As of: February 27, 2024, 11:27 a.m
By: Martina Lippl
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Murder on a yacht in the Caribbean?
Kathy and Ralph were probably thrown overboard by kidnappers on the journey between Grenada and St. Vincent.
© Screenshot gofundme/Kenton X. Chance/AP/Montage
They wanted to spend the winter in the Caribbean.
Kathy and Ralph are considered experienced sailors and are now missing.
The police now have dark suspicions.
Update from February 27th, 11:27 a.m
.: There is little hope of finding the two alive.
However, the search for the missing couple in the Caribbean continues, Grenada's police chief Don McKenzie said at a press conference.
Kathy and Ralph have been missing since February 21st (see initial report).
A sailor discovered her yacht “Simplicity” abandoned in the waters off St. Vincent.
Police say the pair were likely thrown overboard by kidnappers, three escaped prisoners, while traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent.
“The information indicates that they disposed of the occupants while traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent,” McKenzie said.
Signs of violence were found on the abandoned boat.
“Several items were scattered across the deck and cabin and a red substance resembling blood was found on board,” said St. Vincent and the Grenadines police spokesman Junior Simmons.
No bodies have been found so far, but police believe the couple is probably dead.
Kathy and Ralph were last seen in Grenada the night the three prisoners escaped (February 18).
Their yacht was spotted traveling at an unusual speed late in the evening, reports
Sky News
.
According to investigators, the three escapees hijacked the “Simplicity” and fled on the yacht.
Three days later, the men (19, 25 and 30) were caught in the neighboring island state of St. Vincent.
They are in custody.
Sailing couple disappeared without a trace in the Caribbean.
Her yacht “Simplicity” (photo) is now in port with the Coast Guard of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
© Kenton X. Chance/dpa
Killed by escaped prisoners?
Sailor couple disappeared without a trace – trace of blood discovered on yacht
First report from February 25, 2024
:
Grenada – Has a couple become victims of a terrible crime?
Much is still unclear.
There has been no sign of life from either of them for days.
A sailor discovered their abandoned yacht in the sea.
Apparently a terrible act of violence must have taken place on deck.
Investigators suspect that inmates who escaped from a prison murdered the couple.
Sailor couple disappeared without a trace – trace of blood discovered on yacht
Kathy and Ralph wanted to enjoy the winter warmth in the Caribbean.
The American sailor couple last contacted their family on February 18th when they were sailing in the waters of the Caribbean island of Grenada.
This is reported by
People.com
.
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Three days later, their boat appeared off St. Vincent - about 140 kilometers from Grenada.
The deck was covered in blood.
There was no one else on board.
“There was chaos on the ship,” the magazine quoted the man as saying.
He noticed the ship with broken sails.
No sign of life from sailing couple - police suspect violent crime
The police in the island state of Grenada believe that Kathy and Ralph were victims of a crime.
Prisoners who escaped are suspected of having killed the two sailors.
However, the Royal Grenada Police Force indicated in a Facebook post that the investigation was only in its early stages.
Evidence still needs to be secured.
Prisoners escaped under suspicion of murder
The three men (19, 25 and 30 years old) escaped from their cell on February 18th.
However, they were arrested on the island of St. Vincent last Wednesday (February 21).
According to the police's initial findings, the three prisoners got on the yacht in the area of St. George (Grenada's capital), hijacked the ship and then came to St. Vincent.
“Investigators are currently following up on evidence that suggests that the two occupants of the yacht may have died,” the statement said.
The police initially did not provide any further details.
Crystal blue water: The Caribbean and the island of St. Vincent is a popular destination for sailors in winter.
© Hedelin F/Andia/imago
An investigation was also ordered to clarify how the prisoners were able to get out of the prison in the first place.
The men were arrested in December and charged with a joint robbery.
According to
people.com,
two men have already confessed.
The death of the American sailing couple is shocking.
Friends speak of a “senseless act of violence” and an “unimaginable tragedy.”
They have started a fundraising campaign for the two of them on the
gofundme.com
platform .
The money raised will be used to recover Kathy and Ralph's “beloved catamaran Simplicity” and their belongings, and to support the grieving family.
A family from Germany, on the other hand, is worried.
A sailor has disappeared in the Atlantic without a trace for weeks.
The dream destination of the Caribbean also turned out to be a nightmare for one family: a British family was stuck in the Caribbean after the birth of their child at sea.
Bureaucratic hurdles prevent them from returning home.
(ml)