Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Amy Bradley, Royal Caribbean, Cruise ship
Emily Brown
The brother of Amy Bradley, who vanished from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 1998, has opened up about the gut feeling he still has about his sister almost three decades later.
Amy was just 23 years old when she disappeared, having last been seen on her balcony of the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship, where she'd been on vacation with her parents, Ron and Iva, and her brother, Brad.
Her family initially thought she might have been elsewhere on the ship, grabbing a coffee or taking pictures, but as minutes turned to hours, her loved ones became more and more concerned.
Aside from a few witnesses who claim to have seen Amy in the days and years since her disappearance, her family largely remains in the dark about her whereabouts.
Advert
But, as they explained in the recent Netflix documentary, Amy Bradley is Missing, they haven't given up hope.
In a new interview with TMZ, Brad said: "Obviously since day one, we've never run out of hope. A lot of people don't understand that and can't relate, but certainly Netflix brought this back alive."
He admitted that Amy's case has been 'stagnant' for years at a time, but said the 'renewal' of her story through the popular Netflix doc has resulted in 'countless leads', including 'thousands of emails and phone calls'.
"This is the first time ever the whole world's paying attention," he added.
Brad explained that both he and his parents have always shared one idea about Amy, and this has helped keep them motivated over the years since her disappearance.
He said: "My parents and I have always shared this kind of unexplained gut feeling that she's still alive. I can't make sense of that for people, but we live with hope and we've never stopped. Never will, unless we have a reason to."
When questioned on how he copes with the notion that he may never know what happened to his sister, Brad continued: "I don't know what's worse - if we were to get some news that gave us closure and finality, or not knowing and still being able to hope.
"I think what keeps us going is the hope."
Rather than attempting to 'compartmentalize' Amy's disappearance, Brad said he thinks about his sister every day, whether it be at work, when he returns home or when he's trying to go to sleep.
"It just is our life." he said.