What to Know
In the past several years, Netflix has exploded with true crime documentaries. The streaming service is a favorite among mystery lovers who might even want to help solve a decades-old crime. Taken: Natalee Holloway premiered on the service November 4, 2026, and quickly became must-see programming for true crime enthusiasts. The three-part series delves into Beth Holloway’s quest to learn what happened to her daughter and finally find justice.
Netflix’s Amy Bradley Is Missing takes a deep dive into the young woman’s 1998 disappearance from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Those who’ve watched both documentaries can’t help but notice similarities between the Holloway and Bradley cases.
Holloway and Bradley spent time in the same area before they disappeared.
Natalee Holloway, 18, traveled with a group of friends to Aruba in 2005 to celebrate their high school graduation but never made it home. In 1998, Amy Bradley, 23, disappeared from the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship not far from Aruba while on a cruise with her family. According to the documentaries, officials declared Bradley dead in 2010 and Holloway deceased in 2012, but they’ve never found either of their bodies. Holloway was last seen at a bar in Aruba, and Bradley’s father last saw his daughter on her cabin’s balcony.
No one ever found their bodies.
Holloway reportedly met Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe at Carlos’ and Charlie’s, a popular bar in Oranjestad, Aruba. Coincidentally, crew members from Bradley’s ship reportedly invited her to party with them at the same bar, but Bradley’s family claimed she declined the invitation. Aside from a similar location, authorities have never officially linked the Holloway and Bradley cases. A jawbone found by investigators in the Bradley case was tested for both women’s DNA, but it didn’t belong to either woman.
Holloway’s family got a bit of justice.
Police arrested Van der Sloot for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez in Peru. The 39-year-old is currently serving a 28-year sentence. Van der Sloot pleaded guilty in 2023 to federal charges of extorting and defrauding Beth Holloway in 2010. As part of the plea, he agreed to tell the truth about Holloway’s death and confessed to killing her. After he beat her to death on May 30, 2005, Van der Sloot pushed her body into the ocean.
Bradley’s family continues to fight for her.
Though she’s been missing for nearly 30 years, Bradley’s family maintains a website dedicated to the search and hope of one day learning what really happened to her. The family created a petition imploring lawmakers to mandate the “Amy Alert” on cruise ships. If a passenger goes missing, ships will lock down, perform cabin searches, and send out alerts. Bradley’s family believes this system would help other families avoid experiencing the same kind of pain they’ve felt for almost three decades.
“Mandating Amy Alert would improve response times for any potential crises onboard. It would prevent prolonged uncertainties for families and even save lives. Although the outcome might still have been tragic, a swift alert system would have saved the Bradley family years of heartache, conspiracy theories, and unanswered questions,” the family shared. “Amy Alert is about prevention, protection, and accountability. We Need Lawmakers to Act. Millions of people travel by cruise every year.”
READ NEXT: Mysterious Amy Bradley Case Has Surge of ‘New Tips’ Following Popular Netflix Series
