Sarm Heslop was 41 when she was reported missing by her boyfriend from his boat off St John on 8 March 2021
The mother of a woman who went missing from a yacht in the US Virgin Islands three years ago says she now believes her daughter was murdered.
Sarm Heslop was last seen as she left a bar on St John in the US Virgin Islands with Ryan Bane on 7 March 2021.
He reported her missing from Siren Song, moored off the island, at 02:30 local time the following morning.
Her mother Brenda Street, 67, told The People newspaper: “I want justice for her.”
Brenda Street said her heart was ‘broken’ following her daughter’s disappearance
Ms Heslop, who was 41 when she vanished, is known to have left Mr Bane’s boat moored off St John – which was under a 22:00 local time Covid curfew – to visit a bar and have dinner on 7 March.
After three years without answers, Ms Street, of Ongar, Essex, says she feels “let down” by police on the Caribbean tourist hotspot and “hatred” for Mr Bane, whom she accuses of not doing enough to help find her daughter.
“I want to bring her home so I know where she is – she deserves that.”
The family now has an investigator, a former Metropolitan Police commander of homicide and serious crime, helping them look into the case.
Ms Street, who has previously travelled to the island as part of the search for her daughter, told the paper: “There’s too many things that don’t make sense and don’t add up.”
Image source, Family handout
Ms Heslop had been staying and working with Mr Bane, a US citizen, on the catamaran
She is calling on Mr Bane to provide the police with everything he knows about her daughter’s disappearance.
Under US law, Mr Bane – the last person known to have seen Miss Heslop and described as a “person of interest” by police – can stay silent and officers must show “probable cause” to get a search warrant.
His lawyer, David Cattie, said in a statement to the newspaper that his client was “heartbroken” over Ms Heslop’s disappearance.
“We certainly understand and empathise with her mother’s pain and frustration.
“Mr Bane called 911 immediately upon waking and finding Sarm was not on board.
“He took his dinghy to shore to meet with Virgin Islands Police Department that night and called the US Coast Guard (USCG) the next day when no-one appeared at his boat. He also had the USCG on his vessel twice following Sarm’s disappearance.
“Later Mr Bane and I personally took all of Sarm’s belongings to the police, including all of her electronic devices.”
Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
Related Topics
Related Internet Links
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
