Virginia couple feared dead after yacht hijacked in Caribbean

(NewsNation) — An American couple is missing and feared to be dead after police say their yacht was hijacked while they were on a Caribbean voyage.

While the family members of husband-and-wife Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel of Virginia are holding out hope, at the same time, they’re still preparing for the worst after hearing disturbing new details from investigators in the last couple of days.

Hendry and Brandel were killed after their yacht was stolen in Grenada by three prison escapees, the Royal Grenada Police Force said.

NewsNation affiliate WFLA reports that the Royal Grenada Police Force identified Ron Mitchell, 30, of Paradise, St. Andrew; Trevon Robertson, 19, of Paradise, St. Andrew; and Abita Stanislaus, 25, of Paradise, St. Andrew as suspects. All three men had been previously arrested on a robbery with violence charge and escaped a Grenada holding cell on Feb. 18, WFLA said.

Officials said the alleged yacht hijacking happened the day after the inmates fled. While the couple’s catamaran was spotted in St. Vincent, Brandel and Hendry were nowhere to be found. Information suggests the escaped inmates were traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent when they disposed of the victims’ bodies, Royal Grenada Police said.

“There was blood found on the boat, there were clear signs of a struggle, and their possessions were strewn all over the boat as well,” Nick Buro, the victims’ son, said.

According to Brandel and Hendry’s family, the three fugitives were captured less than a mile from where the couple’s yacht was found. The Royal Grenada Police Force says the three suspects are back in custody. State Department officials are aware of what happened and are coordinating with local law enforcement.

Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry had been married 27 years. WPTV writes they decided to spend the winter in Grenada instead of Fort Pierce, and that their boat had been named “Simplicity.”

“This was their whole life,” Suellen Desmarais, Hendry’s sister, told WPTV. ““They didn’t own another home. They didn’t own cars. They owned Simplicity, and when you were invited onto Simplicity, you were made to feel as magical as they were and as magical as that boat was.”

Desmarais said her son, as well as the couples’ sons, went to Grenda to identify items that might have belonged to Hendry and Brandel.

“This tragedy that happened, it’s not just losing Ralph and Kathy, it’s losing a way of life,” Desmarais said in an interview with WPTV. “It is losing our center. They were our whole center.”

NewsNation’s Jacqueline Hughes contributed to this article.