Mar. 05, 2024 00:30 AM EST

3 Men Suspected In The Disappearance Of A Us Sailing Couple Ordered Deported From St. Vincent

Relatives stand nearby as investigators from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines stand aboard the yacht "Simplicity," which they say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people on board, now anchored at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada.(AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance) Kenton X. Chance, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Relatives stand nearby as investigators from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines stand aboard the yacht "Simplicity," which they say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people on board, now anchored at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada.(AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance)
The yacht "Simplicity", that officials say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, is docked at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada. (AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance)
Escaped prisoner Ron Mitchell sits next to a police officer inside a police pickup as he waits to be taken back to prison, along with two other escapees, sitting in the truck bed, in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Monday, March 4, 2024. The three men from Grenada had escaped from a police holding cell in Grenada on Feb. 18 and are suspected of hijacking a catamaran while Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, who disappeared, were aboard. (AP Photo/Kenton Chance)
The yacht "Simplicity", that officials say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, is docked at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada. (AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance)
Police transport escaped prisoners Atiba Stanislaus, far left, and Trevon Robertson who are handcuffed together in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Monday, March 4, 2024. The men had escaped from a police holding cell in Grenada on Feb. 18 and are suspected of hijacking a catamaran while Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, who disappeared, were aboard. (AP Photo/Kenton Chance)
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KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) — Three men from Grenada suspected in the disappearance of a U.S. couple whose catamaran was hijacked were ordered deported from St. Vincent on Monday.

The men, Trevon Robertson, a 19-year-old unemployed man; Abita Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer and Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor, had pleaded guilty to immigration charges in a court in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

Senior Magistrate Colin John ordered that they be repatriated “as soon as practicable.”

The men had escaped from a police holding cell in Grenada on Feb. 18 and are suspected of hijacking the catamaran while Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel were aboard.

Police have said they believe the couple were thrown overboard as the suspects sailed to St. Vincent, where they were arrested on Feb. 21. They have not been charged in the case.

The investigation is ongoing, with authorities noting there were signs of violence aboard the couple’s boat found abandoned in St. Vincent.

The nonprofit Salty Dawg Sailing Association described Hendry and Brandel as “veteran cruisers” who participated in last year’s Caribbean Rally from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua, and had planned to spend the winter cruising in the eastern Caribbean.

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