US Virgin Is - Sarm Joan Lillian Heslop, 41, British, aboard vessel Siren Song, St. John, 7 Mar 2021

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LietKynes said:
Hmm.
I keep thinking Sarm was witness to or found out -- something unsavory he was doing .
Click to expand...
How do you mean? Like involvement in something illegal?

So what are the possible events if Sarm did not get back on the boat? That would leave a window of 4/4.5 hours from leaving the restaurant until RB called the police.

Could LE be calling RB's bluff with the latest release we saw in the BBC i.e. by NOT letting them search the boat, he is preventing evidence being collected that could prove she did return to the boat, according to his claim. The placing of her belongings does not prove it, only demonstrates that someone placed them there at some point so if RB did do that himself, then he hasn't helped himself.

Another thought: could RB be protecting SH in some way? I can't really justify his behaviour if he's innocent, other than to be distrusting of local LE, in which case, hopefully the involvement of the FBI or UK police will help to alleviate his concerns, and get some actual facts on the table.....

Oh dear. Whatever the outcome, it does not look good. Can only imagine how frustrating, difficult and exhausting this must be for SH's friends and family.
 
US Virgin Islands missing Sarm Heslop: 'Not normal' for police not to search boyfriend's yacht, expert says

The mystery comes as U.S. Virgin Islands authorities are cracking down on a spike in violent crime.

In October 2020, U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert’s office announced it was stepping up federal efforts to combat violent crime after an increase in homicides across the territory.

And the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department currently lists 23 active missing persons cases on its website, including Heslop’s.

Jerry Forrester, a former FBI agent and private investigator who has worked extensively in the Caribbean, said the number of missing people is unusually high for the U.S. Virgin Islands’ population of just over 100,000 – but he also noted that investigators don’t assume all of those missing are dead.
 
Me thinks that the local law enforcement is in over their heads.
I have more trust in the FBI. Hopefully they're making progress.
However, this man has had SO much time to clean up ANY crime scene on his boat.
Unless her body is found, he may well get away with whatever he did.
If, he did anything.
Which, in my opinion he did do or- had something to cause Sarm's complete disappearance.
 
Been following along silently liking posts. Just wanted to say this whole thing stinks! I don’t believe this young woman went missing voluntarily and I’m quite upset that it doesn’t seem to be investigated properly. Of course, there may be much going on that we’re not privy to, but for the life of me I can’t understand how a search warrant for the boat wasn’t done immediately! Or at all! IMHO
 
Chocoholic said:
Been following along silently liking posts. Just wanted to say this whole thing stinks! I don’t believe this young woman went missing voluntarily and I’m quite upset that it doesn’t seem to be investigated properly. Of course, there may be much going on that we’re not privy to, but for the life of me I can’t understand how a search warrant for the boat wasn’t done immediately! Or at all! IMHO
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Exactly. You often hear the narrative (in the UK anyway) 'pah, they're an adult, it's not a crime to leave without telling anyone', and in this case an acquaintance has said "'she’d disappear, not even say ‘See you tomorrow.’ Then the next day she’d be back. It wasn’t unusual” “I wouldn’t put it past her if she’d gone up for a cigarette and someone went past on a dinghy and said ‘Come and party with us'”.

What's important here though is that Sarm's boyfriend, the person who would know Sarm much better, didn't think she'd left voluntarily. He thought it was an emergency. He called 911. You don't place an emergency call, for life saving assistance, at 2.30am if your partner is in the habit of leaving without telling you, to go party on other boats. He apparently also deduced there was no other boat involved in Sarm's disappearance, because the coast guard wouldn't be able to do anything about that ten hours later. Meaning in his estimation the disappearance involved Sarm and Siren Song, his boat. On his own assessment it warranted police involvement. Police had every reason to take his cue and start with his boat, letting the experts look, especially once the history of the reporting party was made known to them. IMO
 
Yes and, even if her friends are correct about her disappearing to go smoke or party, that cigarette has long since been smoked and the party is long over. Disappearing for a day for some space is not the same as being gone for weeks and knowing that your family and friends are losing their minds with worry. I definitely agree with you Tortoise, that she did not disappear on her own. It will not surprise me if she’s never found and it seems to have happened in a perfect part of the world to make someone go poof without consequences. I still say it reminds me of Natalee. Even then, family and media flying in to demand action did little. Poor Sarm.
Tortoise said:
Exactly. You often hear the narrative (in the UK anyway) 'pah, they're an adult, it's not a crime to leave without telling anyone', and in this case an acquaintance has said "'she’d disappear, not even say ‘See you tomorrow.’ Then the next day she’d be back. It wasn’t unusual” “I wouldn’t put it past her if she’d gone up for a cigarette and someone went past on a dinghy and said ‘Come and party with us'”.

What's important here though is that Sarm's boyfriend, the person who would know Sarm much better, didn't think she'd left voluntarily. He thought it was an emergency. He called 911. You don't place an emergency call, for life saving assistance, at 2.30am if your partner is in the habit of leaving without telling you, to go party on other boats. He apparently also deduced there was no other boat involved in Sarm's disappearance, because the coast guard wouldn't be able to do anything about that ten hours later. Meaning in his estimation the disappearance involved Sarm and Siren Song, his boat. On his own assessment it warranted police involvement. Police had every reason to take his cue and start with his boat, letting the experts look, especially once the history of the reporting party was made known to them. IMO
Click to expand...
 
Tortoise said:
Exactly. You often hear the narrative (in the UK anyway) 'pah, they're an adult, it's not a crime to leave without telling anyone', and in this case an acquaintance has said "'she’d disappear, not even say ‘See you tomorrow.’ Then the next day she’d be back. It wasn’t unusual” “I wouldn’t put it past her if she’d gone up for a cigarette and someone went past on a dinghy and said ‘Come and party with us'”.

What's important here though is that Sarm's boyfriend, the person who would know Sarm much better, didn't think she'd left voluntarily. He thought it was an emergency. He called 911. You don't place an emergency call, for life saving assistance, at 2.30am if your partner is in the habit of leaving without telling you, to go party on other boats. He apparently also deduced there was no other boat involved in Sarm's disappearance, because the coast guard wouldn't be able to do anything about that ten hours later. Meaning in his estimation the disappearance involved Sarm and Siren Song, his boat. On his own assessment it warranted police involvement. Police had every reason to take his cue and start with his boat, letting the experts look, especially once the history of the reporting party was made known to them. IMO
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Yes, yes and yes! And following the logic trail if LE is no longer sure Sarm made it back to the boat coupled with the decision to search small islands including uninhabited islands how can they not declare a criminal investigation?

It makes no sense. Maybe now with British LE finally showing interest USVIPD will change their approach. So frustrating, so disappointing.
Sarm Heslop: Police uncertain woman was onboard Caribbean yacht
 
Mandalas said:
How do you mean? Like involvement in something illegal?

So what are the possible events if Sarm did not get back on the boat? That would leave a window of 4/4.5 hours from leaving the restaurant until RB called the police.

Could LE be calling RB's bluff with the latest release we saw in the BBC i.e. by NOT letting them search the boat, he is preventing evidence being collected that could prove she did return to the boat, according to his claim. The placing of her belongings does not prove it, only demonstrates that someone placed them there at some point so if RB did do that himself, then he hasn't helped himself.

Another thought: could RB be protecting SH in some way? I can't really justify his behaviour if he's innocent, other than to be distrusting of local LE, in which case, hopefully the involvement of the FBI or UK police will help to alleviate his concerns, and get some actual facts on the table.....

Oh dear. Whatever the outcome, it does not look good. Can only imagine how frustrating, difficult and exhausting this must be for SH's friends and family.
Click to expand...
bbm
Yes, I do believe it's possible.
Not saying that's what happened.
But boyfriend seems hesitant to be helpful, and that raises my hinky meter.

I was reminded a bit of the lady who went missing whilst vacationing on a small island chain , who was up and awake at 2 am ?
Maybe couldn't sleep ?
And it was said that sometimes people have been known to move drugs or other illegal activities on those islands in the dead of night by boats.
I thought the article said she was warned not to go outside their rental or tent, at night ?
I will try to find the article about the missing woman and link it here.
Afaik, she still has not been found.
Her boyfriend said she may have gone for a swim and a shark attacked her.
So, who knows ?
It was so sad, the photos of that vacay destination were quite beautiful.
Like a paradise.
MOO.

American woman vanishes while on vacation in Belize - ABC News


Arizona mom, 43, disappears during a catamaran tour off the coast of a tiny Belize island | Daily Mail Online
Authorities in Belize suggested the woman had been drinking prior to her disappearance

No persons of interest.
I know it's not always the boyfriend.
But Imo it seemed suspicious.
And I didn't care for the way authorities claimed she was drinking prior to her going missing.
My .02.
 
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Mandalas said:
Rather misleading headline from The Mirror (UK) today, suggesting Sarm vanished from the boat. An unreliable source spreading even more unreliable news .

EXCLUSIVE: The former air hostess vanished from boyfriend Ryan Bane’s luxury catamaran last month in the US Virgin Islands but he is reportedly refusing to let police board
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From your link:

Local detectives said they may ask a judge to issue a search warrant for the vessel as “Mr Bane hasn’t co-operated yet.”

Police spokesman Toby Derima told the Sunday People: “He’s still refusing us boarding the boat and we are still working to see what angles we can use.”
...
Mr Derima added: “We could get a search warrant so he won’t be able to say no, but would need to have probable cause.”

Asked what police need to show probable cause, he added: “That I won’t get into... if we give that out people could take steps to make sure we don’t get it.”
Parents agony for missing daughter as police push to search boyfriend's boat

I'm gobsmacked.
 
This is...I don’t have the words. At least not appropriate ones. Poor Sarm. :(
MsMarple said:
From your link:

Local detectives said they may ask a judge to issue a search warrant for the vessel as “Mr Bane hasn’t co-operated yet.”

Police spokesman Toby Derima told the Sunday People: “He’s still refusing us boarding the boat and we are still working to see what angles we can use.”
...
Mr Derima added: “We could get a search warrant so he won’t be able to say no, but would need to have probable cause.”

Asked what police need to show probable cause, he added: “That I won’t get into... if we give that out people could take steps to make sure we don’t get it.”
Parents agony for missing daughter as police push to search boyfriend's boat

I'm gobsmacked.
Click to expand...
 
Mandalas said:
Rather misleading headline from The Mirror (UK) today, suggesting Sarm vanished from the boat. An unreliable source spreading even more unreliable news .

EXCLUSIVE: The former air hostess vanished from boyfriend Ryan Bane’s luxury catamaran last month in the US Virgin Islands but he is reportedly refusing to let police board
Click to expand...
At the risk of sounding stupid here, I know nothing about The Mirror, are you thinking she didn’t get back to the boat? I saw an article stating something like that, but couldn’t read past the first paragraph. I’ve been trying to follow along here, but I guess there are few known facts. Any help is appreciated. Sorry if I sound completely dense, just trying to keep up.
 
Chocoholic said:
At the risk of sounding stupid here, I know nothing about The Mirror, are you thinking she didn’t get back to the boat? I saw an article stating something like that, but couldn’t read past the first paragraph. I’ve been trying to follow along here, but I guess there are few known facts. Any help is appreciated. Sorry if I sound completely dense, just trying to keep up.
Click to expand...

@Mandalas isn't the only one thinking it; the USVI police department has said they can't confirm it. See post #575 (0n the previous page) for a source article.

And it's not stupid to not know of every particular newspaper. The Mirror is a just another sensationalistic and gossipy British tabloid. Probably no worse than the Daily Mail, but no better either.
 
I wonder if there is there a possibility that she got back on the dinghy after leaving the restaurant, but instead of going back to the boat, in a rage he went past it, further out to sea and threw her off? Possibly fuelled by an argument, maybe along the lines of her telling him she wanted to leave again for a while, or even permanently?

I've no idea how easy those waters are to navigate at night in the dark, but if this is something he was able to do, then I think this could be a possible scenario.

MOO
 
Bogyo13 said:
Even if they finally got the warrant, what would they find honestly? He could have cleaned that boat a million times top to the bottom by now.
Click to expand...

Blood splatter on the sides of the catamaran. Remember the case where the husband pulled the wife outside of their two story house, down the side, then across? I just remember the luminal showed the route the body took as he tried to hide it after the fact. Cleanup did not help him. Maybe the wood chipper case?
 
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