In the early hours of Monday March 8th 2021, Sarm Heslop (41) disappeared from a catamaran in St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Originally from Southampton, Sam was living and working on the 'Siren Song' catamaran which was owned by her boyfriend Ryan Bane (44).
At the time of her disappearance the boat was moored off shore at Frank Bay, St Kohn, and the couple had been to dinner on Sunday 7th Match 2021, where she was last seen at around 10pm. Bane called U.S. Virgin Islands Police around 2:30 a.m. the next morning to report her missing and they advised him to contact the Coast Guard to report a person overboard, but he did not do so until around 11:45 a.m. It was reported that all her belongings, including her phone, were left aboard the catamaran.
Sarm is a Caucasian female, approximately 5ft 8ins, of athletic build, with long dark brown hair. She has a large, colourful tattoo on her shoulder depicting a seahorse, butterfly and flower.
The Investigation
The coastguard and Virgin Islands Police Department carried out an extensive search of the ocean and shorelines, however, they found no evidence Sarm had gone into the water.
The Virgin Islands Police Department is asking for the community’s assistance in locating her and asking for any information about her disappearance.
Ryan Bane's boat has never been searched and he has refused the police's request to carry out a search. He is also in the process of trying to sell the boat (Aug 2021).
Bane has a domestic violence conviction stemming from a 2011 assault on his then-wife Corie Stevenson. She told Fox News earlier this year that during that incident, Bane yanked her out of the car while her seatbelt was still buckled and slammed her face into the ground, chipping a tooth before rolling her over and clasping his hands around her throat.
"He’s very aggressive with girls, but he doesn’t really wanna get in fights with guys," she said in March 2021.
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