote-unquote, crazy. And she looked disturbed, almost like she was crying. So walking over to the sink, Mar began washing her hands and saying hello to her. And she asked if she was also on vacation, but the woman shook her head and said no. And she asked if she lived there, and this time, there was no response.
31:27 Speaker 02 So she asked what her name was, and she told her, "Amy," with a southern accent. So Mar kept giving her small talk, talking about how she actually had a daughter with the same name as her. But then, the woman, seemingly Amy, got in her face, backing her into a wall. So Mar, realizing that she didn't want to talk anymore, said she hopes she has a good day and she shuffled out of the door. However, behind the door, a man blocked her exit. And she inched past him, telling him to excuse her before returning to her husband. And this whole time, the woman, potentially Amy, did not move with her back to the exit, completely motionless, seemingly scared. And after returning, he made a comment saying that she had been gone a while.
32:09 Speaker 02 And Mar tells her husband that there's something going on with a woman in there, and that there is a man forcing her to do something she clearly doesn't want to do. But for some reason, they do nothing about it and head back to the cruise ship and get food. However, that memory stuck, a country-accent woman named Amy. And it wasn't until the Dr. Phil show aired that she Called the FBI and without any doubt in her mind, the woman from the photo was the girl she saw in the bathroom that day. And the FBI would investigate this claim and visit Barbados. However, the store had no cameras and no one recognized the story. But this begs the question, did Amy have children now? And is that why she mentioned something about children to the man in the bathroom? Well, no one knows.
32:54 Speaker 02 And they would hit a dead end yet again. But the FBI would make sketches of the descriptions from more to help anyone else who spotted them. And this would be a common theme with a lot of stories. And over the years, the family would receive hundreds of tips, some credible and many not. However, some would be downright evil and cruel. And the biggest and probably the most awful story was a supposedly promising lead that led to a brick wall and just more problems. The Bradley family was familiar with troll emails because they would receive fake tips frequently with people constantly harassing them with fake coordinates of where she was last seen, that she was never going to be found, or even ones as brutal as they'd murdered
33:39 Speaker 02 her with a hatchet. Just horrible, evil human beings. But the most horrifying email they received was from someone named Frank Jones. And this was very early into her disappearance. Mind you, all the way back in the fall of 1999. And the man claimed to be a former US Army Special Forces officer with a team of ex-army Rangers and ex-Navy SEALs. And he and his team claimed that Amy was in danger and they had seen her held hostage in a heavily armed Colombian housing complex that was surrounded in barbed wire, like something straight out of a movie. And the team gave an accurate description of Amy's tattoos and even the lullaby that Iva used to sing to her down to the line.
34:20 Speaker 02 And this tip came from a cook named Judith Margarita, who claimed to know exactly where she was. So with this knowledge, they had no doubt in their minds that he was telling the truth. But unfortunately, these US Navy Army people weren't gonna stick their necks out on the line to gun some kidnappers down, to save the day unless they brought in some insight. So the Bradleys informed the FBI on the tip, but the team just couldn't wait. So after months of back and forth and hoping the FBI would respond and find something, Frank Jones said they were out of time, and if they wanted to attempt a rescue, they would need money stat. So at the time, the reward money from the Bradleys had reached over $200,000, thanks
35:02 Speaker 02 to the National Missing Children's Organization and lots of donors. And they sent this money to Frank to attempt the mission. But unfortunately, the Bradleys did not receive a callback from Frank because Frank Jones was a scammer, and he had stole that over $200,000 from the Bradleys during a time in which they were just trying to find their daughter, just a purely evil human being. And it wasn't until February of 2002 that federal prosecutors would charge him in defrauding the Bradleys of over $24,000 of their own money and $186,416 from the National Missing Children's Organization. But with many credible sightings spanning years, the disappearance began to form a
35:47 Speaker 02 picture, one that is very disturbing. And several theories would emerge, each with its own evidence and its own problems. One theory is accidental death or falling overboard. The evidence of the room showed a table pressed up against the railing, and although the railing was high, she had a bit to drink, and with her intoxication, she could have fallen off the railing. And also, Ron, her father, last saw her at 5:30 a.m., then at 6 a.m. she vanished. And the last place he saw her was on the balcony, then gone. And lots of people think this is the outcome, but no one reported hearing or seeing her fall, making the scenario improbable at most, especially since the distance to the shore
36:30 Speaker 02 was not far, especially for inexperienced swimmer. So this is seen as the most likely, but I don't personally believe this to be the case, especially since the cruise ship immediately believes this is the only possibility. That makes me extremely suspicious. And also, if it wasn't an accident... Or by her own hand, no evidence points to her wanting to jump off anything. And I think the worst thing people point to is the jawbone found in 2010 on the beaches of Aruba. And it was thought to belong to another woman by the name of Natalie Holloway, who had also gone missing. But it didn't belong to her, according to testing. And no DNA testing was done to connect her to Bradley, but it most likely belonged to
37:15 Speaker 02 a Caucasian woman. But that is a stretch beyond a stretch. But another belief or possibility was foul play on the ship. Because could someone have wanted her gone? And one belief was that she was smuggled off of the ship, maybe through a suitcase, and she was tiny enough to fit in a bag, but she wouldn't have gone willingly. So could she have been drugged? And some people believe this goes way further than just Douglas, but the entire staff on the cruise ship. And I did state that you are technically on a floating island. You may be a resident of the United States, but the president of the boat is the captain, and he makes the final rules, which is terrifying. Won't be catching me on a fucking cruise ship in my entire life.
37:59 Speaker 02 So could the ship and crew have been associated with a criminal gang? They were, very chummy with Amy the entire night, only a couple days into the trip, which is odd. And this was to the point where she actually felt a bit uncomfortable. But at minimum, we know the ship and crew is going to take the side of the billion-dollar corporation. And the first people a cruise ship calls when something goes wrong are their lawyers, their lawyers, not the police or feds to come and help them. So I feel like this would be the way to get someone off of the boat, especially since someone dragging a suitcase off a boat would seem suspicious. And if this is the case, it falls into the next theory, which is human trafficking.
38:43 Speaker 02 Because Amy was an attractive young woman who was fresh out of university. She was a prime target for human traffickers, especially someone so far away from home. A fact Iva stated in the documentary was that before she disappeared in Aruba, the staff wanted to take Amy off the ship. To go to a place called Carlos and Charlie's. And creepily enough, this bar was a place where another woman, Natalie Holloway, which I can absolutely cover also, went missing in 2005. And that is a whole other story, and I honestly, I will cover that story as well. But to happen at the exact place where she was invited by herself is suspicious. And the saddest piece of evidence, as well as the eyewitness accounts,
39:26 Speaker 02 was the pictures of this mysterious woman from the Dr. Phil Show. Because the FBI even says that most likely, these photos could be photos of Amy. And they saw her in the basic locations from which she disappeared. And they allegedly heard her name from her directly. It's just a weird coincidence if there are other Amys at these places with a country accent. And lastly, the photos that look remarkably similar to her. Because I feel like of all these theories, this is the most likely. Because lots of people go missing in these areas for these exact reasons. And the island is outside of jurisdiction, and since most people don't know the island very well, it's easy to smuggle people out, which is horrifying to think about.
40:10 Speaker 02 Not to mention, if she actually had children now, she would probably be less likely to leave than behind. This theory, I personally think, is the most plausible, but let me know what you guys think down below. And some people also think that if she is still alive and out there, they believe that she might be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. And this would explain why, after so many years, if she is still alive, she doesn't want to come home. Or again, if she has children, she wouldn't want to leave them. Because maybe they have threatened to hurt the children if she leaves, or just... It's all heartbreaking. But at the end of the day, every theory is devastating, and we are still left with an open case. And a woman is still missing. And the official case is open.
40:55 Speaker 02 However, Amy Lynn Bradley was declared legally dead on March 24th, 2010. And this would be 12 years after she had disappeared with no witnesses and no body found. However, with the Netflix documentary being released in 2020... Lots of talks, websites, and forums have begun to pop up again, talking about her. And the case is still being investigated again, all over the world, with people interested in her story. And I think the Netflix documentary helped her get her name back out there, to the next generation of curious people. And at the very least, her family is still looking and open to any information to this day, so if you have any information, please contact the FBI.
41:38 Speaker 02 And one man by the name of Anthony Willis, in 2018, created a website for all information about Amy to be posted to, called amybradleyismissing.com. And an interesting development happened with this website, that they found out as well. And according to Willis, he could scrub through all the IP addresses of people who visited the site, so they decided to weaponize it. And the Bradley family would post pictures of Amy's dog, old photos, new photos, and more, all in the hope of catching the attention of whoever was going to the website. And in their findings, on holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Iva's birthday, they found IP addresses popping up in Barbados, and Curacao, and all across that area.
42:21 Speaker 02 And even weirder, someone was staring at the webpages for up to 45 minutes at a time. And this led them to believe that either someone who had kidnapped Amy was watching to see if they'd get caught, or, the other reason, Amy was still alive and wasn't coming home. But the family is still looking, hoping for a small tidbit of information to come out. And something as small as a single clue would help turn over rocks to find Amy. And her brother went on YouTube livestream Q&A, days after the Netflix documentary came out in 2025, answering any questions and hoping for any more information people could provide, just raising awareness about his sister who is still missing.
43:02 Speaker 02 And he still posts frequently, on X, formerly Twitter, on his account, constantly talking and thinking about his sister, Amy. And on the website, amybradleyismissing.com, there is a $25,000 reward that leads to any information about her to this day. And according to the Netflix documentary, New Information, had come out about Amy. And in April of 2017, 19 years after Amy disappeared, a message was left at the Bradley household phone. The message was from Amika Douglas, the daughter of Alister "Yellow" Douglas, the bass player who we're very suspicious about. And Amika was born in St. George's Granada, and she was a daddy's girl who was taken to lots of fun places growing up by her dad,
43:46 Speaker 02 like beaches, his bands, on cruise ships, etc. And Amika states that her mother divorced him when she was two, and the reasoning she would tell her was that he did something on a cruise ship he was on. Suspicious. Something unforgivable, and she should do her own research. But the story goes from her memory that after "Yellow" had been gone for a while at work on the cruise ship, he came home different, almost cold. He was upset and saying rude things to her, and he apparently returned home with a suitcase, a suitcase full of pictures of women, and it was all Caucasian women. And when she got older and brought up the question about Amy, his reactions were weird, getting upset that she would bring it up.
44:31 Speaker 02 And in the documentary, Alister "Yellow" confirms he took pictures and had pictures, but it was with everyone. Yes, there was Caucasian women, but he danced with everyone, took pictures with everyone. But Amika cries and thinks there's something missing in his stories. And the FBI had questioned Alister "Yellow" Douglas, and voluntarily, he took a polygraph test. And the FBI released him and didn't charge him with the disappearance of Amy, as there was no evidence to hold against him. And sadly enough, too, all the way back in 1999, the Bradleys sued Royal Caribbean. However, the lawsuit was dismissed as they stated they acted accordingly and appropriately to the situation. Fuck you, Royal Caribbean, you will never get my business.
45:16 Speaker 02 But Amy's family will keep looking, and they have not stopped. And they're so hopeful that they still have her car in their garage, shined and primed for when she returns. It just breaks your heart. And I really think talking about these cases constantly and bringing them to light...
45:34 Speaker 02 breathes a chance that someone might see it and recognize something. And the most popular Reddit thread on her disappearance is still being discussed within days, weeks, and months. So people are still interested in her case, including myself. So there's always that hope for their families that they'll return home. And hopefully, that's the case for Amy Lynn Bradley. But that is the end of the case of Amy Lynn Bradley. Again, if you have any sort of information or tip, please contact the FBI and let me know what other cases you would like me to deep dive into and I will see your beautiful face in the next one, okay? Stay safe. Bye.
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Previous Ep. 92 | He HUNTED Them In The Woods | Gary Michael Hilton Next Ep. 94 | Can the Internet Solve This COLD CASE? | Ricky McCormick Page updated October 31, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated