Amy Lynn Bradley disappeared on March 24, 1998, from the balcony of her room on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas while vacationing with her family in the Caribbean. Her case has since become one of the most speculated about in U.S history. Theories surrounding her whereabouts range from falling overboard, to foul play, to suicide, and human trafficking. With the release of the Netflix documentary Amy Bradley Is Missing, new attention as well as questions have been raised. 

One of the most persistent theories about Amy was that she was kidnapped and trafficked, possibly with the involvement of one of the ship’s crew members, Alister “Yellow” Douglas. On the night she disappeared, Amy was seen dancing with Yellow, who played for the ship’s band. Surveillance footage, as well as witness accounts, place them together on the top deck of the ship, and then again inside an elevator shortly after 3 a.m. By 3:40, Amy returned to her room, which was confirmed by the key’s entry log. Once in her room, she went out to the balcony, where she spoke to her brother, Brad, before he went to bed between 4:15 and 4:30 a.m. At 5:30 a.m., her father, Ron Bradley, woke up and briefly saw who he assumed to be Amy sleeping on the balcony. When he woke up again, 30 minutes later, Amy was gone. All that was left was her yellow shirt, which remained draped over the balcony chair, and her shoes. Some speculate that Amy left her room willingly, possibly to meet Yellow again under the false promise of going ashore to buy drugs. Once off the ship, it is speculated that she may have been abducted and sold into human trafficking on the island of Curaçao. 

Another commonly discussed theory is that Amy accidentally fell overboard or took her own life. Witnesses say that at the club where Amy spent the night before her disappearance, she consumed around 12 light beers, which is certainly enough to impair balance as well as judgment. Her family strongly disagrees with the idea that she jumped, as she had just graduated from college, gotten a new job, and had started making plans for her future. She was also known as a strong swimmer, having been a former lifeguard. At the time of her disappearance, the boat was docked in calm as well as shallow waters, so if he had fallen, it’s likely her body or belongings would’ve been found. One piece of evidence that often comes up is the message in a bottle Amy wrote to her girlfriend, Mollie McClure, one month before she vanished. The letter states phrases such as, “I feel like there is an ocean between us, like I’m on a desert island waiting for you to rescue me. A message in a bottle, my only hope. I miss you, Mollie. Save me, please. Stranded, Amy,” Some interpret the letter as a cry for help, evidence of her suicidal thoughts. However, Mollie, the recipient of the letter, doesn’t view it that way. To her, it was a love letter, a last attempt to repair a relationship that had been hurt. 

What many don’t know is that Amy hadn’t wanted to go on the cruise in the first place. According to her friends, she felt uneasy and hesitant to be on a ship with strangers. She even reportedly told people she had a bad feeling about it; however, even with her hesitations, she went along at her parents’ insistence. Some sources say there was also tension in the family over her sexuality, as her parents were not supportive of her preference for women. Putting all of this together, the message, her hesitation, and her family’s dynamic, nothing fits perfectly. With witness stories changing over the years, and no body or evidence to support any claims, her case went cold. To this day, Amy Lynn Bradley’s disappearance remains unsolved.