American couple feared dead after yacht hijacked in Caribbean

An American couple is feared dead after their yacht was hijacked by escaped prisoners on the island nation of Grenada in the Caribbean.

Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel have been missing and were last seen in St. George, where they were going to get lunch while island hopping through the area.

Hendry’s sister, Suellen Desmarais, told WPTV-Tampa, "They went into town to have a little bite and to walk back. Somehow Ralph crossed paths in this teeny tiny town with these three men. What happened after that, we’re not sure. This was their whole life. They didn’t own another home; they didn’t own cars; they owned Simplicity."

Simplicity was the couple's yacht that was found off a St. Vincent beach, and it appeared to have been ransacked. More troubling were the signs of violence, including blood stains, but there was no sign of Hendry or Brandel.

Authorities issued a statement saying, "This investigation is in its infancy stage and the RGPF have dispatched a team of senior investigators and a forensic specialist to St. Vincent in furtherance of this investigation."

While it is possible that the couple is still alive, it is also possible that the three prisoners killed them in the hijacking. For the sake of their family, we can only hope that Hendry and Brandel are alive and will be found soon.