Sarm Heslop missing – Best pal of Brit who vanished from yacht says timeline of disappearance ‘doesn’t make sense’
THE best friend of a Brit who vanished from a yacht in the Caribbean says the timeline of her disappearance “doesn’t make sense”.
Sarm Heslop, 41, vanished from the vessel moored off the coast of the US Virgin Islands but it's claimed her boyfriend only alerted the Coast Guard around 10 hours later.
Heslop, from Southampton, had gone to bed on March 7 after having dinner with 44-year-old Mr Bane on the island of St John.
Bane was woken at 2am on March 8 when the anchor alarm on the charter yacht, which was moored about 100ft offshore, went off and he discovered Heslop had disappeared.
But it has been claimed he alerted the US Coast Guard 11.46am, some 10 hours later.
Andrew Baldwin, 41, a friend of Ms Heslop for 25 years, told : "This timeline just does not make sense to us.
"We know that Mr Bane called the local police at 2.30am and was told to call the coastguard.
"The coastguard was reported as saying that it was alerted to her disappearance by Mr Bane at 11.46am on Monday.
"We know they had dinner in a local restaurant and left at 10pm. What we don’t know is what happened in those intervening hours.
"She is savvy and sensible, it’s not like her at all, it just doesn’t add up."
He has previously told Fox News it was "incredibly difficult" to believe she fell off the boat.
"It's been eight days since Sarm disappeared," said Mr Baldwin.
"Eight days in, they could've found anything on the boat."
A dog walker on the island of St John reportedly heard a scream during the time Sarm vanished.
A massive hunt for Sarm has been underway since she disappeared.
It comes as Virgin Islands police say her American boyfriend Ryan Bane has acquired a lawyer and is not allowing police to search his 47-foot catamaran.
"Multiple USCG officers boarded the vessel and interviewed Mr. Bane on the vessel.
"Mr. Bane, at the request of Sarm’s family, then turned over her personal belongings to [Virgin Islands Police Department], including her cell phone, iPad, passport, etc."
He then met with police officers to give a statement regarding Sarm, where he said she might have fallen overboard in the night.
The Virgin Islands Police Department said it is continuing the search for her, including conducting searches multiple times daily and going through hours of surveillance video that may shed light on her disappearance.
Divers have joined a huge search for Sarm, who is originally from Hertford, with the local community rallying together to help.
A close friend of Sarm’s, who did not want to be named, told The Sun that her friend’s phone, passport and belongings had all been left on the boat, where she had been living with her boyfriend.
“She would not just disappear, leaving no trace,” she said.
"Sarm is super smart, level-headed and super well travelled. And she's 41 - she has a good head on her shoulders.”
Sarm's worried family have said they have been told everything is being done to find her.
"We would like assurance that the authorities in the Virgin Islands are doing everything possible to find her and that the investigation into our beautiful and cherished daughter’s disappearance includes a comprehensive fingertip search of the boat," they said in a statement.
U.S Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said when Sarm went missing they "searched adjacent islands, and all the waters around and out to sea from where the vessel was located".
He added: "We had a Coast Guard helicopter searching that afternoon and the search continued throughout the night.
"Conditions were excellent as far as visibility, sea state, and there were no signs of anyone in the water."
Sarm, who has previously worked as a flight attendant and in call centres, had been living on the Siren Song for a number of months with her boyfriend.
The vessel, which her boyfriend owns, is rented out to charter guests who she takes on a tour of the islands for around £5,000-a-week.
It was estimated to be worth around £500,000.
Police Department Public Information Officer Toby Derima said: “Every day that goes by and we don't have any news about her is a major concern for us. “We need to locate her as soon as possible.
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Sarm’s Instagram account is filled with pictures of her sailing through stunning sunsets, snorkelling and hiking.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Virgin Islands Police Department.