A Michigan teenager vanished in the Caribbean after going jet-skiing with a man his family met during their holiday. Max DeVries, from Brighton, disappeared off the coast of Aruba in May 2005. The man he was with returned, but Max did not. Despite a comprehensive search, Max was never found, and Aruban authorities concluded he was lost at sea.
Mother suspects foul play
Max's mother, Yvonne, became convinced foul play was involved. Max was a well-liked boy who loved the sea. Tragedy struck when his father, George, died of a heart attack on 10th November 2002. To lift her children's spirits, Yvonne took them on a Caribbean holiday to Aruba, chosen for its clear waters and child-friendly facilities.
During the stay, they befriended two fellow American tourists who introduced themselves as a father and his adopted son. The men joined the family for parasailing and later jet-skiing. The older man offered to take Max on another jet-skiing adventure. Yvonne agreed after the man promised to pay the rental fee. They were expected to be gone 45 minutes, but more than an hour passed.
Search and unanswered questions
Aruban authorities launched a sea search, finding the man but not Max. The man claimed both machines stalled, causing Max to fall off and drift out of sight. Yvonne had doubts. In 2024, on the Kitchen Table Research podcast, she said the 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.”
A background check revealed the man had been arrested in California for crimes against children, sparking fears Max may have been a victim of a sex crime or assault. During the sea search, police knocked on the door of the man's room but got no answer. The man appeared unexpectedly as his father returned to shore, saying he had been in his room, raising questions about why he hadn't heard the knocking.
Parallels and investigation status
There are parallels to the case of Amy Lynn Bradley, who disappeared from a cruise ship near Curaçao in March 1998. Some investigators and the family have thought Max may have been trafficked, but no evidence has backed this theory. The FBI began investigating but dropped the case in 2008, allegedly to redirect resources to counter-terrorism. The FBI never resumed the investigation.
Yvonne is asking the FBI to reopen Max's case. Only then might the family take definitive action toward discovering what truly happened to Max that tragic day in Aruba.
