The best friend of a British woman who was last seen aboard her boyfriend’s luxury catamaran in the US Virgin Islands two weeks ago says the timing of her disappearance “makes no sense”.
Sarm Heslop, 41, of Southampton, was last seen on the night of March 7 aboard the 47-foot Siren Song, which was moored in Frank Bay, St. Louis. John, officials said.
Her boyfriend Ryan Bane, 44, woke up at two in the morning the next day when he was awakened by the anchor alarm of his charter boat, which was about 100 feet from shore.
He was reported to have alerted the U.S. Coast Guard about 10 hours after noticing the disappearance of the former flight attendant.
Bane, a U.S. citizen, is reportedly a lawyer and refuses to allow authorities to search his ship.
“This chronology just doesn’t make sense to us,” Andrew Baldwin, 41, a friend of the woman who has been missing for 25 years, told the mirror.
“We know Mr. Bane called the local police at 2:30 a.m. and was told to call the Coast Guard,” he said. “It was reported to the Coast Guard that she was alerted to his disappearance by Mr Bane at 11:46 on Monday.
“We know they had dinner at a local restaurant and left at 10pm. What we don’t know is what happened in those hours,” Baldwin added.
A dog walker on the island reportedly heard a scream during the time Heslop disappeared, The Sun reported.
Friends have said they don’t point the finger at Bane, whom Heslop met on Tinder, but just want them to find her.
“It simply came to our notice then. She’s smart and sensible, she’s not like her at all, she just doesn’t fit in, ”Baldwin told the Mirror.
Local police said Bane did not speak to them.
“Shortly after denouncing Ms. Heslop’s disappearance, Mr. Bane acquired the services of a lawyer,” the Virgin Islands police department said in a statement, according to the media.
“On the advice of his lawyer, Mr Bane exercised his constitutional right to remain silent and denied the officers’ requests to search the ship.
“VIPD continues to strive to locate Ms. Heslop, conducting several daily searches, speaking with potential witnesses, and combing hours of surveillance video,” he added.
Bane’s attorney, David Cattie, said his client immediately called 911 when he realized his girlfriend was missing.
“Later that morning, the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on Mr. Bane’s (Siren Song) ship at Mr. Bane’s request,” Cattie told Fox News. “Several USCG agents boarded the ship and interviewed Mr. Bane on the ship.
“Mr. Bane, at the request of Sarm’s family, handed over his personal belongings [Virgin Islands Police Department], including mobile phone, iPad, passport, etc. “
Heslop’s family said she was “shocked and baffled” by her disappearance, adding, “We will never stop looking for Sarm and we still have hopes of finding her safe.”