GRENADA, — The search continues for Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, a Northern Virginia couple who disappeared in the Caribbean while sailing last weekend. There are still no clear answers on where exactly the couple is. Grenada police tell WUSA9 they have not found their bodies.
WUSA9 is now hearing from a longtime friend and godfather for Hendry's only child, KC McAlpin.
"They were giving people. They would do anything for their friends and their family," McAlpin said. "They were just a delightful couple and a real blessing in my life and the lives of so many other people."
Sources tell WUSA9, this all happened shortly before both of their birthdays and after this sailing trip the two were looking forward to spending more time with family and friends. A GoFundMe has been created to assist the family.
"They were thinking that this was going to be the last grand trip along with this sailboat," McAlpin said. "It's just really sad.” he continued.
According to family and friends, the two seasoned sailors were vacationing in Grenada on their yacht, Simplicity, spending summers in New England and embracing the warmth of Caribbean winters. Their trip was supposed to be their final voyage with the Salty Dawg Sailing Association crew, an informal boaters club. The boat was found abandoned in St. Vincent Sunday, February 19th.
Police noted evidence that suggest the two occupants on the yacht "have been killed in the process" but, their deaths nor the circumstances surrounding their disappearance have been confirmed .
Three suspects have been taken into custody, according to police. Authorities said the three were previously in custody following charges of robbery with violence, but managed to escape. They were found in St. Vincent, police believe they may be connected to this case surrounding the couple.
Royal Grenada police released a statement saying in part,
“Collaboration with our regional counterparts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have led to the recapture of these men by the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadians Police Force yesterday, Wednesday 21st February 2024. Preliminary information emanating from investigators in St. Vincent suggests that the three men made their way to St. Vincent via a yacht which was docked in the St. George area. The RGPF is currently working on leads that suggest that the two occupants of the yacht may have been killed in the process. It is believed that the occupants of the yacht were American citizens.”
"It was amazing how they managed to live on that and something I couldn’t have done, but they pulled it off,” McAlpin said. “And every place that they tied up or anchored or in a Marianna in a channel some place they'd meet people."
The family released a statement saying,
"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 that is not affiliated with the officials in the 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.”