Police from two international locations within the japanese Caribbean are investigating the potential homicide of two folks believed to be U.S. residents who owned a catamaran that was hijacked by three fugitives within the waters off the island of Grenada.
The yacht’s alleged house owners, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, had been final seen Sunday night time, when three males escaped from the custody of Grenadian authorities. Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines captured the lads on Wednesday.
The Royal Grenada Police Force stated in a press release launched on Friday that preliminary info suggests the escaped prisoners had traveled from Grenada to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on a yacht. Investigators are actually engaged on leads “that suggest that the two occupants of the yacht may have been killed in the process,” the assertion stated.
Authorities have but to formally verify Brandel and Hendry because the house owners of the yacht, however the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, which the couple had been members of, launched a press release citing the couple because the house owners.
That assertion stated a cruising skipper had reported their yacht, Simplicity, deserted off of the coast of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The individual “found evidence of violence” on the boat, it stated.
The group famous the pair had been seasoned sailors who had spent the winter crusing down the japanese coast of the U.S. into the Caribbean.
“This is a very upsetting event and details are still unconfirmed by the authorities, but this does appear to be a tragic event,” stated Bob Osborn, the affiliation’s president.
“Upon inspection, it was found that the yacht had been ransacked, and it was apparent a violent act had taken place,” in response to the Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN), which collects and disseminates info regarding crimes involving yachts within the area. “Copious amounts of blood were found in the master stateroom, and the two owners were missing.”
According to information from AIS, an automated monitoring system that makes use of transceivers on ships, the yacht left Grenada round 10 p.m. native time on Sunday. The vessel’s velocity was uncharacteristically quick for the couple, often known as fair-weather sailors who go exceedingly slowly, in response to the Grenada Cruisers Information Facebook web page.
Ron Mitchell, 30, Trevon Robertson, 19, and Abita Stanislaus, 25, had been being held on the South Saint George Police Station in Grenada on prices of theft with violence earlier than their escape to St. Vincent, in response to police. Mitchell additionally confronted extra counts of rape, tried rape, and indecent assault, police added.
(Reuters – Reporting by Robertson Henry; Writing by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Paul Simao)
