A joint regional investigation between the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) and Royal Grenada Police Force is ongoing into the disappearance and presumed death of two US citizens, Ralph Hendry and his common-law wife Kathy Brandel.
The RSVGPF held a media briefing where a statement was made by Superintendent of Police Junior Simmons, Head of Public Relations Department who said the couple are presumed deceased.
Police today confirmed the main suspects in the investigations are three male prisoners who escaped lawful custody on Sunday, February 18, 2024, while being held at the South St George Police Station in Grenada on charges rape, robbery with violence and other serious offenses.
The names of the suspects/escapees are Ron Mitchell, 30; Trevon Robertson, 25; and Atiba Stanislaus, 23, all of Paradise, Saint Andrew in Grenada.
The investigations thus far indicate that after the suspects (or escapees) had escaped, they hijacked a yacht named ‘Simplicity’ that was moored at Grand Anse Beach in Grenada and kidnapped the couple.
The investigation further reveals that while sailing from Grenada the suspects committed several criminal acts, including bodily harm to the couple.
On Monday, February 19, 2024, the escapees/suspects, illegally entered the southwestern coast of St Vincent and the Grenadines sometime in the afternoon and docked a yacht off Wallilabou, Anchorage.
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the police received certain information concerning the escapees and the discovery of a yacht in the said area. A manhunt was immediately launched, with the SVG Coast Guard and police dispatched to the location where the yacht was found.
The scene was processed and found to be consistent with signs of violence. Several items were thrown on the deck and in the cabin. A red substance resembling blood was seen on board. There was no discovery of bodies onboard the yacht.
Around 4:35 pm on the same day, the three suspects/escapees were apprehended by the police in village of Petit Bordel on the northwestern coast of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Grenadian authorities were subsequently informed about the escapees’ arrest and a team of investigators from the Royal Grenada Police Force arrived in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday, February 22, 2024, and are assisting with the investigations. The escapees/suspects have been cooperating with the investigation as well.
The Regional Security System (RSS) and the Grenadian and Vincentian Coast Guards are conducting air and maritime patrols and surveillance across the borders of both islands, but no bodies have been recovered. Based on the investigation thus far, it is presumed that Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are deceased.
Acting Commissioner of Police in Charge of Crime, Trevor Bailey, met with family members of the couple and a legal representative and updated them on the status of the investigation.
The RSVGPF says it sympathises with the family during this time of difficulty.
Earlier today the three escapees appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate Court on four counts each of immigration-related charges which include:
Entered the State of St Vincent and the Grenadines other than at a Port of Entry;
Entered the State of St Vincent and the Grenadines by boat and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer;
Entered the State of St Vincent and the Grenadines unknowingly and wilfully allowed themselves to land as prohibited immigrants and;
Being a prohibited immigrant entered the State by boat without a passport.
They pleaded guilty to the charges and were remanded in custody for sentencing, which is scheduled for Monday, March 4, 2024.
The investigation and search for the missing persons continue.
