Topline
Police in the Caribbean nations of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines said that Ralph Hendry and Kathleen Brandel, two American retirees who lived on their yacht named “Simplicity,” were likely killed after being thrown overboard when their vessel was hijacked by three escaped prisoners—but police have only detailed limited evidence about their tragic disappearance.
Key Facts
In separate press conferences on Monday, police in both Grenada and St. Vincent said they believe that Ralph Hendry and Kathleen Brandel were both killed somewhere in the 80 miles of ocean between the two nations.
However, searches by the Coast Guards of both Caribbean nations have found neither of their bodies.
Grenadan Police Commissioner Don McKenzie said the investigation was ongoing and his information was still “quite limited,” but evidence suggests that the three Grenadan escapees “disposed of the occupants” before arriving in St. Vincent.
St. Vincent Police Superintendent Junior Simmons said investigators found evidence of “several criminal acts” onboard the yacht—the couple’s belongings were strewn across the ship’s deck, and a “red substance that resembled blood” was found in the cabin.
The three suspects have been charged with immigration offenses in St. Vincent, but so far have not been charged with Hendry’s or Brandel’s murder.
Key Background
Police in Grenada identified the escaped convicts as Ron Mitchell, 30, Trevon Robinson, 25, and Atiba Stanislaus, 23, who were being held on charges of violent robbery and rape. They escaped custody from the South St. George’s police station on Sunday, February 18. Police in Grenada are still investigating how exactly the three suspects were able to escape the police station, which Commissioner McKenzie said the force would “hold persons accountable” for the incident. The next day, the three escaped prisoners commandeered the Simplicity docked near the picturesque Grand Anse Beach, using the small craft to travel about 80 miles to St. Vincent. Police in St. Vincent believe the three convicts entered the country on Monday, February 19, docking the stolen yacht on the southern coast of its largest island. The trio of fugitives was finally taken into custody by Vincentian police on February 21, and the Simplicity was discovered empty the same day.
Tangent
The couple’s sons, Bryan Hendry and Nick Buro told NBC Washington that their parents’ disappearance was “completely unexpected.” Hendry and Brandel were both retired and sold their home in Virginia over a decade ago to live full time on their yacht. Buro told the station that they were world travelers and experienced sailors, noting that “Simplicity was their home.” Hendry and Brandel were longtime members of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, and recently completed a sailing rally with the club from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua. “In all my years of cruising the Caribbean, I have never heard of anything like this,” the organization’s president Bob Osborn said in a statement on Saturday.
