A MISSING woman’s family has said they refuse to accept she took her own life after an author revealed his controversial theory and claimed key details were missing from a recent Netflix documentary.
Amy Lynn Bradley vanished from a cruise she was taking with her family 27 years ago and massive renewed interest in her case was sparked by the hit show.
Journalist and YouTuber James Renner has been looking into the Bradley case for several months ahead of the release of his book in 2026.
He even took the same trip as Bradley on the Caribbean cruise ship, Rhapsody of the Seas, where she was last seen in her cabin around 5.30 am on March 24, 1998.
The 23-year-old college graduate was on a family vacation and sharing a room with her parents, Iva and Ron, and her brother Brad.
When her father woke up at 6 am, she was missing from the cabin, and the balcony door was ajar.
Several alleged witnesses have come forward over the years to claim they have seen Bradley and believe she was kidnapped and sex-trafficked, but the sightings have never been confirmed.
Bradley was also reportedly smoking heavily during the trip and was worried after revealing her sexuality to her family, who allegedly did not initially accept her lifestyle.
Former girlfriends spoke out in the Netflix documentary about how hard she found the situation and claimed she was nervous to go on the cruise.
Renner claims he spoke to investigators who told him there were footprints on the balcony door and handprints on the railing that could suggest she pushed herself off.
In an interview with The U.S. Sun, he said, “I think it’s possible she sat on the railing. I think what we might be looking at here is what the French call ‘l’appel du vide’ which we call ‘call of the void.’
“I think it’s possible. She had a really rough night. She’d been drinking. She had a very big decision to make when she got home from that cruise ship.”
Renner also claimed he met up with the Bradleys while researching his book, but they cut him off after he brought up her sexuality.
Her family has now slammed the author, and believes she is still alive 27 years after she disappeared.
A spokesperson for the family told The U.S. Sun, “The Bradleys welcomed Mr Renner into their home to talk.
“After a while, it seemed the only topic James Renner wanted to talk about was Amy being gay.
“The family has known that since 1995, and they have all moved on from that, and they love their daughter no matter what and support her.
“The Bradleys want to make sure the topic is about finding out what happened to their daughter and not some writer’s sensational gay theory.
“It really had [no] relevance to the case, and they thought it would distract [from] finding Amy.
“The footprints. There are tons of prints all over the room and balcony, no one knows whose prints they are.
“Amy Lynn Bradley did not jump off the Rhapsody of the Seas on March 24, 1998. I can guarantee you that.
“Amy was full of life and had a promising future.
“Look at every photo from that vacation, and you see a very happy and confident woman.”
Amy Lynn Bradley did not jump off the Rhapsody of the Seas.”
Amy's family statement
Renner, in response to the family’s comments, claims they never fully acknowledged that their daughter was gay, claiming, “I think that does a disservice to her memory and the partners she left behind.”
Her brother Brad recently claimed in an interview with People Magazine that Amy was bisexual and had a boyfriend at the time she vanished.
But Renner alleges, “Amy identified as gay, not bi, it’s time to honor that.
“Personally, I think her identity had a lot to do with what happened.
“Amy had a major decision to make when she got home – be openly gay and reunite with her partner and risk disappointing her conservative family, or continue to live a lie.”
He alleges the new information about Amy having a boyfriend is nothing but a “deflection.”
“And even Brad admits that prior to the cruise, Amy had written a letter to her boyfriend saying she was moving on,” Renner continued.
Brad told People that Amy told her boyfriend in the letter that she needed to take it slow and step back from the relationship.
Renner continued, “So when she’s sitting on that deck, she has all this on her mind, along with the stress of starting a new job and moving into a new apartment.
“These are some of the most stressful things in life, and she was facing them all when she returned to the States. She was under a ton of stress.
“As the FBI recently told them [the family], there is no evidence Amy ever left that balcony.”
WRONG MAN
Meanwhile, Renner previously slammed the documentary for allegedly pointing the finger at the wrong man amid sex-trafficking claims.
During her final hours on the ship, Amy was captured on security footage dancing with a bass player at the club, Alister “Yellow” Douglas.
Alleged witnesses came forward in the series who claimed to have seen Amy with Douglas after the club closed, and on a beach after she was reported missing.
The FBI has questioned Douglas on more than one occasion and ruled him out of their investigation.
Renner met with Douglas on his Caribbean trip to hear his story directly, and revealed he is now a reverend at a small church in Granada and has a new wife and young child.
He has received threats for years over his connection to the case, and claims he has lost many job opportunities.
In the filmed interview for his YouTube channel , Douglas claimed he never saw Amy after they danced together at the ship’s nightclub before she retired to her cabin to be with her family.
“I found him to be very sincere and candid,” Renner said.
“He admits that, as an officer on the cruise ship, he definitely crossed the line with dancing close with Amy.
“But he says he didn’t have anything to do with what ultimately happened to her. And I believe him.
Top theories relating to Amy Bradley's disappearance
From suicide to sex-trafficking, there have been many theories about what happened to the 23-year-old.
- Sex-trafficking/Abduction – this is the most prominent theory, as alleged witnesses have come forward to claim they have seen her with suspicious men in the Caribbean. A photograph of a woman with strikingly similar features was also posted on a sex worker website and featured in the Netflix doc.
- Suicide – Amy was allegedly struggling with stress after coming out as a gay woman to her family, and her brother admitted their parents found it difficult to accept. She was reportedly drinking and chain-smoking in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. She was also last seen in her family’s cabin smoking on the balcony, and there is no proof she ever left.
- Accidental Overboard – Amy was under the influence of alcohol when she was on the balcony after a night of partying in the ship’s nightclub. She may have climbed up while intoxicated and fallen overboard. However, this is considered the least likely theory due to the height of the balcony and Amy’s reported fear of heights.
- Voluntary Departure – It has also been suggested that Amy may have intentionally left the ship to start a new life after revealing her sexuality to her family. The documentary explores this theory as a mystery internet user with an IP address linked to Barbados would often spend minutes on pages of the website created by her family every year on Christmas and Thanksgiving.
“He’s an active member in his community there. He doesn’t have any other history of violence.
“He has a beautiful wife and kid on the island, and they were at church with him and were involved there and seemed well-adjusted.”
Asked if the Bradleys had ever met with Douglas to hear his side of the story, Renner said, “I don’t believe he ever met with the family. I think, from what I understand, the last time they saw him was when he was coming out the first time he was questioned by the FBI on the cruise ship.”
In his interview, Douglas said Amy told him her father had found out she was gay and was struggling to accept the news, which was backed up by her brother in the series.
Douglas said he didn’t know how to respond as he’s a religious man, but took pity on her and suggested they dance to a few songs before he had to leave.
“I said, ‘Look, I have to go, I have to be out of [the] passenger area’, and I left,” he claimed. “That was my last conversation [with her], last time I saw her.
“The person I am, I like to console people, I like to talk with people. There was not enough time, maybe the following day, if I had seen her, I would have.”
Douglas added that he hopes “the truth” will one day come out and he will be vindicated.
Renner added to The U.S. Sun: “I came to care for the Bradleys very much. But I see these people like Alister Douglas, who have had their lives affected in terrible ways because they’ve been accused of kidnapping Amy. And there is no evidence to suggest that ever happened.”
