United States Central Command officials say four Americans lost their lives today when they were shot by their Somali captors. A flotilla of U.S. Naval warships had been shadowing the Quest, a boat owned by two of the dead - Scott and Jean Adam of Orange County. Seattle couple Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle were also aboard the Quest when Somali pirates hijacked the vessel on February 18th in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman.
According to the Department of Defense, officials were in talks with the pirates about releasing their hostages:
This is simply devastating. Jean Adam had set up a website that chronicled the Adams' round-the-world adventure on the Quest, calling it a journey of "friendship evangelism" and handing out Bibles. Whether you approve of this type of evangelism or not, Jean seemed like such a joy-filled woman who genuinely loved life. It's so tragic that she lost hers in such a violent, terrifying way.
For some more background on the Adams' journey and tragic end, here's a video piece from the Associated Press:
