A GRIEVING brother says new leads and evidence have come to light in the mysterious cruise ship disappearance of his sister more than two decades ago.
Brad Bradley, whose 23-year-old sister Amy vanished during a family trip aboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas in 1998, said “credible tips” have emerged since a new Netflix docuseries reignited interest in the case.
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The Bradleys, from Virginia, were just three days into their Caribbean cruise when Amy went missing
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Amy Lynn Bradley, then 23, vanished in March 1998 after boarding the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas with her familyCredit: Netflix
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Amy Bradley’s brother Brad Bradley says “credible” new tips and evidence have surfaced about her 1998 disappearance from a Royal Caribbean cruiseCredit: NewsNation
The Bradleys, from Virginia, were just three days into their Caribbean cruise when Amy went missing on March 24 as the ship approached Curacao.
“We believe she was targeted, we believe she was taken, and we believe she was removed from the ship,” Brad told NewsNation.
Amy had spent the previous night dancing at the ship’s nightclub with a band member known as “Yellow” before returning to her family cabin.
She was last seen early that morning resting on the cabin balcony, but was gone when her father awoke.
Despite extensive searches and no evidence suggesting she fell overboard, Amy was never seen again.
The family has long suspected she was abducted and possibly trafficked.
He also recalled two men asking him suspicious questions about the timeline of her disappearance, which he now believes may have been an attempt to align stories.
Brad told TMZ that several tips have rolled in since the Netflix series “Amy Bradley is Missing” aired, and on NewsNation he called some of them “credible,” though he did not provide specifics.
The three-part documentary includes alleged sightings of Amy alive years after she disappeared, including a woman resembling her in photos on a sex worker site.
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Amy was legally declared dead in 2010, but the FBI still considers the case open and is offering a $25,000 reward for information.
The show’s producers confirmed to The U.S. Sun that they’ve received new tips, but cautioned they could be hoaxes.
“This was always about one thing: finding Amy,” said producer Ari Mark, who noted the family is “over the moon” that her story is reaching new audiences.
Mark said Amy’s cabin was cleaned before investigators could treat it as a potential crime scene, and no video footage showed her leaving the ship.
Cruise security was in charge of interviewing the crew, and Mark said no evidence was ever found that she jumped or fell.
Timeline of Amy Lynn Bradley’s last hours before her disappearance
March 23, 1998, evening Amy Lynn Bradley and her brother, Brad, attended a dance party at the ship’s disco, where they were seen with members of the ship’s band. The ship was sailing from Aruba to Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 3:35 a.m. Brad Bradley returned to the family cabin, followed five minutes later by Amy, after a night of dancing and drinking. They sat on the balcony and talked before Brad went to sleep.
March 24, 1998, 5:15 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Amy’s father, Ron Bradley, woke up briefly and saw Amy asleep on a lounge chair on their cabin’s balcony. This is the last confirmed sighting of her by her family.
March 24, 1998, 5:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. Three witnesses later claimed to have seen Amy on an upper deck of the ship with Alister “Yellow” Douglas, a member of the ship’s band, and said he was seen leaving alone shortly after 6 a.m.
March 24, 1998, 6:00 a.m. When Ron Bradley woke up again, Amy was no longer on the balcony, but her shoes were still in the cabin, and her cigarettes and lighter were missing. He began to search the ship for her.
March 24, 1998, 6:30 a.m. The family reported Amy missing to the ship’s crew and asked that passengers be prevented from disembarking, but their request was denied. The ship had already docked in Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 7:50 a.m. The ship made a public announcement for Amy to come to the purser’s desk, but by this time, many of the passengers had already disembarked. A full ship search was conducted later in the day, but no sign of Amy was found.
March 24-27, 1998 The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard conducted a four-day air and sea search for Amy around Curaçao and Aruba, but no trace of her was ever found. Authorities initially considered the possibility that she fell overboard, but this theory was later dismissed.
Bass player Alister “Yellow” Douglas, who danced with Amy the night she vanished, has always maintained his innocence.
Douglas’ daughter confronted him in a tense phone call shown in the doc, accusing him of hiding something. He denied it.
Douglas, now an exorcist and reverend in Grenada, recently gave a rare interview to YouTuber James Renner, insisting again he had nothing to do with Amy’s disappearance.
Renner, who traveled the same cruise route for research, said he believes Douglas is innocent and may sue the Netflix filmmakers over his portrayal.
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Alister Douglas is seen on the ship playing bass guitar in the bandCredit: Netflix
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Cruise security was in charge of interviewing the crew, and Mark said no evidence was ever found that she jumped or fellCredit: Netflix
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Amy Lynn Bradley is pictured with her brother Brad Bradley before she went missingCredit: Netflix
The FBI questioned Douglas shortly after Amy vanished and again years later, ultimately clearing him, Renner said.
Douglas said in his interview that he left Amy shortly before 1 am that night and returned to his cabin, where ship security later questioned him.
He claimed he was told not to leave and cooperated fully with the investigation, though he’s faced death threats and harassment ever since.
Douglas broke down during the interview, saying, “I’ve lost so many opportunities because of this.”
“The truth will come out,” he added. “And when it does, I will sue the people who have been making documentaries about me.”
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The family has long suspected she was abducted and possibly traffickedCredit: Netflix
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The show’s producers confirmed to The US Sun that they’ve received new tips, but cautioned they could be hoaxesCredit: Netflix
Latest on cruise ship’s water slide scare (Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.)
MIAMI — The Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, a cruise ship that has been in service for just over a year, is returning to PortMiami Saturday after a man was injured in the Category 6 water park.
Witnesses shared videos that captured shouting after a curve of the Frightening Bolt, a drop-style waterslide, cracked — leaving a hole as there were people inside.
“When the other gentleman went down, it sliced him … and then glass fell and the water gushed,” Lillian Destefano said. “No one fell through. Thank God!”
According to Royal Caribbean, the acrylic glass broke off, the guest who was injured received medical treatment, and the waterslide was closed pending the result of an investigation.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Brett Knese
Brett Knese joined the Local 10 News team as a general assignment reporter in March 2025.
The 1999-built Seven Seas Navigator cruise ship has been operated by Regent Seven Seas Cruises since 2006 with the ship making many calls out of Southampton.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises have now sold the ship to a new start-up that aims to build a luxury residential cruising project, known as Crescent Seas.
Spearheaded by former Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings chairman, Russell Galbut, Crescent Seas is set to offer permeant residence on board Navigator — with prices ranging from $750,000 to $8million.
Seven Seas Navigator is set to be delivered to Crescent Seas in 2026.
Just last week the Seven Seas Navigator departed Southampton on July 29 headed for Ireland, Greenland and Iceland.
The ship is not expected to come to the city while under Crescent Seas.
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