ST. GEORGE, Grenada — Two Americans are believed to be dead after a trio of escaped prisoners from the island nation of Grenada hijacked their yacht, according to international authorities.
The Royal Grenada Police Force said Ron Mitchell, 30, Abita Stanislaus, 25, and Trevon Robertson, 19, escaped their holding cell at the South St. George Police Station on Feb. 18.
The men were under arrest for robbery with violence, and Mitchell was also facing charges of rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, and causing harm.
The Royal Grenada Police Force said that after escaping the parish of St. George, the men hijacked a yacht that was docked in the St. George area and took the vessel to the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which is north of Grenada.
The police force said two people on the yacht, both of whom are believed to be American citizens, may have been killed during the hijacking.
Mitchell, Stanislaus, and Robertson were eventually captured in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Feb. 21.
A State Department spokesperson told NBC News that "U.S. authorities are coordinating with local law enforcement officials on this incident."
"This investigation is in its infancy stage and the RGPF have dispatched a team of senior investigators and a forensic specialist to St. Vincent in furtherance of this investigation," the Royal Grenada Police Force wrote in a social media post.
Commissioner Don McKenzie of the RGPF has ordered an immediate investigation into how the prisoners escaped.