Updated: April 1st, 2024
April 1st, 2024: Read our update, Rebounding from the Simplicity Tragedy, by Caribbean Caribbean Compass contributor Chris Doyle.
The February 2024 kidnapping and apparent murder of Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel aboard s/v Simplicity, a 48-foot St. Francis catamaran, was a brutal and viscerally emotional event. It reverberated through the yachting community and the Grenadian and St. Vincentian populations, leaving all of us shocked, horrified, deeply saddened, and feeling terrible for the relatives and friends of the victims.
Read more: https://caribbeancompass.com/rebounding-from-the-simplicity-tragedy/
March 15th, 2024: FOUR OFFICERS CHARGED
Four police officers attached to the south St George Police Station have been charged and will soon face the disciplinary board within the Royal Grenada Police Force.
See more: https://gbn.gd/four-officers-charged/
Loop News: https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/grenada-disciplinary-action-cops-over-escaped-prisoners
March 9th, 2024: Grenada and St Vincent could have jurisdiction over the Murder
A top Grenadian attorney-at-law does not believe that defense lawyers on the island can use the issue of Jurisdiction to get the three escapees freed on a murder wrap in connection with the alleged deaths of two American Yachties.
March 7th, 2024: Recaptured escapees charged with capital murder of Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry
Read More: https://www.stvincenttimes.com/grenada-recaptured-escapees-charged-murder-us-couple/
March 4th, 2024: 3 men suspected in the disappearance of a US sailing couple were ordered deported from St. Vincent
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — Three men from Grenada suspected in the disappearance of a U.S. couple whose catamaran was hijacked were ordered deported from St. Vincent on Monday.
The men, Trevon Robertson, a 19-year-old unemployed man; Abita Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer and Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor, had pleaded guilty to immigration charges in a court in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
Senior Magistrate Colin John ordered that they be repatriated “as soon as practicable.”
March 2nd, 2024: Heads will roll
Police Officers connected to South St George Police Station are expected to face a number of Disciplinary Charges following the incident that resulted in the escape of prisoners and the death of two Americans
Read more: https://www.thenewtodaygrenada.com/local-news/heads-will-roll/
Feb 28th: The New Today (Grenada): Escaped Prisoners “Confessed” in St Vincent to Killing American Yacht Owners
Two updates on the s/v Simplicity case: One reveals more details of how the suspects escaped the cell at the police station in Grenada. The other is an updated statement from the family of Ralph Hendry and Kathleen Brandel. Caribbean Compass shares the family statement first:
We are incredibly saddened to hear the news that our parents Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are now presumed dead. We remain optimistic about the ongoing search led by the St. Vincent Coast Guard.
We are coordinating with the United States Embassy, the governments of St. Vincent and Grenada, as well as other officials of the United States government, as they continue their work on this on-going investigation into the alleged crimes committed by these three suspects currently held in custody by Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.
We would like to say a few words about Kathy and Ralph that we wish all to know. We live in world that at times can be cruel, but it’s also a world of profound beauty, wonder, adventure, love, compassion, caring, and faith. Our parents encompassed all those values and so much more. If we have learned anything from this tragic event, it’s that we know they left this world in a better place than it was before they were born. Ralph and Kathy lived a life that most of us can only dream of, sailing the eastern coast of the United States, living on their home Simplicity, making friends with everyone they encountered, singing, dancing and laughing with friends and family – that’s who Ralph and Kathy were and that’s how they will be remembered in our hearts.
We are grateful to have been raised by the strongest people that we will ever know, and we hope that we can follow in their footsteps and strive to be even half as wonderful as them. So many people have reached out with love and encouragement, sharing stories and anecdotes of their memories of Ralph and Kathy, and those stories are what we want them to be remembered by. While the end of their life may have been dark, they brought light, and that light will never be extinguished from the hearts and minds of the people who knew, loved and cared so deeply about them.
We are ever hopeful that justice will be served. In honor of Ralph and Kathy, we ask that everyone please take a moment to stop, pray and
reflect on how lucky we were to have known them – hug your loved ones, spend time with your families, and console one another as we all collectively mourn.
With heavy hearts,
Nick Buro – Son of Kathy Brandel
Bryan Hendry – Son of Ralph Hendry
Mon, 26 Feb, 2024 : 5:43 PM: St Vincent Times: Yacht Hijacking: U.S couple’s fate unknown as suspects remain in custody
The investigation thus far indicates that after the escapees/suspects escaped, they hijacked a yacht named “Simplicity” that was moored at Grande 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.
Feb 25th, 2024: New York Times: Prison Escapees Hijacked Boat of Missing American Couple in Grenada, Police Say
“The authorities in Grenada said on Monday that they believed an American couple who had been traveling in their catamaran in the Caribbean were hijacked by three escaped prisoners who “disposed” of them last week.
The couple, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, had departed from Virginia and were spending the winter cruising in the Caribbean, where they went missing while sailing off Grenada. On Feb. 21, their boat turned up empty in neighboring St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On Monday, the Royal Grenada Police Force confirmed that three prison escapees in Grenada made their getaway after they hijacked the catamaran, called Simplicity, with Mr. Hendry and Ms. Brandel aboard.
“Information suggests that, while traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent, they disposed of the occupants,” Commissioner Don McKenzie of the Royal Grenada Police Force said at a news conference on Monday.“
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/25/world/americas/couple-missing-boat-grenada.html
Mon Feb 26, 2024 11:39 : Grenadian fugitives suspected of killing US sailors remanded to prison in St. Vincent
The three Grenadian men suspected of hijacking a yacht there and murdering the two U.S. citizens who were on board have each pleaded guilty to four immigration charges in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), to which they fled after escaping prison in their home country.
Feb 24th, 2024: Salty Dog SV Simplicity Family Statement
Bryan Hendry: Statement from the 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. 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.
Thanks to all this input from this community we are able to develop a timeline of events. For the safety of the cruising community, we are asking all cruisers and anyone who is not affiliated with the officials with presiding jurisdiction to stand down. The only way we feel this situation could be worse would be if anyone was hurt or endangered trying to conduct searches.
We also want to applaud the St. Vincent authorities for their quick actions in securing Simplicity and their brave, swift response that led to the apprehension of three dangerous fugitives. We greatly appreciate the coordination of the St. Vincent and Royal Grenadian Police forces and Coast Guards in investigating these events.
With love and eternal gratitude,
Bryan Hendry and Nick Buro
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with unforeseen expenses associated with this tragedy. All money will go directly to the family members.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/kathy-brandel-and-ralph-hendry
St Vincent Times Update
Feb 24th, 2024: It appears that the St Vincent Times are confirming the death of Ralph Hendry and Cathy Brandel. Caribbean Compass shares their sentiment: “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the senseless act of violence that tragically claimed the lives of husband and wife, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel.”
Read more: https://www.stvincenttimes.com/ralph-hendry-kathy-brandel-killed-grenada/
Feb 23, 2024: Latest update from Peter Swanson, LOOSE CANNON:
An American cruising couple is feared dead in what authorities in the Caribbean are investigating as a possible hijacking by three escapees from a Grenada jail.
Missing are Ralph and Kathy Hendry of Fairfax, Virginia. Their 2003 St. Francis 48 catamaran was recovered Wednesday at Walliabou Bay in St. Vincent. “Copious amounts of blood were found in the master stateroom,” the Caribbean Safety and Security Network wrote in its report on the matter.
Simplicity was towed south to the St. Vincent Coast Guard base at Calliqua. According to one witness posting on Facebook, the boat’s tender was also recovered but without an outboard.
Read more
https://loosecannon.substack.com/p/us-couple-in-caribbean-feared-dead
Feb 23rd, 20204: St Vincent Times: Grenada-SVG police investigate suspected murders of missing sailors
-Grenadian Escapees Recaptured in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
-Yacht owners feared dead after escapees recaptured
-Stolen Catamaran Mystery: Sailors Vanish After Theft in Grenada
Read More: https://www.stvincenttimes.com/investigation-murder-missing-sailors-simplicity/
Feb 22nd, 2024: St Vincent Times: Simplicity Yacht Owners Feared Dead After Escapees Recaptured
-Grenadian Escapees Recaptured in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
-Couple Missing from SV Simplicity Grenada to St. Vincent
-Yacht owners feared dead after escapees recaptured
Read More: https://www.stvincenttimes.com/yacht-simplicity-sailors-killed-grenada-st-vincent/
February 22nd, 2024: Statement from the Salty Dawg Sailing Association
Salty Dawg Couple Missing Aboard Their Boat in Grenada
On Wednesday, February 21, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association Executive Director Tatja Hopman was alerted by a cruising skipper that a member’s yacht, Simplicity, was anchored and abandoned off a beach on the south coast of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
The good Samaritan had boarded the boat and noted that the owners, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, were not onboard and found evidence of apparent violence. Contact information for the SDSA was posted and the skipper contacted the Association.
The Good Samaritan contacted the St. Vincent Coast Guard, alerting them of the situation; they, in turn, notified the local police. The Coast Guard took possession of Simplicity and the St. Vincent police are currently investigating with the U.S Embassy and the Grenada police department.
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.
Kathy and Ralph had sailed Simplicity in the 2023 Caribbean Rally from Hampton, VA to Antigua and were spending the winter cruising the Eastern Caribbean. The SDSA has a live member’s tracking map where boats can be followed as they cruise and Simplicity’s track shows that Kathy and Ralph were anchored in Grenada and then the boat moved directly to its last anchorage off St. Vincent.
Shortly after the incident was reported to police, news came out that three dangerous inmates had escaped from a Grenada prison and were at large. It is speculated that the escapees boarded Simplicity.
Wednesday afternoon, St. Vincent police reported that the three suspects had been detained.
Bob Osborn, SDSA President, speaking for the whole Salty Dawg family, said, “This is 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. 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.”
For more information, please email info@saltydawgsailing.org
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association is a Rhode Island registered 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to fostering seamanship, safety at sea, passagemaking and the camaraderie of the cruising community.
