KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (NEWSnet/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.

They 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.

The men, aged from 19 to 30 years old, had pleaded guilty to immigration charges in a court in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

Police have said they believe the couple were thrown overboard as the suspects sailed to St. Vincent, where they were arrested. 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.

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