Police in the United States Virgin Islands have made public surveillance footage of Sarm Heslop, a British woman who went missing, and acknowledged that their investigation into her disappearance has hit a roadblock after four and a half years.
Sarm, a former Flybe flight attendant aged 41, was last spotted with her American boyfriend, Ryan Bane, at a restaurant near where his yacht was moored on St. John island in March 2021. This marks the first instance in which authorities have unveiled video footage of her movements on the evening she vanished, depicting her final moments on land.
The decision to release the footage was explained by USVI’s police chief, Steven Philip, who cited a standstill in the investigation and urged the public to come forward with any information that could aid in the case. The footage captured Sarm and Bane walking together in Cruz Bay, with Sarm seen appearing unsteady before sitting down on the dock and eventually boarding a dinghy.
The CCTV video, recorded in Cruz Bay, was handed over to the BBC for a new documentary titled “Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm,” where journalist Tir Dhondy delves into the circumstances surrounding Sarm’s disappearance. Dhondy highlighted a discrepancy in the timeline, pointing out that Bane’s reported return to the yacht at 10 pm contradicts the timestamp showing their departure from the dock at 8:45 pm.
USVI’s Police Commissioner, Mario Brooks, emphasized the suspicious nature of the timeline and stressed the necessity to question Ryan Bane, who remains the primary person of interest in the case. Despite Bane’s account of the events leading up to Sarm’s disappearance, questions linger surrounding the missing hour and his reluctance to cooperate with authorities.
Sarm, originally from Essex, had been residing on Bane’s £500,000 yacht, Siren Song, following a Tinder match eight months prior. Bane, with a history of domestic violence, reported Sarm missing to the authorities after being awakened by the boat’s alarm at 2:30 am on the night of her disappearance. His delayed contact with the US Coast Guard and subsequent refusal to cooperate have raised suspicions.
Brenda, Sarm’s mother, expressed the family’s hope for closure and justice in the documentary, highlighting the emotional toll of not knowing her daughter’s fate and the ongoing struggle for answers. The case remains classified as a missing person investigation, but loved ones advocate for reclassification to a no-body murder investigation to bolster the search efforts.
The narrative surrounding Sarm’s disappearance continues to unfold, with unanswered questions and conflicting accounts underscoring the urgency for clarity and resolution in the case.