The Failure of the Missing White Woman Syndrome: Inside Netflix’s ‘Amy Bradley Is Missing’

This was one of the few times the missing white woman syndrome hasn’t worked. On March 25, 1998, Amy Bradley went missing on a Royal Caribbean “Rhapsody of the Seas” cruise, causing panic among her family. But somehow, not among the crew. Netflix offers a three-part series examining the life, day of disappearance, and the efforts to find the missing 23-year-old lesbian woman. 

The Dirty Details

Amy Bradley boarded the cruise ship with her mother, Iva Bradley, her father, Ron Bradley, and her younger brother, Brad Bradley. The trip was filled with timeless photos, intimate dinners, and parties. She hit the disco with her brother on the day of the disappearance, dancing until 3 a.m. Brad left around 3:45 a.m. but soon met with his sister on their suite balcony to talk until 5 a.m. Amy stayed on the balcony after Brad eventually went to sleep. Ron saw her legs stretched on the lawn chair around 5:30 a.m., assuming she was OK. But by 6 a.m., she was no longer there. 

The Lack of Efforts From Crew Staff

Netflix highlights details many wouldn’t get to see or know while doom-scrolling through true crime social media. The public learned of the dismissive attitudes of the cruise director, Kirk Detweiler. During Detweiler’s appearance on the Netflix documentary, he stated, “We’re not going to stop everybody’s cruise because there is a missing girl. Life goes on. Cruises go on.” His primary concern was the enjoyment from the other money-spending cruisers, stating that was just the reality. The running theory among the staff was that Amy Bradley fell overboard, despite acknowledging that it isn’t a common occurrence. 

Adtzere “John” Mentar- Harbor Chief Police of Curaçao led the search for Amy. He described the search as the largest ever to take place at the time. He ensured that with the currents and wind direction, if she fell overboard, she would have washed up. “E kos ta stranó. It means the thing is strange,” Mentar stated in the “Amy Bradley Is Missing” documentary. 

The Theory of Human Trafficking

While there is a leading suspect, Alister Douglas, the more resounding concern was the eyewitnesses’ spotting of Amy well after the announcement of her disappearance. The day her family alerted the crew member, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) boarded the ship the next day. Little evidence emerged. But those on the island of Curaçao all seemed to have a disturbing interaction with her. A taxi man said he saw her frantic, asking for a phone, but going in the opposite direction of one. A man on vacation saw her looking fearful with a strange man. Another woman ran into her in a bathroom seven years later, being strong-armed by two men. 

Sex trafficking is a horrible reality for many women, and all the signs point to it being the new world Amy lives in. So how could a white woman of a decent background get lost in the system of soot? Her sexual orientation seems to be the answer. Amy presented in a way that signified her identity. While she wasn’t waving a pride flag, 1998 was a time of assumptions. As loving as her family seemed, even they had a period of disappointment after learning of her queerness. Her father, Ron Bradley, spoke on his initial reactions to Amy coming out during the documentary. “It’s Amy’s life. It wasn’t what we old chose for her. But it’s her life.”

It’s possible Netflix saw this opportunity to raise awareness or stretch the laws of the white woman syndrome. No matter the decision, Amy Bradley is etched in the national consciousness. 

Do you think she jumped? Or did something more sinister happen, and she’s alive? Comment below!

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