(Credits: Netflix)

Netflix’s true crime catalogue has always been a source of unease. However, since the release of Amy Bradley Is Missing, there has been a renewed probe, followed by newer leads into the missing case that still keep the Bradley family in the dark.

The incident dates back to March 1998, when Amy Bradley boarded the Caribbean cruise Rhapsody of Seas with her family. Brad Bradley, Amy’s brother, recounts their first pit-stop on the island of Aruba, where they rented a convertible SUV for a sightseeing tour. That night, they returned to their cruise, decked themselves for the formal dinner, and spent some quality time with their parents, Iva and Ron Bradley, at a pool party (via PEOPLE).

Afterwards, the siblings took off for a party at the rooftop nightclub. They briefly separated to communicate with other passengers, and they eventually got back together sometime after 3.30 am to take a rest on the cabin’s balcony while their parents were inside. “I don’t remember looking at a clock, but at 4, maybe 4.10, I went to bed,” he says. But that was the last time he ever saw his sister.

Brad Bradley feels lucky to have said “I love you” to his sister out loud that night, since it may have been the last words he ever said to her. Even their father recalls spotting his daughter on a lounge chair outside at around 5.30 am. However, by the time he woke up, she was nowhere to be found with no traces left behind.

Since the three-part documentary’s release, several speculative explanations have sprung up, including abduction by sex traffickers, suicide, or an unexpected fall from the balcony.

Reports of sightings over the years have led to a still-open FBI investigation. However, the investigations have resulted in nothing conclusive. But even today, the Bradley family believes she’s alive. “People can’t understand the level of hope that we’ve maintained,” her brother says, admitting how they still wait for that call that could put to rest all their troubles. He revealed how enthusiastic his sister had been about the trip.

Amy Bradley reportedly came out as gay while she was in college. And their family was supportive throughout. Only these four were on that ship. But that morning, when her father woke up, the balcony door was half open, and yet she was nowhere inside the cabin. Eventually, Ron Bradley had to tell Iva Bradley about the concern. However, none of them, from the start, suspected that she could have fallen accidentally from the balcony or had taken her own life.

She had a lot waiting in her life – a new job, a newly adopted dog, and she had just moved to a new apartment. Additionally, her mother notes she always informed them of her whereabouts. When the parents briefed the cruise crew about Amy’s disappearance, they allegedly begged not to let anyone go from the ship. However, they declined to stop the passengers and later searched the cruise ship that day. They also paged Amy, who didn’t respond.

“She’s not going to leave the room and not come back without leaving a note,” Iva Bradley says. It was right then that her gut told her something must have gone terribly bad. The cruise director, Kirk Detweiler, said in Amy Bradley Is Missing, “Nothing was found.” Allegedly, the employees assumed she fell overboard or jumped off.

Two days after the incident, FBI agents interviewed the parents when they boarded the ship docked in St Maarten. They also conversed with the crew members and another passenger, Wayne Breitag, who was in the cabin next to the Bradleys and reportedly had taken an interest in her. They additionally interviewed Alister “Yellow” Douglas, the bass player of Blue Orchids, who was spotted dancing with Amy Bradley at the nightclub before she went missing. Her brother revealed that she had confided that Douglas had made an advance.

Brad Bradley also recounts an eyebrow-raising address from Douglas later that morning before her sister’s disappearance was announced. He said that he was “sorry to hear about my sister,” the brother recalls. Two passengers even informed the family that they had seen Douglas and Amy Bradley get inside an elevator on March 24th between 5 am and 6 am. However, when Douglas returned 15 minutes later, he was solo.

Douglas has repeatedly denied his involvement in the case. His lie detector test results were inconclusive, and he’s also clear from the FBI. However, Special Agent Erin Sheridan said in the documentary that the actual timeline of events remains shrouded in mystery. But subsequently, Amy Bradley Is Missing has led to several new leads and tips on AmyBradleyIsMissing.com.

The brother recently discovered through social media that the balcony partitions are flexible to be opened. This has led to conjectures surrounding whether Breitag could have abducted Amy. However, the said person insists that partitions cannot be opened, and he has no involvement in the disappearance. Despite that, Brad Bradley wants both Breitag and Douglas to take another lie detector test, hoping to discover more than what was found in the last round with today’s advanced technology.

While the chances are unlikely since Douglas is not a US citizen, Iva Bradley throws light on another concern. According to her, a passenger had allegedly seen Douglas and her daughter walking towards the elevator, which confirms that Amy Bradley returned to the cabin after 6 am. However, the FBI has not yet spoken to the passenger, a mother of one of the younger guests. Although Sheridan informed them that they had no trace to conclude that their daughter had left the cabin, her mother challenges the argument.

“My response was, ‘Nobody interviewed the mother of the two girls that opened the door that morning at 6 am,” she contests. While the Bradleys have every reason to believe their daughter is alive, they speculate that she’s a mother who is being held against her will, using her children as a harness for her not to seek help.

The FBI are still working with the Bradleys. Now, the family has a team that traces every tip and lead that comes their way, hoping the nightmare someday comes to an end.