The two sons of a Virginia couple believed to be dead after their yacht was hijacked in the Caribbean described their "shock" and "despair" as the search continues for their parents' bodies.
Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are "presumed deceased" after they vanished from their yacht in Grenada on Feb. 18, police in nearby St. Vincent and the Grenadines said on Feb. 26.
They were allegedly attacked by three escaped prisoners who hijacked their yacht while it was docked in the St. George area of Granada, police said.
Brandel’s son, Nick Buro, and Hendry’s son, Bryan Hendry, spoke to NBC Washington as the search for the couple continued.
"Shock. Despair. Fear. Sadness. Hope. Love. All of those emotions are going through our head at the same time," Buro said.
The men also shared what they know about their parents' alleged confrontation with the escaped prisoners on the yacht.
"An altercation of violence took place on the boat, which is clear evidence as seen from blood on the boat as well as their possessions being thrown around and strewn around all over," Buro said.
The three fugitives, who escaped the same day they allegedly hijacked the yacht, are believed to have thrown the couple overboard after attacking them, Granada police said.
The escapees then sailed to the nearby island of St. Vincent, where the yacht was found abandoned, police said. Authorities said they located the fugitives and arrested them on Feb. 21, but the couple's bodies have not been recovered.
Brandel and Hendry, who were married for 27 years, had spent the last 10 years living their dream life after selling their home in Alexandria, Virginia. They sailed from place to place in the Caribbean aboard their yacht, “Simplicity.”
“They wanted to see the world. They wanted to experience life. They wanted to see what the world had to offer outside of their small window of living in one place and being mobile and being able to have a different adventure every day — that’s like the definition of living,” Buro told NBC Washington.
Rob Maher, a fellow sailor and the couple's emergency contact, described the horror as being "like a bad Hollywood movie."
"It’s hard to think of their last moments with the idea that they might have been thrown overboard alive, bloodied," he told Kreutz on TODAY. "It’s difficult to conceive for a friend."
The suspects, whom police say are cooperating with the investigation, so far have been charged with immigration-related offenses for unlawfully going to St. Vincent. The U.S. State Department is now also involved in the case.
NBC Washington reported the suspects are 19, 25 and 30.