The FBI has been called in to help police in the US Virgin Islands find a missing British woman who was last spotted on the boat of an Oakland County man.
Sarm Heslop, 41, was reported missing by her partner Ryan Bane of Lake Orion. She was last seen on his luxury catamaran March 8 after the two returned from dinner.
Heslop's friend Laura Taylor said everyone is worried. So much so that a website has been created to collect tips on what may have happened to Heslop, and where she may be. The website is www.findsarm.com.
"She's our loved one," Taylor said. "She's somebody's daughter. Look for her. Help find her. Spread the word as much as you can to help find her. We love her and we want to see her again. We just want to know that she's well."
Bane, 44, has reportedly hired a legal team and refused to talk to authorities or let them search the boat. Daily Mail reports that authorities need a warrant to search the craft, but have not yet obtained one because the disappearance has not been classified as a "criminal inquiry." "Bane is currently neither a suspect, nor a person of interest," they added, and he's been spotted leaving the vessel to pick up a six-pack of beer.
The news comes as Ms Heslop’s boyfriend Ryan Bane refused to allow US Virgin Islands police to search his luxury yacht https://t.co/lFelhVypsZ
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 24, 2021
The New York Post reported that Bane alerted the US Coast Guard about 10 hours after he noticed that she was missing. The pair had reportedly met on Tinder.
As rumors swirl about what may have happened on the boat, the Post uncovered information that Bane was previously accused of abusing his ex-wife, chipping her tooth in a violent confrontation.
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Police in the Virgin Islands say they're continuing their search for the missing Heslop, a native of the UK and a former flight attendant. She was working as a chef when she met Bane.
"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," her family said in a statement.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Sarm is urged to call: 911; the Criminal Investigation Bureau at (340) 774-2211; or Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-TIPS