The son of Kathleen Brandel and son of Ralph Hendry have released a statement in regards to their missing parents, who police say were hijacked in Grenada by three escaped inmates and presumed dead.
The president of Salty Dawg Sailing Association, who the couple sailed from Hampton to Antigua with as part of a rally, said the family is attempting to come to terms with the unimaginable tragedy.
The statement is as follows.
We are incredibly saddened to hear the news that our parents Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are now presumed dead. We remain optimistic in the on-going 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 [a] 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 that 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
Don McKenzie, police commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said at a news conference that the three prisoners escaped on Feb. 18 from the South Saint George Police Station.
They then hijacked "Simplicity" on Feb. 19 and headed to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where they were arrested on Wednesday, he said.
"Information suggests that while traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent, they disposed of the occupants," McKenzie said in the news conference.
The escaped prisoners, ages 19, 25 and 30, were charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. The eldest inmate also was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, police in Grenada said.
The president of Salty Dawg Sailing Association told News 3 that "if anything good has come out of this, it is the outpouring of support and love for our fellow cruisers who died so senselessly."
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