Ralph and Kathy Brandel, missing Virginia couple feared dead after 3 escaped prisoners stole their yacht in Grenada, Caribbean island as couple’s whereabouts or their bodies remain un-accounted as trio are taken into custody.
A retired Virginia couple are feared to be dead after three escaped inmates from a Grenada jail hijacked their yacht while sailing in the Caribbean.
Ralph Hendry and his wife, Kathy Brandel, had docked on the Caribbean island near Saint George‘s when the catamaran was taken last Saturday.
Police fear the couple may have been murdered by suspects Trevon Robertson, Ron Mitchell and Atiba Stanislaus after ‘copious amounts of blood’ were found in their bedroom aboard the vessel.
‘This was their whole life’
The trio were were being held at the South Saint George’s Police Station on the island when they escaped and are thought to have killed the couple before fleeing to neighboring island, St. Vincent.
Nevertheless, the couple’s family are holding out hope that the husband and wife are still alive as Hendry’s sister Suellen Desmarais shared their final known movements.
‘They went into town to have a little bite and to walk back (on Sunday),’ Desmarais told WPTV. ‘Somehow Ralph crossed paths in this teeny tiny town with these three men, what happened after that, we’re not sure.’
The couple, who are in their 60s, live aboard the vessel, named ‘Simplicity’ and were enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime trip which they had been planning for 12 years.
‘This was their whole life, they didn’t own another home, they didn’t own cars they owned Simplicity.
‘Ralph and Kathy are the kindest people in the entire world, and I just can’t understand how a tragedy like this could happen to people as kind and nice as them,’ Desmarais said.
Why didn’t they just take the boat?
‘It feels made up, and I just can’t comprehend why someone would do this? Why didn’t someone just take the boat?
‘What happened in Grenada was a perfect storm. It was a perfect tragedy of a perfect storm of a perfect love story.’
The couple, who lived on the boat, had been sailing the same route for a number of years, Desmarais said. That route started in Virginia, followed by a stop in Massachusetts, then to Florida to see Desmarais and her family, before heading south to island hop in the Caribbean.
Desmarais said the couple had been in Grenada for about two weeks, and their yacht left the island a week earlier than planned.
To date, authorities have yet have made contact with the missing couple or worse, located their bodies.
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.
Copious amount of blood found on board but no sign of couple
‘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.
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.
‘Copious volumes of blood were discovered in the master stateroom. Numerous personal belongings were also lost. Passports discovered onboard allowed police to contact the victims’ emergency contacts,’ a safety report filed on Caribbean Security and Safety Net said.
Local police released a statement on Thursday confirming that the three escapees had been caught and taken into custody.
Prior to this, officers had issued a warning that the trio may be armed and to approach them with caution.
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.
Still alive?
Grenada Police said they are ‘currently working on leads that suggest that the two occupants of the yacht may have been killed in the process’ of the three fugitives escaping to St Vincents.
The couple had been part of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association who said that a cruising skipper found Simplicity abandoned off a St Vincent beach.
According to the association, the person boarded the boat and found evidence of apparent violence.
Stated, Bob Osborn, SDSA President: ‘This is a very upsetting event and details are still unconfirmed by the authorities, but this does appear to be a tragic event – our hopes and prayers are with Ralph and Kathy and the family who love them.
‘I have spoken to the families and have offered our deepest condolences and our assistance in any way possible.
‘In all my years of cruising the Caribbean, I have never heard of anything like this.’
Reflected Desmarais, ‘Their love for life and island people, they’re good, basic people.’
Adding, ‘Without bodies, DNA evidence you have to assume that they are still alive. I won’t give up!’
