Spoilers for Amy Bradley is Missing
Prior to seeing Netflix’s popular docuseries, Amy Bradley is Missing, I’d heard of the case through the true crime podcast Casefile. There were some key omissions and new information in this docuseries, which I’ll get to in a moment. Amy Bradley, 23, disappeared off a cruise ship to the Caribbean with her family in 1998. She was seen dancing with a crew member on the night before her disappearance and eyewitnesses saw her with him early the next morning. While she may have fallen overboard her body was never recovered and several credible witnesses went on the record with sightings of her over the years. I’ve seen coverage insisting that Amy must have fallen overboard, deliberately or not, but there are too many witnesses and clues suggesting she was trafficked for me to firmly believe that.
The detail which was new to me, and which redditors have said they hadn’t heard before either, is that Amy was gay and specifically that she had just broken up with a girlfriend. In the series, Amy’s ex shared a heartfelt letter that Amy wrote her just before the cruise, wanting to reconcile when she got back. This detail was discussed very reluctantly by Amy’s family, who discounted it and seemingly denied that part of her identity. Amy’s dad had written a mean letter to the ex girlfriend back when Amy was alive, showing how her family did not accept her. Notably, the docuseries left out the fact that Amy’s family was bilked out of about $100,000 by a shady private detective promising to find her. There were three nearly hour-long episodes, there was plenty of time to include this detail. I can only guess that the family didn’t bring it up and that the filmmakers either didn’t ask or respected their wishes not to talk about it.
Filmmakers Phil Lott and Ari Mark spoke with The Hollywood Reporter. They swear that they were objective despite being close to Amy’s family, but I doubt that. Still it was a well edited docuseries that told a cohesive story. Here’s more:
It sounds like you believe she’s alive.
Mark: I got to the point on this show where I became close enough with the people. Of course, we remain objective, and we were objective through the whole process. There are enough reasons to believe all of these things are possible. That’s what makes it compelling. But Brad, [Amy’s] brother, says, “I have to cling to the hope.” He’s like, “I’m not saying it’s definitely this, definitely that — but I have to cling to the hope.”
I’ve kind of gotten to the point where I have to believe she’s alive. And people will judge me for that. You immediately fall into a bucket of, “How could you believe the most far-fetched piece of this?” We’re always so used to calculating odds. “Well, the odds are this happened, and the statistics say …” All of those things are true. But if we’re telling a remarkable story, I think there’s just as much of a chance that there’s a remarkable answer.
Anything you want to add, Phil?
Lott: No, I think that was incredibly well said. When people watch this series, I think you will feel like your preconceptions have been compounded. The easiest thing in the world is to come up to us going, “Clearly, she fell off the boat.” I think we’re as guilty of that coming into this as anyone else. And as you go down the path, and you start answering the first five questions, they all lead to much bigger pieces of mystery. Well, now you have three episodes of that. It’s something that just gets bigger and deeper and more compelling.
Mark: Our job is essentially to call bullshit, right? We go into these things calling bullshit. So as you go, “Ooh maybe we’re wrong,” it’s an evolution. It’s a process.
They go on to discuss the photos from the escort site of the woman whose face matched Amy’s using facial recognition software. She was posed in a way that hid Amy’s birthmark and tattoos. Another compelling clue is that visits to the Amy Bradley is Missing website from someone with an IP address from Amy’s presumed location spike around family birthdays and holidays. That person spends much more time on the site than someone with a casual interest. I also found the eyewitnesses very believable. They each seemed convinced they saw Amy. It’s possible she’s alive and is trapped or doesn’t see a way back after all she’s been through. It’s also possible she fell or jumped from the ship early that morning. There are no clear answers as to what happened, which is people are so interested in this case. For all their flaws, Amy’s family has dedicated their lives to finding her and they deserve answers.
photos via Netflix Press
