Edgewater, Maryland couple Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brendel went lacking from their island-hopping catamaran Simplicity final week. They have been final seen on Sunday, February 18, moored within the Caribbean nation of Granada. The yacht was stolen by a trio of fugitives, who had escaped from a Granadan jail holding cell, the place they have been being held on joint prices of violent theft, whereas one was charged with indecent assault and rape. The trio used the Simplicity to flee Granada north to St. Vincent, the place they have been recaptured. Hendry and Brendel haven’t but been discovered.
The couple lived full-time aboard the boat and spent their retirement crusing the jap seaboard and Caribbean. They have been described by those that knew them as skilled adventurers, crusing south within the winter for the final a number of years. The couple had just lately participated in a crusing rally which led to Antigua to kick off the brand new 12 months in December. Once the rally had ended, they deliberate to spend the remainder of the winter hopping from island to island, spending just a few weeks at every. They had arrived to Granada two weeks prior and have been scheduled to spend a further week earlier than departing again north.
At the time of the boat going lacking, the couple’s next-door mooring neighbor posted on social media that he was involved.
“I was moored next to them Sunday. Saw and spoke to them Sunday afternoon as they were on their way to Grande Anse in their tender,” he wrote in a Facebook put up. “Possible that they were abducted on shore on Grande Anse if anyone saw them there. I did not hear or see them return but the boat was gone when I woke up early Monday.”
On February 21, the Simplicity was discovered anchored off the coast of St. Vincent in an deserted state. The mainsails had been torn, and the boat’s tender was lacking its outboard motor. The skipper of the boat which discovered the Simplicity boarded to seek out additional injury and “evidence of apparent violence,” however no person else aboard. He notified the St. Vincent and the Grenadines coast guard, which reported the scenario to native police. By the top of the day the assailants have been recaptured.
The investigation is claimed to nonetheless be in its infancy, however optimism isn’t the phrase of the day for this case. For the couple to have been lacking now for over per week, it doesn’t appear doubtless that they continue to be alive. It appears doubtless that the violent criminals merely fell into their lives by happenstance, and deemed them expendable.
Source: jalopnik.com