From St. Kitts & Nevis Observer

Two Cayman Islands residents were found dead this week in southern California.

Authorities have yet to release the cause of death of Keith Henderman, 74, and wife Yvonne Blanco, 69. The Lone Pine Coroner, located in Inyo County, believes the two had been deceased for 24 hours when police located them on Monday, 22 July in a remote area outside Charleston View, near the state line with Nevada.

The Inyo County Sheriff’s office reports Henderman and Blanco were found dead outside of a parked Toyota RAV4 that had been rented in Las Vegas.

“At this time there is an open investigation in order to determine whether there was foul play involved,” the sheriff’s office said in a press statement.

Autopsies of the bodies will be performed outside of Inyo County, the office reported.

Henderman and Blanco were frequent faces at Grand Cayman’s World Gym.

Tertius Broderick, owner of World Gym, said the couple had been loyal members there for 10 years.

“[They] would always make suggestions on how to make the gym better. They will be missed by all staff as they came every day – except Sundays – and never missed a day unless they were off island,” Broderick said.

“It’s hard to believe that they won’t be around any longer. Just last month, Keith had invited me for a cigar on his balcony to talk about Cuba, as Yvonne was born there and her family left when she was young. They were very curious about how much Cuba had changed and wanted to chat about it.”

World Gym fitness instructor Manuela Nemes described them as a loving couple who would do their stretches together and often leave the gym hand in hand. She said Blanco recently advised they would be away for the week for travel.

“They seemed to be a very united couple like you rarely see at this age,” Nemes said.

“He [would] help her with placing a plate or removing it from a machine like a real gentleman. They were stretching together even if they were working out separately. “

Despite knee problems, Blanco was dedicated to training and fitness, Nemes said, adding that she was able to attend her core class and continue training for hours after the class was over.

“I’ve never seen so much determination and passion for training, strength and consistency. Yvonne was a quiet person while her husband was more talkative. We always complimented each other on the colourful outfits and our abs. It was a mutual admiration,” Nemes said.

“They seemed ageless in spirit and behaviour, never giving up in situations where some of us would get discouraged. Yvonne was also enjoying spin classes where again, she seemed to make no effort while others were out of breath.”

Frank Flowers remembered them as some of the most consistent and determined members of the gym. “[They] inspired many of us,” Flowers said.

The couple is listed for an address at Laguna del Mar.

According to a Cayman Islands Gazette, Henderman was granted Caymanian status on 31 Dec. 2003. Henderman appears in a US Federal Register notice from 30 April 1997 of individuals who elected to expatriate, thus voluntarily losing United States citizenship.

State Bar of California records show Henderman held an inactive attorney licence and that he was a UCLA School of Law graduate. He was admitted to the bar in the state of California in 1971. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

For more on this story go to: http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/regional/cayman-islands-couple-found-dead-in-a-remote-california-area/