#truecrimejunkie

[crimetime911]

The Toronto Van Attack

On April 23, 2018, Toronto's Yonge Street became the site of one of Canada’s deadliest vehicle-ramming attacks. In this gripping episode, Mel dissects how a rented van driven by Alek Minassian tragically transformed a familiar street into a scene of loss and outrage.

What You’ll Learn:

The horrifying timeline of the attack: 11 killed—nine of them women—and 15 injured, marking the worst vehicle-based mass killing in Canadian history.

The motivations debated: incel ideology and misogynist terrorism versus severe mental illness.

The legal outcome: Minassian was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

How the community rallied: from memorials to policy discussions, Mel explores the city’s emotional aftermath and search for healing.

Why Listen? This episode goes beyond the headlines—it unravels the ideology, the impact, and the resilience of a city forced to confront tragedy.

Content Warning: Features discussion of mass violence, terrorism, and death. Listener discretion is advised.

Subscribe & Join the Conversation: ► Listen on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more ► Subscribe for weekly explorations of Canadian true-crime mysteries ► Share your thoughts: How do communities heal after tragedies fueled by ideology?

[baby-garty]

The struggle is real!

[criminol]

The Unsolved Disappearance of Amy Lee Bradley

Amy Lynn Bradley was an American woman from Virginia, she had a degree in physical education and had previously worked as a lifeguard. Amy was reported missing from a Caribbean cruise in 1998 when she was 23 years old, her whereabouts remain unknown.

On 21st March 1998, Amy and her family boarded the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas. On the night of 23rd March 1998, Amy and her brother, Brad, went to a Mardi Gras nightclub party on the ship. Brad was recorded on the ship's lock system returning to their cabin at 3.35am and Amy 5 minutes later, Brad reported that they had sat on the balcony talking before Brad went to bed.

Between 5.15am and 5.30am Amy's father, Ron, woke up and went to check on his children, he saw Amy sleeping on the lounge chair on the balcony. When he later got up at 6am, Amy had vanished from the balcony so he began to search the ship. At 6.30am, Amy was reported missing. Delays in the crew searching for Amy and the investigation of the disappearance were thought to have lowered the chances of finding Amy. Passengers were also able to disembark before the search began.

Amy's case has been re-examined many times including being featured on America's Most Wanted. Despite reward money being offered, it remains a mystery what happened to Amy or where she went.

Initially, it was speculated that Amy may have fallen overboard, but this was soon discredited as Amy was a strong swimmer with lifeguard training.

The predominant theory of Amy's disappearance is that she was kidnapped and sold into the human trafficking industry. A professional photographer had printed photos taken throughout the cruise to sell at a stall but the photos taken of Amy were missing, leading her family to speculate someone had taken the photos. Further evidence for this theory came in January 1999, a when US Navy Officer claimed to have seen Amy at a brothel in Curaçao, he stated the woman had told him her name was Amy Bradley and that she was being held against her will. The man did not report the incident as he did not want his career to be damaged by him visiting a brothel. When the officer retired he saw Amy's picture in a magazine and reported the sighting to her family. In addition, an email was sent to the Bradley family containing two photographs of a woman who resembled Amy, it suggested Amy was sold into sex slavery.

Another theory was that Amy had been murdered on the ship for unknown reasons, an unidentified jawbone washed ashore in Aruba and there was speculation this may have been Amy's.