With the explosion of social media in the past 10 years, communication has peaked. We read about everything from a spike in gas prices, Kim Kardashian's new outfit, kidnapping, rape and murder. But what happens when a person goes missing and is never found? Below are three of the more famous unsolved missing-person cases that continue to baffle investigators.
Madeline McCann (missing since May 3, 2007 at age 3)
Madeline McCann disappeared from her bed in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her family and friends were vacationing from the U.K. Her parents, who were out dining while she slept, were initially deemed suspects, but were later cleared in the case. The international media coverage of the case was extensive and likened that of a media circus. Madeline was on the cover of People magazine in May 2007, the subject of extensive Twitter posts and Youtube inquiries, on the cover of Britain’s Sky News almost every day for six months and was featured in Portugal’s tabloid "Correio da Manhã" 384 times among other news outlets.
Natalie Holloway (missing since May 30, 2005 at age 18)
The disappearance of Natalie Holloway while in Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation remains unsolved. She was last seen with local Aruba residents Joran van der Sloot, and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. The men, who were arrested multiple times in connection with the case, were never charged due to lack of evidence, and she remains missing. Exactly five years to the day of the disappearance of Natalie Holloway, Joran was arrested, charged and later convicted in Peru of the murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, and upon his release in the year 2038 he will be extradited to the United States to face extortion charges in connection with the Natalie Holloway case. The case was covered extensively by both Nancy Grace and Greta van Horn.
Amy Lynn Bradley (missing since March 24,1998 at age 23)
Amy disappeared leaving no trace on the early morning hours of March 24, 1998, while on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Sea headed from Puerto Rico to Curacao. A recent college graduate, Amy was on the ship with her mother, father and brother and is believed to have gone missing sometime in the early morning hours while leaving her cabin to smoke a cigarette. An exhaustive search of the ship and sea proved fruitless. Amy has several tattoos including a Tasmanian devil spinning a basketball on her shoulder. Two Canadian tourists believe they saw her in late 1998 with unidentified men on a beach in Curacao and a member of the Navy believes to have seen her in a brothel in 1999. Neither sighting has been substantiated. There is no evidence she either left the ship or went overboard and her disappearance remains a mystery. The case was profiled by "Americas Most Wanted and Vanished" with renewed coverage with the disappearance of Natalie Holloway.
