The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force has joined with regional authorities in the search for the bodies of US couple Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel.
According to Superintendent of Police Junior Simmons, public relations officer for the RSVGPF, during a press statement on Monday the couple has been presumed deceased.
He said that family members of the disappeared US couple have been updated on the latest of the situation by Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of crimes Trevor Bailey.
“The Regional Security System (RSS) and the Grenadian and Vincentian Coast Guards are conducting air and maritime patrols and surveillance across the borders of both islands but no bodies have been recovered. Based on the investigation it is presumed that Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are deceased. Commissioner of Police in Charge of Crimes Mr. Trevor Bailey met with family members of the couple and a legal representative and updated them on the status of the investigation. The RSVGPF sympathizes with the family during this time of difficulty,” he said.
Superintendent of Police Junior Simmons also disclosed that the three suspects in this investigation, who had escaped police custody in Grenada, had appeared in the Kingstown Magistrate Court on four counts each of immigration related charges.
“a. Entered the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines other than at a port of entry, b. Entered the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines by boat and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer, c. Entered the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and knowingly and willfully allowed themselves to land as prohibited immigrants, and d. being a prohibited immigrant entered the state by boat without a passport,”
The names of the suspects/escapees are Ron Mitchell, 30; Trevon Robertson, 25; and Atiba Stanislaus, 23, all of Paradise, Saint Andrew in Grenada.
According to SOP Simmons the men pleaded guilty to the charges and were remanded in custody for sentencing which is scheduled Monday 4th March 2024.
