US Virgin Islands missing woman's friends demand release of previously undisclosed surveillance video
Sarm Heslop was reported missing in March from the Siren Song, a catamaran owned by boyfriend Ryan Bane
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former U.K. flight attendant Sarm Heslop went missing from her American boyfriend’s luxury catamaran in the U.S. Virgin Islands more than a year ago – and her friends and family are now demanding police there release previously undisclosed surveillance video of her last known whereabouts.
Police showed the video to Heslop’s parents in March 2022, around one year after she vanished. But when they asked for a copy of the video, police denied their request, according to a statement released Monday morning.
"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!" the statement reads. "Sarm’s Mother, Brenda Street, has confirmed that the footage was stopped by the US Virgin Islands Police before the end of the recording."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sarm Heslop was last seen leaving the 420 to Center bar on St. John in March 2021. Her friends and family now say they want police to release previously undisclosed video of her final known movements. (Friends and Family of Sarm Heslop)
Heslop, 41, was reported missing by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, 44, around 2:30 a.m. on March 8, 2021. Police told him to contact the U.S. Coast Guard if she had fallen off his 47-foot catamaran, the Siren Song. He did so around 11:45 a.m., and Heslop has not been seen since the night before, when she and Bane went to a St. John bar, 420 to Center, near his mooring. Police have said they could not confirm whether Heslop returned to the boat after being seen leaving the bar with Bane.
A woman who answered the phone at 420 to Center told Fox News Digital last year that the couple stopped in for a few drinks and seemed normal before leaving around 10 p.m. on March 7. She said she did not have surveillance video because the bar cameras were broken at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SARM HESLOP: US VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE SAY THEY WERE DENIED SEARCH WARRANT FOR SIREN SONG CATAMARAN
According to the family, the video may contradict some of what Bane told police.
The booking photo from Bane's 2011 domestic violence arrest. (Oakland County Sheriff's Office)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In the CCTV footage Sarm is seen wearing skirt/shorts and a top but her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, told police and Sarm’s parents and friends that she was wearing a black dress with flowers on," the statement continues.
The family is also requesting that USVI police accept an offer of assistance from the FBI.
"We implore the US Virgin Islands Police to share the CCTV footage and work hand in hand with the FBI to find answer to the disappearance of Sarm Heslop" Heslop’s parents and friends concluded in their statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sarm Heslop has been missing since March 8, 2021. Boyfriend Ryan Bane told police she vanished from his 47-foot catamaran, the Siren Song. (Find Sarm)
Bane has a 2011 domestic violence conviction for attacking his ex-wife, Corie Stevenson, after they got home from a wedding.
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Police found her with a chipped tooth, scratches on her face and neck and other injuries. In multiple interviews, she claimed he was physically and verbally abusive, quick to anger and that "he will lie about everything."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, island police did not obtain a search warrant for his vessel after Heslop’s disappearance.
Police and prosecutors there did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department or Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Heslop is 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a slim build, brown hair and a bright-colored tattoo on her left shoulder that includes a seahorse, a butterfly, a bird and a pink flower.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise reward money for information that cracks the case.