American couple missing after Caribbean yacht hijacking

Police in two Caribbean countries are investigating the disappearance of a US couple whose catamaran was hijacked off the island of Grenada.

Kathy Brandel and her husband Ralph Hendry, from Virginia, have been identified by their sailing club as the missing couple. The pair of seasoned sailors were spending the winter cruising the Eastern Caribbean aboard their yacht, Simplicity, when three escaped inmates allegedly hijacked their boat last Sunday (18 February 2024) while it was docked at St George, before sailing the vessel onto St. Vincent.

Police fear for the couple after ‘copious amounts of blood’ was found in their cabin.

Grenada’s police force says suspects Trevon Robertson, Ron Mitchell and Atiba Stanislaus are back in custody after escaping from a cell at St George police station the same day as the alleged hijacking.

AIS data indicates that the vessel left Grenada at roughly 10pm local time from Grand Anse Beach, before it was discovered anchored and abandoned the following Wednesday.

Local news outlet The St Vincent Times reported that the boat was found with bloodstains on the interior, but no sign of the couple, who are in their 60s.

Brandel and Hendry’s family say they are holding out hope that the pair may be found alive, and the search effort is ongoing.

“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, which does indicate that we are concerned for their safety overall because it does appear that they were likely injured,” Brandel’s son, Nick Buro, told CNN yesterday.

“They were super careful to be safe all the time,” Buro adds. “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.”

Buro revealed that the couple had sold their home years ago to buy a boat.

“It was their home. Everything they had, they owned, was on that boat. It was their life,” he continues. “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 sell their home, sell their possessions, and buy a boat and 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.”

This winter was the first time his mother and stepfather had sailed to the Caribbean, Buro said, adding they had been planning the trip for years.

In a news release, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association paid tribute to the missing sailors.

“Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are veteran cruisers and long-time members of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association from its earliest days. Warm-hearted and capable, they both contributed to building the SDSA, and Kathy sat on the association’s board for two years,” the release says.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established on behalf of Nick Buro to help fund the recovery of the yacht and the couple’s belongings.

In a statement made on Friday (23 February 2024), the US State Department said it is aware of the reports, adding: ‘We are monitoring the situation and seeking additional information.’

Main image courtesy of The Salty Dawg Sailing Association.