A 14-year-old boy vanished in the Caribbean — the man who went with him returned alone, and one detail his mother noticed is turning the entire case upside down
A Michigan teenager vanished without a trace in the Caribbean after going jet-skiing with a man his family had met while on vacation.
The Caribbean has an alarmingly extensive record of unexplained disappearances, and Max DeVries is among them. The Brighton youth vanished off the coast of Aruba in May 2005.
Strangely, the man came back, but Max did not. Despite an extensive search effort, Max was never found, with Aruban authorities deciding he was lost at sea.
His mother, Yvonne, however, became convinced that foul play was involved. Max was a popular boy who loved being on the water. It comes after a babysitter was accused of beating a girl to death during potty training in a separate incident.
Heartbreak came when his father George died from a heart attack on November 10, 2002, reports the Daily Star.
The holiday ended in horror (Image: Family Handout)
Understanding her son’s love for water sports, Yvonne chose to raise her children’s spirits by taking them on a Caribbean getaway. The island of Aruba, with its abundant, pristine waters and family-oriented amenities, appeared to be the ideal location for the DeVries family.
Throughout their visit, they also became friendly with two other American tourists, who identified themselves as a father and his adopted son. The men accompanied the DeVries family for parasailing and subsequently jet-skiing.
Max was captivated. The older man suggested taking him on another jet-skiing excursion.
Though hesitant initially, Yvonne consented after the man pledged to cover the rental cost.
His mother suspects foul play (Image: Family Handout)
Yet, while they were only meant to be away for 45 minutes, over an hour elapsed. Aruban authorities launched a maritime search that eventually found the older man, but Max was never found.
The man claimed both watercraft had stalled, causing Max to fall overboard and disappear from view. However, Yvonne remained unconvinced.
In 2024, Yvonne told the Kitchen Table Research podcast the older man “had scratches on his neck, on his arm, and on his hand. And I knew right away that those were Max’s defensive scratch marks.”
Several theories have since circulated online. A background check uncovered the older man had previously been arrested in California for crimes against children, fueling concerns that Max may have been the victim of a sexual crime or assault.
During the search for Max at sea, police knocked on the door of the room where the man was reportedly staying, but received no response.
According to Yvonne, the man appeared unexpectedly just as his father was heading back to shore. The son claimed he had been inside his room, raising questions about why he had not heard the knocking.
There are notable similarities to the case of Amy Lynn Bradley, who vanished from a cruise ship in the Caribbean in March 1998. Given that the vessel was near Curaçao’s coastline at the time, debate continues over whether Amy was covertly removed from the ship and trafficked.
Max had recently lost his dad (Image: Family Handout)
Several investigators and family-hired experts have theorized that Max may have been trafficked, though none have uncovered sufficient evidence to substantiate the claim. The FBI launched an investigation into Max DeVries’ disappearance, but closed the case in 2008, reportedly to reallocate resources toward counter-terrorism efforts.
Despite this, the FBI has never resumed its investigation into Max’s disappearance.
Yvonne is now calling on the FBI to reopen Max’s case, hopeful that doing so would finally allow the family to take meaningful steps toward uncovering the truth about what happened to Max on that fateful day in Aruba.
Meanwhile, parents drove 62 miles with their ‘sleeping’ son in the backseat before realizing the horrific truth.
SOURCE: DAILY EXPRESS
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/213928/boy-14-vanished-aruba-family-vacation-after-jet-skiing-stranger
