The family of a Virginia couple assumed killed in the Caribbean by three escaped prisoners is still holding out hope they’ll be found alive — despite seeing evidence of a violent struggle on their stolen yacht.
Ralph Hendry, 66, and his wife, Kathy Brandel, 71, were last seen in Grenada on Feb. 18 as they headed to a restaurant from the boat they live in, Simplicity, which was found “anchored and abandoned” on St. Vincent and the Grenadines a few days later, according to the Salty Dawg Sailing Association.
“The boat itself was ransacked and everything was strewn about in the entire cabin,” Brandel’s son, Nick Buro, told CNN.
“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,” Buro said.
Buro said he and his brother, Bryan Hendry, are “doing our best to try and get answers to find out what is next in terms of hopefully finding them safely recovered somewhere on the islands.”
“But of course from the evidence that’s been found on the boat, we are concerned that there might be a possibility that they aren’t with us.”
The couple arrived on the island two weeks prior, planning to stay another week before they went missing the same day Ron Mitchell, 30, Trevon Robertson, 19, and Abita Stanislaus, 25, escaped the South St. George Police Station, officials said.
The escapees then made their way to the marina, where they fled to the other island, where they were subsequently captured.
The Royal Grenada Police Force has said that all evidence points to the couple having been “killed in the process.”
The men were each charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell, a sailor, also faces one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault and causing harm.
Buro said that “as far as we know three suspects are allegedly connected with this horrific event are in custody with the St. Vincent police and are being questioned.”
He said his mom and her partner are experienced sailors who sold their home years ago to buy the yacht.
“It was their home. Everything they had, they owned, was on that boat. It was their life,” Buro told CNN.
“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 bought a boat and choose a lifestyle that most of us would never imagine could be done,” he said.
“And they loved every minute of it and they saw many parts of the world and just lived a life of joy and love,” the son added.
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association paid tribute to the couple.
“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,” it said in a release.
The club also shared a statement from the couple’s family.
“We want to reach out to the entire cruiser community to express our gratitude for everyone that worked to gather information from eyewitnesses and provide search and rescue support,” said Buro and Hendry’s son, Bryan Hendry.
“It means so much to us that so many people cared for Ralph and Kathy as friends and fellow cruisers that they are willing to stop and help in whatever way possible,” they said in the statement.
The couple have been married for 27 years and have spent more than a decade sailing around the globe, NBC Washington reported.
“They loved immersing themselves in different cultures and meeting people and spreading their love wherever they could,” Bryan told the outlet.
“You’ll never meet more beautiful people than Kathy and Ralph. They made everybody feel happy and so welcome. They consistently made you feel like you were part of their family,” Buro told NBC station.
Bob Osborn, president of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, has offered condolences to the families.
“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,” he said in a statement.
“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,” he added.