The American couple allegedly hijacked by escaped prisoners while on their yacht in Grenada were likely thrown overboard, police said today.
Information suggests the escapees "disposed of the occupants" while travelling between Grenada and St. Vincent, about 130km away, the commissioner said.
Still, police said they cannot conclusively confirm the current status or whereabouts of the couple, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry.
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In spite of a "low probability," they hope "they may turn up alive somewhere," Royal Grenada Police Force Commissioner Don McKenzie said.
The update comes as police in the Caribbean are investigating the disappearance of the American couple and as their family braces for the possibility "they aren't with us" after the violent scene suggests they may have been killed.
The Virginia couple, identified by their sailing club, were living out a long-held dream of cruising the Caribbean in their sailing yacht, Simplicity.
But the vessel was found abandoned Wednesday off the coast of St. Vincent with the husband and wife nowhere to be found.
Police said a trio of prisoners escaped from custody in Grenada last Sunday, February 18, and were recaptured three days later.
Evidence suggests the escapees hijacked the yacht and may have killed its two American occupants in St. George as they fled to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Royal Grenada Police Force said in a statement.
After the capture, a five-member team was dispatched from Grenada to collaborate with St. Vincent authorities for a "complete and thorough investigation," the commissioner said.
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Possibilities of bribes or collusion among police and the three escapees will be investigated, McKenzie said.
An investigation is underway to see if the escape was a "system failure" or if it "was a case that somebody did slip up," he said.
The suspects in the hijacking – Ron Mitchell, 30; Trevon Robertson, 19; and Abita Stanislaus, 25 – were cooperating with investigators, police said.
Prior to the escape, all three had been charged on suspicion of robbery with violence and Mitchell faced other charges, including rape and indecent assault.
'It was their home'
Brandel's son, Nick Buro, said he still hopes the couple will be found on a Caribbean island.
"The boat itself was ransacked and everything was strewn about in the entire cabin, so clearly there was an altercation of some type that took place on the boat," Buro said.
"We are concerned for their safety overall because it does appear that they were likely injured."
Wednesday, the day the abandoned boat was discovered, was Brandel's 71st birthday, Buro said. March 2 will be Ralph's 67th birthday, his son Bryan Hendry said.
Buro said his mother and stepfather were veteran boaters who had been planning the trip – their first cruise of the Caribbean – for years.
"They were super careful to be safe all the time," Buro said.
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"Everywhere they went everything they did, safety was their top, top concern. So this unfortunate accident, I think, it came out of nowhere for them."
The couple sold their home and bought Simplicity years ago, throwing themselves into an enthralling life on the water, he said.
"It was their home. Everything they had, they owned, was on that boat. It was their life," he said.
"Kathy worked her whole life and then retired. Ralph worked in financial services and continued to work from the boat. But really what they did was … choose a lifestyle that most of us would never imagine could be done. And they loved every minute of it and they saw many parts of the world and just lived a life of joy and love."
Abandoned boat found by 'good Samaritan'
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association said it was contacted Wednesday by a boater who spotted the Simplicity anchored and abandoned off the south coast of St. Vincent.
"The good Samaritan had boarded the boat and noted that the owners, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, were not onboard and found evidence of apparent violence," the group said.
The person contacted the coast guard, who notified St. Vincent police.
Grenada police said the escapees were recaptured the same day by the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.
