🕵️♂️ The Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley: Did Scientology Play a Role? 🚢
The disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley remains one of the most haunting unsolved mysteries to ever take place aboard a cruise ship. A vibrant, athletic 23-year-old from Virginia, Amy vanished without a trace on March 24, 1998, while on a family vacation aboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas. Her family boarded the cruise excited for a tropical getaway. Instead, they returned home with a lifetime of questions and heartbreak. 💔
Now, 27 years later, Amy’s brother, Brad Bradley, has taken to social media to share a chilling theory — one that implicates the Church of Scientology and its sea vessel, the Freewinds. His claims are stirring public interest, yet few major media outlets have dared to touch the story. 🧩
The night before Amy disappeared, March 23, 1998, during the pool party before we went to the dance club, Amy was talking to two black women in matching uniforms off to the side for close to an hour. The uniforms were not Royal Caribbean uniforms. They had on navy blue knee length skirts and lighter blue, button-up oxford shirts. Remember that.
My parents walked over to them to let Amy know they were going to bed. When they walked up, the two ladies, who had appeared very friendly during their conversation with Amy, did not speak or introduce themselves when my parents came over.
We do not know who these women were. The FBI says they are aware of who they are, but would never share any information regarding them with us.
The next afternoon, we got off of the ship to stay in a hotel on the canal in case Amy were to be found in the water, which she was not.
Late, on the night of March 24, 1998, we were in the hotel room on Curaçao. We were not in good shape. My mom asked the president of my dad’s company, who had gotten off of the ship with his wife to help us, to please help find a priest who could come pray with us. They were not able to find a priest.
Around midnight, two Scientology officers knocked on our door and introduced themselves as officers from the ship Freewinds. The Freewinds is Scientology’s Sea Org ship, headquartered in Curaçao. They told us that they assist people who are grieving and suffering loss through various methods.
They explained their ways and went on to ask us very specific things about Amy. “Does she smoke? What are her favorite cigarettes? Does she drink? What is her favorite beer? What are her favorite snacks?,” etc. This went on for a while and, at the time, we went along, assuming it was a way to process our grief. The interaction, or interview, went on for an hour or so until my dad asked them to leave. They invited us aboard their ship for whatever reason, but we politely declined. I am not claiming I know they were involved, but they left our room having learned a lot of specific details about Amy’s favorite things which, in retrospect, has been suspicious to us ever since.
Over the next couple weeks after returning home to Virginia, I did a lot of research about Scientology, the Freewinds, Sea Org, etc. and found that the uniforms of some of the staff on the Freewinds MATCHED what the two black ladies that Amy was talking to the night before were wearing.
I believe it is possible that those ladies boarded our ship with the group of performers and a large entourage of people that boarded the ship in Aruba that night. I believe it is possible that they were Sea Org recruiters that coerced/convinced Amy to meet them in the morning for a tour of the Freewinds. I believe it is possible that she agreed, she went, and then was not able to get back off of their ship.
The Freewinds was docked adjacent to the Rhapsody of the Seas (our ship) on Curaçao that day, a couple hundred feet away.
If you have ever done any research about this organization, you will hear of people being held against their will, forced worked duty, isolation, and so on. The Freewinds goes back and forth between Curaçao, Aruba, and Barbados. Amy was reportedly sighted in all of these places.
There is a shopping center bathroom sighting in Bridgetown, Barbados highlighted in the series. The Freewinds docks in Bridgetown when it goes to Barbados.
Amy was reportedly seen in San Francisco, CA at Pier 39 (which was not discussed in the docuseries) and there’s a Church of Scientology 2 miles from that sighting.
One of the first sightings was at Porto Marie Beach on Curaçao. As I mentioned earlier, the Freewinds/Sea Org is headquartered in Curaçao.
I realize that this theory is contrary to some of the predominate theories and sightings, but it has haunted me for 27 years and we have never been able to get any news organization, media outlets, or the FBI to pay any attention to it.
March 23, 1998: The night before Amy vanished, she was seen at a shipboard party speaking with two Black women in navy blue uniforms — not matching Royal Caribbean attire. Amy’s brother, Brad, says they were deep in conversation for nearly an hour. 🧍🏽♀️🧍🏽♀️
Later that night: Amy returns to the cabin with her brother Brad. He falls asleep, and Amy is last seen on the balcony around 5:30 AM.
March 24, 1998: Amy is missing. The ship docks in Curaçao. Security is notified, but passengers are allowed to disembark before a full search is completed. ❌🛳️
Days later: The Bradleys begin a frantic search, speaking to authorities, the FBI, and anyone who will listen. No clear answers emerge. 🚨
👁️ Brad Bradley’s Shocking New Claims
In a viral post shared in July 2025, Brad recounted a series of unsettling events from the days following Amy’s disappearance:
➡️ The night Amy vanished, the women she spoke to wore uniforms that Brad now believes matched those of Scientology’s Sea Org, specifically the Freewinds, which was docked near their ship in Curaçao. 🧳
➡️ The next evening, two officers from the Freewinds knocked on their hotel room door, claiming to offer grief support. But instead of comforting the family, they asked very specific personal questions about Amy:
Does she smoke? 🚬
What are her favorite drinks? 🍺
Snacks? Cigarettes? Brands she preferred? 🍫
Brad says this “interview” lasted over an hour and felt more like intelligence gathering than compassion. The officers even invited the family to visit the Freewinds, which they declined. 🛑
🧵 Brad’s Theory: A Covert Recruitment Gone Wrong?
After doing his own digging, Brad discovered that the Sea Org’s recruitment tactics have long been criticized for being coercive and secretive. He now believes it’s possible that:
The two women Amy was talking to were Sea Org recruiters.
They convinced Amy to meet them early the next morning for a tour of the Freewinds.
Amy may have gone willingly, curious or intrigued — but was then unable to leave. 😱
📍 Sightings Across the Caribbean and Beyond
Over the years, there have been multiple unconfirmed sightings of Amy in:
Curaçao – at Porto Marie Beach, shortly after her disappearance 🏖️
Barbados – in a shopping center bathroom 🛍️
San Francisco, CA – near Pier 39, close to a Church of Scientology center 🌁
All of these locations are connected to the Freewinds’ sailing routes. 🧭
🚨 A Plea for Answers
Brad says the FBI has never disclosed the identity of the women Amy spoke to that night — though he believes the agency knows who they are. Even after nearly three decades, no major outlet has investigated this Scientology angle seriously.
Brad is now asking for former Sea Org members to come forward and help uncover the truth. 🙏
🔁 Brad Bradley Recants His Theory After Speaking to Ex-Scientology Members
In the days following his viral Twitter thread suggesting Amy Lynn Bradley may have been taken aboard the Scientology ship Freewinds, Brad Bradley received a wave of responses from both concerned supporters and former members of the Church of Scientology. What followed was a series of conversations that would ultimately change his mind. 🧠💬
Brad personally spoke with prominent ex-Scientologists including Aaron Levin-Smith, Tony Ortega, Claire Headley, and Valeska Paris — all of whom had deep, firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of Sea Org and the Freewinds.
🛑 Each of them strongly refuted the possibility that Amy could have been taken aboard the Freewinds or recruited into Scientology. Claire Headley, who held a high-ranking position on the ship at the time Amy disappeared, told Brad that she remembers nothing unusual during that time — no sightings, no rumors, and no mention of Amy. Valeska Paris, who was also on board then, echoed the same sentiment.
However, all agreed that it was highly unusual that two Sea Org members approached the Bradley family in their hotel room the night after Amy’s disappearance. While Brad originally viewed this encounter as suspicious, the former insiders explained that this type of contact — though deeply uncomfortable — may have been part of Scientology’s grief counseling protocol. The goal, they said, was likely to offer support in line with the church's internal methods. 🕯️
In a heartfelt update posted on July 21, 2025, Brad shared:
“I hate that my alternate theory to the ones that predominate may have been off base and cast dispersions on Scientology unjustifiably, and I want to apologize if my long-held suspicions were simply untrue.”
He went on to express gratitude for those who reached out and helped him find peace with a theory that had haunted him for decades:
“I have been languishing over this theory for years and it is nice to finally get some level of satisfaction through answers to many questions that have gone unanswered for so many years.”
Brad concluded that the likelihood of Amy being taken onto the Freewinds or into Scientology is now, in his words, “close enough to zero to put it to bed.” 😔
Though this theory may no longer be in play, Brad’s public journey reflects the emotional toll that cold cases take on loved ones — and the power of community, conversation, and hard truths in the pursuit of answers. 💔🔍
This theory may not align with the mainstream narrative. But for a family that's lived in agony for 27 years, every lead matters. TheColdCases.com stands with the Bradley family in seeking answers, justice, and most of all — the truth.
Amy Lynn Bradley was not just a name. She was a beloved daughter, sister, and friend. Her story deserves to be heard — and never forgotten. 🕯️
📣 Have information? Know someone who served on the Freewinds or Sea Org in 1998? Please reach out. Share this story. Spread awareness. Someone out there knows what happened.
I can offer some context on the ship culture at the time. I worked in HR on cruise ships for 20+ years, and this case brings up a lot of sad memories as I worked on the ship mentioned and many others. I have written about my experiences here . It is my perspective on what cruise ship culture is really like and how nefarious things can happen when an industry is legally protected from all angles.
I can offer some context on the ship culture at the time. I worked in HR on cruise ships for 20+ years, and this case brings up a lot of sad memories as I worked on the ship mentioned and many others. I have written about my experiences here . It is my perspective on what cruise ship culture is really like and how nefarious things can happen when an industry is legally protected from all angles.
wattsh.substack.com