(NAIROBI, Kenya) -- The U.S. military said Tuesday that Somali pirates shot and killed four Americans who have been held hostage aboard their yacht since last Friday. Navy forces had been following the yacht, and reported hearing gunfire as they approached it. All four hostages were found dead.

Mark Fox, commander of U.S. naval forces for the Central Command said in a televised briefing that two pirates were killed during confrontation with naval forces. Two other pirates were found to be already dead for some time, but the details of their demise remains unclear, as the U.S. military stated they do not have those details.

One of the four Americans killed aboard a ship off the coast of Oman has ties to the Triangle. Phyllis Macay worked for a furniture consulting company in Hillsborough for over 30 years. John Egger, and friend of Macay, told WTVD-TV he got word of Somali pirates taking over her ship last Friday. Macay blogged about her many sailing trips voyages around the world, including trips to Fiji, Greece and France. Egger told ABC 11 that Macay wasn't worried about her latest trip to the coast of Oman in the Indian Ocean.

It's reported that the U.S. Central Command had been negotiating for the release of the two couples on the pirated vessel, Quest. Macay was sailing with Bob Riggle of Seattle, WA, and Jean and Scott Adam of California, who reportedly had made their home on The Quest since 2004.