New details have reportedly emerged regarding an American college graduate who disappeared from her family’s tropical vacation nearly 27 years ago, potentially cracking open a case that has since gone cold.
Amy Bradley was 23 when her family embarked on a seven-day Royal Caribbean International cruise to the tropics in 1998. The trip was meant to celebrate Bradley’s recent college graduation and her future pursuit of a master’s degree in sports psychology.
But the celebration quickly turned to tragedy when Bradley vanished in the early morning hours of March 24, as the ship was preparing to dock in Curaçao.
Earlier this year, Bradley’s story was revisited in a three-part Netflix documentary series, titled “Amy Bradley is Missing.”
The show’s release brought in hundreds of new leads to the FBI and Bradley’s family, with three “very significant” revelations piquing the interest of investigators, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While countless theories have circulated regarding Bradley’s disappearance, investigators initially determined the recent college graduate likely fell overboard or jumped from the ship, The Associated Press reported.
However, her family has widely disputed both ideas, and instead have looked to evidence suggesting Bradley may have been a victim of human trafficking while on board the ship.
A source involved in the documentary has revealed evidence gathered after the show’s production provides structure to the latter theory, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
According to the source, a female bar server onboard the cruise ship has reportedly approached authorities to recount that on the night Bradley went missing, she was heard exclaiming to passengers and crew, “Senorita kidnapped! Senorita kidnapped!”
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The server reportedly did not speak much English, and was promptly taken to the back of the restaurant by a bartender, according to the source.
However, experts point to the importance of this revelation revolving around when the statement was actually made – and not just that it had been said.
“What would be helpful is to know when did that account happen?” Peter Valentin, chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven and a former Connecticut State Police detective, told Fox News Digital. “When did this bartender make those statements, and did they precede everyone’s knowledge of her disappearance? It’s really the timing of the statement, not the disclosure.”
Bradley ultimately disappeared after an evening at the ship’s nightclub with her brother. Her father, Ron, last recalled seeing Bradley asleep on the cabin’s balcony.
Bradley vanished half an hour later, prompting a frantic search aboard the ship.
“When was that statement first made, and was her disappearance public knowledge on the boat?” Valentin said. “Clearly, everybody knew at some point that she was missing, but the timing of the statement – I’m very interested in when that statement was made.”
Another potential break in the case comes from a new “highly suspicious” hit to Bradley’s missing-persons website, which is professionally monitored for activity, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The website has reportedly seen an uptick in activity within the Cuaçao region during family holidays – prompting investigators to theorize that Bradley could be visiting the site to feel closer to her family, or her captors are monitoring the case.
However, a suspicious hit to an IP address belonging to a device on a boat off of Barbados has reportedly piqued authorities’ interest.
“I would [be interested] particularly if the dates really wouldn’t be easy for the public to know,” Valentin said.
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“It’s speculative, because could it be coincidental? Of course it could be. But if you have the same IP address – or an IP address coming back to the same location – doing this year after year, then I think it does have some potential investigative value, because who’s in that area with knowledge of those family specific dates?”
Perhaps the most notable revelation, however, is new details suggesting Bradley has at least one child, the source told The Hollywood Reporter. While details regarding the possibility of a child remain vague, the source reportedly added Bradley likely gave birth as a result of being forced into sex work.
“For me, I really would focus on the potential child,” Valentin told Fox News Digital. “There’s clearly more details that have not been made public. My sense is that’s what the situation is, because if you believe there’s a child, well, who is that person? And let’s find out – let’s get their DNA, if that’s possible, and let’s make a comparison.”
Valentin believes that Bradley’s potential child could hold the key for determining what ultimately happened in her disappearance, with investigators using genetic genealogy to confirm that the individual is a relative of Bradley’s.
“If that child is related, it opens up all sorts of questions,” Valentin said. “How did [Bradley] get off the boat? How long did she live when she was off the boat?”
In 2017, the FBI previously released age-progressing images of Bradley with the hopes of igniting new leads within the search.
Despite the numerous leads, authorities have never charged anyone with a crime relating to Bradley’s disappearance.
The FBI, Royal Caribbean and Netflix did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
In light of the new information, Valentin hopes they could bring investigators closer to determining what ultimately happened to Bradley after she disappeared from the ship 27 years ago.
“As much as I’m a bit skeptical about these new leads, of course I’m very hopeful that they are valuable and viable,” Valentin said. “And there’s some closure that comes from all of this.”
Anyone who believes they have information pertaining to Bradley’s disappearance is asked to contact their local FBI office or the nearest American embassy or consulate.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Nolasco and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
