6 Marie Empress was a British actress who went missing from an ocean liner in 1919, just before it was set to dock in New York. She was last seen by a stewardess who had brought her a glass of water and is presumed to have died after falling overboard. Since she was primarily known for her “vamp” roles on stage and in films, the press initially portrayed her disappearance as a publicity stunt. However, in 1921, the authorities had her officially declared dead. 

In October 1919, the British actress, Marie Empress, was on a cruise aboard the SS Ordūna. Days before it docked at New York, she went missing from the ship, likely having gone overboard.

That evening, a stewardess had brought her a glass of water at 6:30 p.m., but when she returned at 9:30 p.m. with dinner, Ms. Empress was nowhere to be seen. The next morning, her dinner was found to have been untouched, suggesting that she had gone missing.

Since Ms. Empress was notorious for playing “vamp” roles throughout her career, her disappearance was initially treated as a publicity stunt. Newspapers spread the rumor that she had not disappeared but simply disembarked from the ship in disguise.

However, in November 1921, her final will and testament were approved and announced by the authorities. As a result, she was officially presumed to have died at sea. (1, 2)

Advertisements

7 The 1998 disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley is one of the most elusive missing person cases in recent history. On the morning of 24 March, Bradley disappeared from a cruise ship somewhere near Curacao after a night of drinking and partying with crew members. Later, due to numerous reports of possible sightings, authorities theorized that she may have been a victim of human trafficking and is likely still alive. 

In 1998, Amy Lynn Bradley was on vacation with her parents and brother aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas when she mysteriously disappeared. On 24 March, she and her brother had just returned from a night of partying at the ship’s disco.

They then sat on their room’s balcony until about 5:30 a.m. after which they parted ways. Bradley was last seen using the elevator to go to the top deck, carrying just her room key, some cigarettes, and a lighter. 

Her family realized she was missing at about 6:00 a.m. when the ship was preparing to dock at Curacao. The cruise line’s immediate response to her disappearance was criticized after her parents claimed that they did not heed their request to not let people off the ship.

Since the ship was quite close to the shore at this time, authorities believe that she could not have fallen overboard and is likely a victim of human trafficking. (1, 2)

8 On 22 March 2011, a Disney Wonder crew member named Rebecca Coriam was reported missing during a cruise when she failed to report for work. Prior to her disappearance, the ship’s CCTV cameras had caught her having an emotionally distressed call on the ship’s internal phones. That was the last time she is said to have been seen by her colleagues, and her whereabouts since the phone call still remain a mystery.

In 2011, Rebecca Coriam was working as a crew member aboard Disney Wonder when she disappeared mysteriously on 22 March. She was reported missing a few hours after she failed to turn up for her shift, kicking off a ship-wide search for her. The ship’s crew then alerted the Mexican Coast Guard who conducted a search in the waters nearby, but she was nowhere to be found. 

Since the ship was registered in the Bahamas, the official investigation was carried out by a single Bahaman officer who later ruled the case “not suspicious.”

However, while reviewing CCTV footage on the ship, Ms. Coriam was spotted having an emotionally distressing phone call with a colleague, leading to numerous speculations of suicide and love triangles. Sadly, the case remains unsolved even today, with Disney’s official stance being that it was an accident. (1, 2)

9 Tammy Grogan and her family were aboard the cruise ship Imagination in 2006 when she went missing without a trace. The official investigation is said to have turned up several suspicious details, such as the presence of Rohypnol in Grogan’s glass and unreliable statements from her family. However, years later, this case continues to remain unsolved. 

On 11 September 2006, Tammy Grogan disappeared from aboard the Imagination while she was on a cruise with her family. A member of her family had approached the crew to report her missing early that morning.

Grogan was last seen by her family on 10 September, several hours after the ship had left Calica in Mexico. The ship immediately notified the concerned authorities and lent some members of its Special Assistance Team to aid in the investigation. 

Although it was initially thought to be an accident, investigations quickly turned up numerous pieces of evidence that suggested foul play. When officials had Grogan’s glass lab-tested, it proved to contain Rohypnol, the date-rape drug.

Also, Grogan’s son, Jimmy Fleischmann, had stated that he only returned once to the room he shared with his mother before she disappeared, but this did not corroborate with the electronic key card entries. Nevertheless, the case still remains unresolved. (1, 2)

10 In 1975, a 15-year-old boy named Rogelio Realme Cerda decided to go on a fishing trip with his friends and girlfriend only to go mysteriously missing at sea. According to his family, it was uncharacteristic of him to not tell them where he was going and that is proof that he actually ran away from home. This has prompted them to believe that he is still alive despite there being very little leads to his whereabouts.  

On 29 June 1975, 15-year-old Rogelio Realme Cerda disappeared mysteriously at sea. He had gone fishing with his girlfriend, Betty Jean, and a few others, having told his family that they were going to Corpus Christi, Texas. However, the group went to Bay City instead. 

According to Cerda’s family, it was uncharacteristic of him to not tell them where he was going, leading them to suspect foul play.

Upon further questioning, Cerda’s companions stated that he, Betty Jean, and another friend had gone swimming and been swept about 300 yards offshore after being caught in an undertow. While the other two were rescued later, Cerda was nowhere to be found. 

Soon after the incident, the family began receiving several strange calls which they believed were from Cerda. As a result, despite the official conclusion that he had drowned, his family held onto the belief that he was still alive. Sadly, the case continues to remain unsolved to this day. (1, 2)