A Complete Timeline of the Missing American Sailors Case

Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry have been missing since Feb. 18, 2024. Over a week later, authorities presumed them dead

An American couple, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, who had been sailing on their yacht in the Caribbean were first reported missing on Feb. 18, 2024.

Since the reports, Brandel and Hendry’s friends and family have expressed concern that foul play was involved. Authorities shared their concerns, suspecting that three prison escapees from Grenada may have hijacked their yacht and sailed to Saint Vincent after disposing of the couple.

“Preliminary information emanating from investigators in Saint Vincent suggests that the three men made their way to Saint Vincent via a yacht which was docked in the St. George area,” the Royal Grenada Police Force said in a press release, which did not name the couple, but added that they "may have been killed in the process.”

Over a week later, police confirmed in a press conference on Feb. 26 that they believed the couple to be dead.

“Based on the investigation thus far it is presumed Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brendel are deceased," Junior Simmons of the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said at the conference.

From when they first went missing to everything their family and friends have said, here’s a complete timeline of the missing American sailors' case.

Feb. 18, 2024: Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are last seen alive by their boat neighbor in the dock in Grenada

Brandel, whose 71st birthday would have been within a week of her disappearance, was a retired real estate agent, and Hendry, a financial advisor who worked from the yacht, were married for over two decades, their friend Will Knoll told PEOPLE.

The two sold their Alexandria, Virginia, home to buy their yacht, the SV Simplicity, which they used to travel the world. They were vacationing in the Caribbean for the first time, Brandel’s son Nick Buro told CNN.

On Feb. 18, the couple ceased communications with their sons, including Hendry’s son Bryan, which they pointed out to PEOPLE was highly abnormal. The yacht was last seen docked in Grenada by their boating neighbor.

Feb. 19, 2024: Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry’s yacht docks in Saint Vincent

The following day, the boat arrived in Saint Vincent around noon. A sailing captain was paddle boarding when he came upon the boat that looked like it had been ransacked and abandoned. He climbed on the yacht to find blood on the deck and two American passports identifying the couple.

The captain then photographed the yacht, sending the pictures along to an email address he found in a note onboard.

“The ship inside is very messy,” he wrote in an email to Salty Dawg Sailing Association. “Can you contact them?”

However, the president of the association said the couple could not be reached.

“The boat itself was ransacked and everything was strewn about in the entire cabin so clearly there was an altercation of some type that took place on the boat which does indicate that we are concerned for their safety overall because it does appear that they were likely injured,” Buro told CNN in the following days of what the scene looked like.

Feb. 21, 2024: The three escaped prisoners are re-apprehended

The SV Simplicity was reported as “an unoccupied sailing vessel,” with “visible blood stains” on deck to the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Service at 11:15 a.m. Feb. 21, per an internal memorandum obtained by PEOPLE between Commanding Officer Deon Henry and the country's Police Commissioner Enville Williams.

The following day, the police identified three escaped prisoners — Trevon Robertson, Abita Stanislaus and sailor Ron Mitchell — who may have been involved in hijacking the boat and killing the occupants.

They were re-apprehended the same day and await sentencing for illegally entering Saint Vincent by boat on March 4, though they have yet to formally be charged in the couple’s disappearance.

Feb. 25, 2024: Nick Buro speaks out about his suspicions over his mom’s disappearance

Buro joined CNN where he spoke about how his parents always made sure to prioritize safety on their trips and how he feared the worst in the situation.

“They were super careful to be safe all the time,” he said. “Everywhere they went everything they did, safety was their top, top concern so this unfortunate accident, I think, it came out of nowhere for them.”

“As far as we know three suspects are allegedly connected with this horrific event are in custody with the St. Vincent police and are being questioned,” Buro continued. “We are doing our best to try and get answers to find out what is next in terms of hopefully finding them safely recovered somewhere on the islands.”

He added, however, that he was concerned about the possibility that his mother and Hendry “aren’t with us” based on the evidence so far.

Feb. 26, 2024: Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are presumed dead, police say

A day later, the Grenadan police announced in a press release that Brandel and Hendry were presumed dead.

Simmons, who made the announcement, also added that the re-apprehended prisoners were cooperating in the case. He added authorities had recovered evidence "consistent with signs of violence" from the hijacked boat.

Feb. 27, 2024: Nick Buro and Bryan Hendry join the Today show to share their fear for their parents

In the morning of Feb. 27, Buro and Hendry joined the Today show where they expressed how they were feeling in the wake of the news.

“Shock, despair, fear, sadness, hope, love — all of those emotions are going through our head at the same time,” Buro said.

“An altercation of violence took place on the boat,” Buro continued, based on “clear evidence seen from blood on the boat as well as their possessions being thrown around and strewn around all over.”

Rob Maher, a close friend of the couple and their emergency contact, also spoke on the show, saying, “This seems like a bad Hollywood movie.”

“It’s hard to think of their last moments with the idea that they might’ve been thrown overboard alive, bloodied, it’s difficult to conceive for a friend,” he said.

Later that same day, Buro and Hendry shared a statement with PEOPLE mourning the presumed death of his mother and stepfather.

“Ralph and Kathy lived a life that most of us can only dream of,” they wrote. “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.”

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