Five shocking details about Sarm Heslop's disappearance

The disappearance of Sarm Heslop in 2021 led to an island-wide search for the former flight attendant as the circumstances of the incident could not be more mysterious. Heslop and her boyfriend, Ryan Bane had been to the mainland of Saint John for dinner.

Ryan had reportedly taken nine hours to call in the U.S. Coast Guard after speaking to the Virgin Islands Police Department. Besides, he refused authorities from searching his vessel or questioning him regarding her disappearance. Heslop is still considered to be a missing person while her family and friends continue to search for her.

The Dateline Unforgettable episode titled Siren Song aired on January 25, 2024, at 8 pm EST on Oxygen and showcased the shocking details of Sarm Heslop. The synopsis reads:

"A mystery in paradise unfolds when Sarm Heslop vanishes from her boyfriend's yacht; in a case that made international headlines, Andrea Canning recounts her memorable journey searching for a particular person of interest."

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Sarm Heslop's 2021 disappearance - Five details explored

1) Sarm Heslop's boyfriend, Ryan Bane, had reported her to the U.S. Coast Guard after nine hours

Sarm Heslop had been living in her American boyfriend Ryan Bane's 47-foot catamaran, Siren Song when he reported her missing to the Virgin Islands Police Department. She had been working as a chef and a host in the luxury yacht industry with Bane.

Bane took a dinghy around 02:30 local time to report Sarm Heslop's disappearance to the Virgin Islands Police Department. The police then directed him to the U.S. Coast Guard whom he summoned at 11:45 a.m. the next day leading to a nine-hour delay, per New York Post.

2) Heslop's final movements are unknown from the surveillance footage provided by the Virgin Islands Police Department

Sarm Heslop and Ryan Bane had visited the 420 to Center bar and restaurant in Cruz Bay, Saint John on March 7, 2021 - the last time she was spotted. The two came back to their boat early owing to the COVID-19 curfew on the island.

The Virgin Islands Police Department retrieved the footage and showed it to Heslop's family in March 2022. However, Sarm's friends mentioned in a statement to Fox News saying,

"During the meeting Sarm’s parents were shown CCTV footage of Sarm and Ryan after they left the bar 420 to Center, despite previously advising that on the night Sarm went missing there was no CCTV footage recorded! Sarm’s Mother, Brenda Street, has confirmed that the footage was stopped by the US Virgin Islands Police before the end of the recording."

3) Ryan Bane refused the authorities to search his catamaran

Ryan Bane hired the celebrity lawyer based out of the U.S. Virgin Islands, David Cattie, who advised him to keep police officers off his boat. Bane refused the officials to search his vessel but returned Heslop's belongings she had left behind such as her passport, wallet, and cellphone.

Bane had also reportedly tried to sell off his catamaran for $299,000 at Grenada's Le Phare Bleu Marina in November 2021. Sarm Heslop's friend said in a statement via BBC,

“Once the boat is sold any evidence which could hold vital clues to Sarm's disappearance will be lost forever and that would be devastating. The smallest clue could hold the key. This could have been a crime scene; without the search, we will never know.”

4) A local dog walker had reported hearing a scream from the direction of Siren Song

A local dog walker from Saint John had reported hearing a scream from the direction of Siren Song nine days after Sarm Heslop went missing, per The Daily Telegraph.

While Ryan Bane expressed his concern for Sarm Heslop falling off the board, Heslop's friends and family doubted so as they described her to be a level-headed person with good swimming skills who had sailed across the Atlantic with friends.

5) Despite being a person of interest, Ryan Bane's whereabouts are unknown at the moment

Ryan Bane was considered a person of interest after his ex-wife, Corin Stevenson, came out with allegations of domestic abuse and violence which led him to spend 21 days in prison in 2011.

However, Heslop's family accuses the Virgin Islands Police Department of having turned back the FBI and Hampshire police for their help. The officers had allegedly "lost track" of Bane despite naming him a person of interest in their investigations, per a Fox News report.