Amy Bradley disappearance given renewed attention as FBI issues new appeal

The FBI is once again pushing for information on the whereabouts of missing cruise ship passenger Amy Bradley.

Bradley vanished into thin air 28 years ago, during a seven-day Royal Caribbean International cruise with her family.

Following a night of partying, the Petersburg, Virginia local was last seen by her father, Ron, on the balcony of her cabin in the early hours of 24 March 1998, as the vessel continued on its voyage to the tropics. Within 30 minutes of being spotted, she'd disappeared.

Early theories that she'd either fallen overboard or taken her own life were quickly disproved by a lack of both physical evidence and data.

In the years that followed, possible sightings of Bradley have been reported in Curaçao, Barbados, and San Francisco - none of which investigators were able to corroborate.

These rumours also fuelled speculation that she might have been abducted by criminal groups or trafficked.

The case that has baffled investigators for almost three decades was given renewed attention last year, when Netflix released a three-part true crime documentary based on Bradley's disappearance.

In the harrowing series, Amy Bradley Is Missing, several people previously close to Bradley were asked to share their theories on where she could be.

Around the time of the documentary's release, the FBI announced the promise of a $25,000 for information leading to Bradley's recovery, 'and information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance'.

The appeal was recently reshared (Instagram/@fbimostwanted)

This plea was re-emphasised by officers last week, who shared a fresh appeal on Instagram that featured several computer-generated images of what Bradley, who'd be 52 years of age, might look like to this day.

The FBI's website also contains descriptions of Bradley's several tattoos.

"A Tasmanian Devil spinning a basketball on her shoulder; the sun on her lower back; a Chinese symbol on her right ankle; and a Gecko lizard on her navel," the description reads. "She also has a navel ring."

Last month, her brother Brad told NewsNation that, despite his sister being declared legally dead in absentia in 2010, her family still maintain a hope that 'doesn't go away'.

Brad recently discussed his sister's disappearance (Netflix)

"As unrealistic as it may be to some people, it’s possible that she’s still alive and still out there," Bradley's brother explained. "It’s just a gut feeling.

"My parents and I have shared the same feeling ever since Day 1…I don’t know how to explain that to people or make it make sense to everybody."

Brad has long backed the theory that Bradley was taken against her will.

He added: "We believe she was targeted, we believe she was taken, and we believe she was removed from the ship."