US couple whose sailboats by prisoners were likely thrown overboard, authorities say.
An American couple who was feared dead after their catamaran yacht was h by three escaped prisoners were likely thrown overboard in the Caribbean Sea, authorities said Monday.
Ralph Hendry, 66, and his wife, Kathy Brandel, 71, were last known to be near Grand Anse Beach in Grenada. Their catamaran, named “Simplicity,” was found abandoned in St. Vincent and there were signs of violence at the scene, according to Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force spokesperson Junior Simmons. Although family, friends, and members of the sailing community had hoped the pair was still alive, police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines said Hendry you and Branded were likely thrown into the ocean when their vessel was hijacked. “Based on the investigation thus far, it is presumed that Ralph Henry and Kathy Branded are deceased,” Simmons said in a video statement Monday.
Don McKenzie, police commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said at a news conference Monday that the three prisoners escaped on Feb. 18 from the South St. George Police Station. They hijacked the catamaran on the following day and traveled to the nearby island of St. Vincent, where they were arrested last Wednesday, he said.
Police: Prisoners ‘disposed’ occupants of Simplicity
After escaping from the South St. George Police Station, McKenzie said the three prisoners “commandeered” the catamaran, which had two U.S. citizens on board, Henry and Branded. The couple were likely thrown into the ocean and died, police in Grenada said.
“Information suggests that while traveling between Grenada and St Vincent, they disposed of the occupants,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie added that while police have “nothing conclusive” to prove that the couple was dead, he cited
Leave a Reply