Kriti Mehrotra
It was during the early morning hours of March 24, 1998, when Amy Lynn Bradley went missing. She was on a family vacation on a cruise across the Caribbean, but then, suddenly, she was nowhere to be found. Over the years, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Amy Bradley is Missing,’ there have been several theories regarding what could have happened to her, including sex trafficking or her falling overboard. However, one thing has always remained constant, and that’s the fact that her parents, Iva and Ron Bradley, wholeheartedly believe she is still alive and will one day return home.
Iva and Ron Bradley Were Always Close to Amy Bradley
Born on May 12, 1974, in Petersburg, Virginia, as the eldest of two to Iva and Ron Bradley, Amy Lenn Bradley hailed from an extremely affectionate, loving, and supportive family. By all accounts, they were a tight-knit group who never failed to be there for one another, and it held true in all aspects. There was reportedly a period when there was a little bit of tension in their dynamics in 1997 or early 1998 when Amy came out to her parents, but it was all soon resolved. That’s not the life that her parents had imagined for their daughter, and they were worried about what society might think, but they still loved and cared for their little girl. That’s how they were all able to go on that fateful cruise.
According to Ron, he had woken up at around 5:30 am on March 24, 1998, around 2 hours after Amy had come into the room to sleep, and he saw her feet out on the lounge. He still vividly remembers the door being closed and his daughter lounging barefoot, presumably sleeping outside, so he went back to sleep too. However, he claimed that when he awakened less than half an hour later again, the screen door was open, Amy’s top was on the chair, and she was nowhere to be found. He subsequently looked for her in the bathroom, on the upper deck, and everywhere else he could, but he was still not able to find her.
That’s when Ron woke his wife and son, Brad, and reported Amy missing to the security guard. He even asked for the boat not to be docked at its next stop until she was found, but to no avail. Despite the crew’s best efforts while still trying to treat all guests, Amy could not be found, and her remains also didn’t wash ashore like experts believed they should have if she had fallen overboard. That’s when the FBI got involved, clearing the family of wrongdoing before moving ahead with their investigations. But unfortunately, even though more than 27 years have passed and there have been a few reported sightings of Amy, she has never made contact with her family or been found by investigators.
Iva and Ron Bradley’s Hope of Finding Their Daughter Remains Alive
While it’s true that the loss of Amy has been a dark cloud over Iva and Ron’s heads for almost the past 3 decades, they have kept the hope of finding their daughter alive and well. When they see all of Amy’s friends and cousins get married, have a family, succeed, and cross other milestones, they do wonder about their daughter, but they don’t let it bring them down. Instead, they continue to focus on all they can do to help search for her in the hopes she will soon be found. However, their hope is more of a belief because they never use the word “if;” they use “when” whenever they talk about her possible return. That’s why they have even restored her car and kept it as pristine as possible, along with her room. They have never even moved or changed their numbers.
Iva and Ron continue to reside in Virginia, where they do their best to support one another and the authorities in any way they can. It’s true that such a loss can pull many families apart, but it has only brought the couple closer by reinforcing their love in their family. In fact, they have since kept in touch with eyewitnesses who claim to have seen Amy over the years, and have even encouraged online sleuths to do their own investigations. The hopeful parents even contribute to the Amy Bradley is Missing website with updates of their daily lives or celebrations of family events or holidays in the hopes that Amy is watching them from afar. They truly believe their daughter is alive and that she could possibly have a family of her own, so they are ready for that too.
Furthermore, most recently, with the release of the Netflix show, they have even created a GoFundMe page to be ready for anything that may come their way. They are raising funds to pursue credible leads, consult with experts, obtain legal support if needed, and travel wherever necessary to uncover the truth because they believe that the show could be a turning point. They believe someone out there knows something, so they are just waiting for the right person to come forward. They maintain that they will never give up on their search because doing so means giving up on their daughter, and they can and will never, ever do that.
Read More: Brad Bradley: Where is Amy Bradley’s Brother Now?
