The mysterious disappearance of Amy Bradley, who vanished during a family cruise 27 years ago, has been thrust back into the public eye following a new Netflix documentary released this summer.
Amy, a 23 year old from Petersburg, Virginia, went missing on 24 March 1998 while aboard a cruise ship bound for Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island. There are numerous theories surrounding Amy's disappearance, including the tragic possibility that she either fell or intentionally jumped overboard, with her body never washing ashore.
However, others, including her own family, believe that Amy was a victim of sex trafficking and was secretly taken off the ship. Despite several reported sightings over the years, there has been no official confirmation that it was indeed Amy - and now, a Dutch expert in facial reconstruction has entered the debate. The report comes as police urgently hunt for three kids, 12-16, believed missing on camping trip.
Marcel van Adrichem, 60, has crafted a reconstruction of Amy's face to assist the Dutch police in the Antilles. The expert, who was previously asked by the Metropolitan Police to create a reconstruction of missing British girl Madeleine McCann, explained that he analyses bone structures and wrinkles, projects the ageing of teeth and studies the faces of parents and relatives to create a reconstruction of how a missing person might look today.
The reconstruction expert revealed to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: "I've been doing this work full-time for a few years now. I travel the world to help families and investigators with reconstructions. And I don't do it for recognition - I do it to help people. I'm a father myself. A missing child is the worst thing that can happen to any parent. There are no words for it.", reports the Mirror.
Mr Van Adrichem will shortly journey to the Antilles, where Amy vanished.
He explained to the publication: "On the left you see a photo of her at 23. I used that as my starting point. Today she would be 51, with grayer hair, aged teeth, looser skin on the neck, and more sunken eyes."
Whilst his reconstructions have yet to result in a breakthrough in any cold cases, the specialist pledged to continue as he emphasised the significance of circulating such images in hopes that a missing person is discovered, even after many years.
He said: "As long as no body has been found, there's always a chance someone is still alive.
"That's why it's vital to estimate what missing persons might look like today. Otherwise, we might walk right past them in the supermarket."
Netflix's documentary has ignited renewed fascination in the case, with Amy's family claiming they've been inundated with "thousands" of fresh leads, though she remains missing.
Certain viewers suspect Amy either fell or leapt overboard on the evening she vanished, whilst others theorise she may have become a victim of human trafficking.
Her relatives have consistently maintained their belief that she is still alive somewhere.
Her brother Brad considers this could be their last opportunity to discover what befell her, and is appealing to the public to share any information they might possess regarding Amy's location.
"We do think she's still alive," he said.
"My parents and I have always shared this gut feeling that she's still alive. And I know that to a lot of people, they can't relate to that feeling, but we're not going to stop feeling that way unless we're given a reason to."
He also verified that the FBI continues to probe the case, and that the Bradley family is collaborating closely with a private detective to uncover what happened to their cherished daughter and sister.
