VIRGINIA NEWS – Virginia couple missing after their yacht was hijacked in the Caribbean

Mariah Cain, Staff Writer

Virginians Kathleen Brandel and Ralph Henry are missing after their yacht, Simplicity, was found abandoned in St. Vincent. Authorities believe that three prisoners escaped from Grenada and hijacked the yacht before being captured by police. The couple sold their home in Alexandria and have spent more than a decade traveling the seas. 

“This is something that is completely unexpected and wrapping our brains around it and trying to understand a senseless act of violence against two people while they were just living their lives in their home, essentially, because Simplicity was their home,” said Nick Buro, the couple’s son. “They didn’t have another home…. and having that safety and security taken away from them abruptly and have them attacked in where they live, it’s just, it’s unimaginable.”