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Boy, 14, disappeared on a family holiday jet skiing and was never seen again

Max DeVries was just 13 when he vanished off the coast of Aruba while jet-skiing, and his mother remains convinced that foul play was involved after the man he went with returned alone

[Max had recently lost his dad]

Max had recently lost his dad(Image: Family Handout)

A Michigan teenager mysteriously disappeared in the Caribbean after he went jet-skiing with a man his family had encountered during their holiday.

The Caribbean has a worryingly long history of unexplained disappearances, and Max DeVries is one of them. The Brighton boy disappeared off the coast of Aruba in May 2005.

Bizarrely the man returned, but Max did not. Despite a comprehensive search operation, Max was never found, with Aruban authorities concluding that he was lost at sea.

However, his mother, Yvonne, became convinced that there was foul play involved. Max was a well-liked boy who adored being at sea. Tragedy struck, however, when his father George passed away from a heart attack on 10th November 2002.

Aware of her son's passion for water sports, Yvonne decided to lift her children's spirits by taking them on a holiday to the Caribbean. The island of Aruba, with its plentiful, crystal-clear waters and child-friendly facilities, seemed the perfect destination for the DeVries family.

[Max was a well-loved boy who loved the sea]

Max was a well-loved boy who loved the sea(Image: Family Handout)

During their stay, they even befriended two fellow American tourists, who introduced themselves as a father and his adopted son. The men joined the DeVries family for parasailing and later jet-skiing.

Max, who was hooked. The older man offered to take him on another jet-skiing adventure. Although unsure at first, Yvonne agreed after the man promised to pay the rental fee.

However, although they were only supposed to be gone for 45 minutes, more than an hour passed.

Aruban authorities initiated a sea search that eventually meant the older man was found but not Max. The man claimed that both machines had stalled in the water, causing Max to fall off and drift out of sight. Yet, Yvonne had doubts.

[His mother suspects foul play]

His mother suspects foul play(Image: Family Handout)

In 2024, Yvonne revealed on the Kitchen Table Research podcast that 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.

Various theories have emerged online. A background check revealed that the older man had been arrested in California for crimes against children, sparking fears that Max may have been a victim of a sex crime or assault.

During the sea search for Max, police knocked on the door of the room where the man was supposedly staying, but received no answer.

According to Yvonne, the man appeared unexpectedly just as his father was returning to shore. The son said he had been in his room, so a question arose about why he hadn't heard the knocking.

[The holiday ended in horror]

The holiday ended in horror(Image: Family Handout)

There are also some parallels to the case of Amy Lynn Bradley, who disappeared from a cruise ship in the Caribbean in March 1998. Since the vessel was close to Curaao's coastline at the time, there is an ongoing debate about whether Amy was secretly removed from the ship and trafficked

Some investigators and the family have hired thought that Max may have been trafficked but none have found enough evidence back this theory up.

The FBI did start investigating Max DeVries' disappearance, but dropped the case in 2008. This was allegedly to redirect resources towards counter-terrorism efforts.

Nevertheless, the FBI never resumed investigating Max's disappearance.

Yvonne ais asking the FBI to reopen Max's case. Only then might the family finally be able to take definitive action towards discovering what truly occurred to Max that tragic day in Aruba.

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