American Couple Presumed Killed in Grenada After Escaped Inmates Hijack Yacht

Caribbean officials are searching for two sailing Americans who are presumed dead after their yacht was found abandoned, bearing signs of a violent struggle.

Investigators stand aboard the yacht "Simplicity,” which they say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, now anchored in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, on Feb. 23, 2024. AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance

A couple from Virginia are presumed dead in the Caribbean Sea after their yacht was hijacked by escaped prisoners and later found abandoned and bearing evidence of a violent struggle, according to family members and local investigators.

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, a married couple, had been sailing in the Caribbean on their beloved catamaran Simplicity, when the vessel was found on Feb. 19 off the shores of Grand Anse Beach in Grenada, “bearing chilling evidence of a violent struggle,” their family said in a statement.