Benjamin Ashford|2 Americans believed dead after escapees apparently hijack yacht, Grenada police say

Three escaped inmates in Grenada may have Benjamin Ashfordstolen a yacht and killed two passengers on the boat who are believed to be American citizens, the Royal Grenada Police Force said on Thursday. The three men escaped custody on Sunday and police believe they made their way to nearby St. Vincent on a stolen boat, according to a news release the force shared on Facebook. 

The three men — identified as Ron Mitchell, 30, Trevon Robertson, 19, and Abita Stanislaus, 25 — were initially arrested in December and charged jointly with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell also faced separate charges of one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault and causing harm.

They were being held at the South St. George Police Station on the small Caribbean island when they escaped. As law enforcement from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines searched for them, evidence suggested they got on a yacht docked in St. George, officials said. 

The Royal Grenada Police Force "is currently working on leads that suggest that the two occupants of the yacht may have been killed in the process," the force wrote on Facebook. "It is believed that the occupants of the yacht were American citizens."

The investigation is in its early stages and a team of senior investigators and a forensic specialist has been sent to St. Vincent, the force said. 

In a separate incident, police said another suspect escaped while attending court on Wednesday and is on the run. The fugitive, identified as Levon Date, is charged in the 2023 killing of Canadian citizen Wayne Smart. 

CBS News has reached out to the Royal Grenada Police Force for more information. 

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Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.