‘I still feel a great sadness’: 28 years later, Amy Lynn Bradley’s disappearance is still unsolved

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- March 24 marks 28 years since Amy Lynn Bradley, a 23-year-old Central Virginia woman, disappeared while on a Caribbean cruise with her family. In 2026, the case remains unsolved.

Bradley, who was born in Petersburg and raised in Chesterfield, vanished in 1998. Despite decades of questions and theories, those closest to her said this anniversary feels different.

"I still feel a great amount of sadness, but maybe, the sadness has kind of moved, maybe to a place of closure and a place of acceptance," said Sarah Luck -- Amy's college suitemate and close friend.

Luck said the past 28 years have been difficult. The uncertainty surrounding Bradley’s disappearance has weighed heavily on her family and friends, leaving a void that cannot be filled.

"I was actually on a work trip, so it wasn't until a number of days later that I actually found out. And when I got home, my mom said, ‘Sarah, I have something to tell you,’" she said.

Last year, a Netflix documentary about Bradley came out. Luck said the experience has helped her process grief and find some measure of acceptance.

"For 27 years, I pushed it away. Pushed it away, push it away because it was hard and it hurt and it made me sad. But then over this last year, specifically being around my group of friends [for the Netflix documentary] and being to laugh at being able to laugh about things, now there’s a happiness that I can talk about," Luck said.

This anniversary, she said, is about remembering Bradley for the person she was, not just the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

"She loved her family. She loved her friends. Immensely. And that's like, what I want to celebrate," Luck said.

Though Bradley has now been gone longer than her loved ones got to know her, they said the bond remains strong.

"I love her, and I miss her… thank you for the laughs, for the lesson that she taught me was to love hard. And because Amy was loved hard, she loved all of us really well. And I got the lesson," Luck said.

Even after nearly three decades, Bradley’s family and friends continue to honor her memory.