Caribbean, Ralph & Cathy, US Citizens, catamaran yacht ‘Simplicity’ stolen & found Walliabou Bay, Granada. Occupants missing, 21 Feb 24.

[Chimera]

Two Americans presumed dead after Grenada jail escapees hijacked yacht

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel had been sailing on their catamaran yacht 'Simplicity' and are believed to be dead following the incident last Sunday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

An American couple are feared dead after three prisoners who escaped from custody in Grenada hijacked their yacht.

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel had been sailing on their catamaran yacht 'Simplicity' and are believed to be dead following the incident last Sunday.

The couple, from Virginia, had been sailing around the Caribbean island and had docked near Saint George when it was taken.
AIS data indicates that the vessel left Grenada around 10 pm from Grand Anse Beach before it was discovered the following Wednesday.

The St Vincent Times reported that the boat was found with bloodstains on the interior, but no sign of the couple.
Local police released a statement on Thursday confirming that the three escapees had been caught.
Horrifying.
Glad the suspects were caught.
I believe this couple to have been thrown overboard after their deaths.
This is reminiscent of the murders of Thomas and Jackie Hawks.

A receipt from Target, a stolen car in Mexico and a third unsolved murder: Investigation into yacht murder of California couple

Tom Hawks worked for decades to achieve his dream of living on a boat with his wife Jackie. Then, complete strangers to the couple took it all away.

abcnews.go.com

Nowhere is ever really safe.
As if being killed wasn't bad enough :
While all were charged jointly with one count of robbery with violence, Mitchell was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault and causing harm.

Rest in peace, Ralph and Kathy !

 

[StillDiggin]

Two sailors whose catamaran yacht ‘Simplicity‘ was stolen from Grand Anse Beach in Grenada and discovered near Walliabou Bay, St. Vincent, are still unaccounted for, and an investigation has been opened.

The vessel was commandeered by three Grenadians who were captured on Wednesday, February 21, in Petit Bordel, St. Vincent, after they escaped from Grenada police custody on February 19.

The sailors and owners of the ‘Simplicity’ who were only known as “Ralph and Cathy,” have since vanished, and Grenadian authorities now think they are dead.

Yacht Theft Turns Dark: Sailors Presumed Dead in Caribbean

Grenadian Escapees Recaptured in St. Vincent and the Grenadines Yacht owners feared dead after escapees recaptured Stole

www.stvincenttimes.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An American couple has gone missing in the Caribbean after three escaped prisoners allegedly used their yacht to island hop before getting recaptured by authorities, according to investigators.

Ralph Hendry and his wife Kathy Brandel disappeared from their yacht, Simplicity, which was docked in the waters of the southern Caribbean nation of Grenada, Hendry's sister, Suellen Desmarais, told ABC News.

Police have not confirmed the identity and nationality of the couple but are investigating the incident.

Hendry and Brandel were last seen alive by their boating neighbor at the dock on Sunday afternoon, according to Desmarais. The neighbor said he saw the couple entering a restaurant, Desmarais said.

"That man went to bed that night and he looked over and Simplicity was there when he went to bed," but when the neighbor "got up at 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning, Simplicity was gone," she told ABC News.

American couple missing in Caribbean after fugitives allegedly steal their yacht: Police

A couple who was vacationing in Grenada is now missing after three men escaped a police station and stole their boat before being re-captured days later, police allege.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Chimera]

Possible they are being held somewhere ?
The discovery of blood doesn't sound hopeful.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Suellen Desmarais says her brother Ralph Hendry and his wife are the two missing Americans in Grenada.

"This was their whole life, they didn't own another home, they didn't own cars they owned Simplicity," Desmarais said. "And when you were invited onto Simplicity, you were made to feel as magical as they were and as magical as that boat was."

Riding waves of emotion, she's trying to figure out what happened to the couple during this one-in-a-lifetime trip that was in the works for 12 years. They left for the island with a boating group from Virginia back in November.

"What happened in Grenada was a perfect storm. It was a perfect tragedy of a perfect storm of a perfect love story," Desmarais said. "They went into town to have a little bite and to walk back (on Sunday)," she said. "Somehow Ralph crossed paths in this teeny tiny town with these three men, what happened after that, we're not sure."

Couple with ties to Fort Pierce missing in Caribbean after yacht hijacked off Grenada

A Treasure Coast woman is keeping hope alive after she said her brother and sister-in-law vanished while living on their yacht in Grenada in the Caribbean.

www.wptv.com

 

[Warwick1991]

More about the missing people: Couple with ties to Fort Pierce missing in Caribbean after yacht hijacked off Grenada

The missing couple, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandal, had voyaged to the island of Grenada. Grenada is part of St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is an independent country in the eastern Caribbean. It is a parliamentary democracy. They still have ties to the UK, and King Charles III is their King.

Hendry and Brandal lived on their catamaran.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*duplicate thread

St. Vincent/Grenadines - Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel murdered, catamaran stolen by escaped prisoners -- killers apprehended.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13119081/retired-viriginia-couple-dead-grenada-inmates-escpape-stole-catamaran-identified.html#comments An American couple are feared dead after three prisoners who escaped from custody in Grenada hijacked their yacht. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel had...

www.websleuths.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A source confirmed to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that one of the men was shot during his apprehension and was treated in hospital for his injuries.

Meanwhile, Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN), which collects and disseminates information relating to crimes against yachts in the Caribbean, reported that a cruising catamaran that had been anchored off Grand Anse, Grenada, was found poorly anchored with a shredded jib off the coast of Wallilabou on the west coast of St Vincent on Tuesday.

“Upon inspection, it was found that the yacht had been ransacked, and it was apparent a violent act had taken place. Copious amounts of blood were found in the master stateroom, and the two owners were missing,” CSSN reported.

Police probe suspected murder of US sailors in Caribbean | Loop Caribbean News

Detectives from St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada on Friday combed a catamaran for evidence as they investigate the disappearance of two United States sailors. The sailors, whose names have not been released, are said to have been ab

caribbean.loopnews.com

 

[Chimera]

I just feel so horrified for this couple, Ralph and Cathy.
Most likely the chances they're alive and being held is slim to nothing, but Ralph's sister is holding on to hope !


What an adventure it must have been, to sail around like that !

How cruel to have this stolen from them.
I wish they could somehow persuade the perps to tell where they put this lovely couple -- if they're no longer with us.
At least a recovery to lay them respectfully to rest.
They don't deserve to be in the ocean, if that's what happened.
Omo.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

Virginia couple feared dead as escaped prisoners hijack yacht in Caribbean

A retired Virginia couple are feared dead after their yacht was found abandoned and ransacked in the Caribbean

www.foxnews.com

 

[azure]

Grenada is part of St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is an independent country in the eastern Caribbean. It is a parliamentary democracy. They still have ties to the UK, and King Charles III is their King.

This is not correct. Grenada is an independent country and St. Vincent and the Grenadines is another, separate country. I visited both (by air) last spring and they are independently governed.

Grenada - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[azure]

Grenada is truly, unbelievably lovely. Grand Anse Beach is one of the main beaches on the island, surrounded by high dollar resorts. There is a large medical school in St. George with students from around the world, and the town feels very safe. I wandered all over the place by myself and as a younger woman traveling alone, the only place I was advised not to go alone was the night market. The crime rate in Grenada is low compared to other Caribbean islands and even to the US. This is a shocking crime, and certainly a very rare one for the country.

 

[Warwick1991]

Walliabou Bay, where the stolen boat was found, is on the island of St Vincent, part of St Vincent and the Grenadines. I visited St Vincent in 1979, and it was a beautiful island.

The boat had originally been anchored by the owners off Grenada. The criminals are apparently from Grenada. @azure is correct to note that Grenada is a separate country from St Vincent and the Grenadines. I recall now that Grenada was invaded by the US in 1983 after a Marxist coup overthrew the previous government.

There are 2 separate police agencies involved, and perhaps the US will offer assistance, as it appears that US citizens were likely murdered.

 

[BeachSky]

This reminds me of Thomas and Jackie Hawks who were killed for their yacht in CA by Skylar Deleon. He threw the couple overboard out to sea attached to the anchor. The couple never recovered.

Horrific
JMO

 

[BeachSky]

3242 - Assault Resulting in Death in Grenada - Grenada - Grand Anse - The Caribbean Safety and Security Net

Incident Date: 2024-02-18 at 22:00 Event Type: Assault Resulting in Death Stolen Items: entire yacht, personal items and dinghy Secured: Unknown Source Type: 1st Hand Report Incident Details: A cruising catamaran that had been anchored off Grand Anse, Grenada, was found poorly anchored with a...

safetyandsecuritynet.org

DETAILS: A cruising catamaran that had been anchored off Grand Anse, Grenada, was found poorly anchored with a shredded jib off the coast of Wallilabou, St. Vincent on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. Upon inspection it was found that the yacht had been ransacked, and it was apparent a violent act had taken place. Copious amounts of blood were found in the master stateroom, and the two owners were missing. Also missing (later recovered) was the yachts dinghy. Many personal items were also missing. Passports found onboard allowed authorities to make contact with the victims’ emergency contact

 

[StillDiggin]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/us/grenada-yacht-couple-missing/index.html

 

[Marysmith]

So sad.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The son of a missing couple believed to have been kidnapped or killed when prison escapees hijacked their yacht near Grenada said there was evidence on board to suggest a violent struggle that precipitated the pair’s disappearance. “The boat itself was ransacked, and everything was strewn about in the entire cabin,” Nick Buro, the son of Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, told CNN Sunday. “Clearly there was an altercation of some type that took place on the boat, which does indicate that we are concerned for their safety overall because it does appear that they were likely injured.”

Buro said his parents were veteran seafarers who sold their home to live on the yacht in semi-retirement. “It was their home. Everything they had, they owned, was on that boat. It was their life,” he said. The search effort is ongoing, though authorities in Grenada have said they’ve taken three men, all escaped prisoners, back into custody in connection with the incident. “We are doing our best to try and get answers to find out what is next in terms of hopefully finding them safely recovered somewhere on the islands,” Buro said. “But of course from the evidence that’s been found on the boat, we are concerned that there might be a possibility that they aren’t with us

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/25/us/grenada-yacht-couple-missing/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FCNN

 

[Chimera]

Three inmates suspected of killing Virginia couple appear in court

The three Grenadian inmates who are suspected of killing a Virginia couple- Trevon Robertson, Ron Mitchell and Atiba Stanislaus- were seen in court on Monday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Some footage of the accused (thieves and possibly murderers) perps at the link.
Cowards ... hiding their faces from reporter's cameras.

Sons of Virginia couple missing in Caribbean hold out hope their parents are found alive

As the search continues for a Virginia couple who disappeared in the Caribbean, 7News is hearing from the couple's children.

wjla.com

Their sons, Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry, speak out .

From the photos shared at the WJLA link, it looks like Ralph and Cathy are grandparents as well ?
How I wish for their kid's sakes they could be alive even if captive somewhere.
Omo.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“Information suggests that while traveling between Grenada and St Vincent, they disposed of the occupants,” McKenzie said.

He added that the information he could share was "quite limited" because the investigation is ongoing.

“The information I possess is limited and can be considered second-hand as I have had very limited discussions regarding the details of the investigation with my Vincentian counterpart,” McKenzie said.

Simmons added that the investigation so far has determined that while sailing from Grenada, the suspects committed several criminal acts, including bodily harm to the couple, and evidence on board points to violence.

"There was no discovery of bodies on board," said Simmons. "Several items were strewn on the deck, and in the cabin, a red substance that resembled blood was seen on board."

Escaped prisoners suspected of killing missing Virginia couple appear in court

The three escaped prisoners accused of killing a Virginia couple who disappeared from their yacht in the Caribbean appeared in court Monday.

abc45.com