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

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Mandalas said:
I thought they were treating it still as a missing persons case, so was pleased to see the contact details provided in the family's latest update were for the major crime unit in USVI, as per @kccorona's post above (thanks kcc!) . I have assumed that means the case is being treated as a criminal investigation rather than missing persons, but I appreciate that is an assumption rather than fact. I would be surprised though if a major crime unit was hanging a missing persons inquiry...?

Has it always been the major crime unit handling inquiries? Sorry, was not intending to be misleading. MOO...
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I'm not sure exactly. I think it went from something generic like "with any information" to the current. This is from April 2nd which also stated major crimes. Facebook
 
Mandalas said:
Sorry, I realise I may have misled with my assumption that it had shifted from being a missing persons case to a criminal investigation. This is only IMO.

Prior to 2nd April, the Major Crime desk has not been specifically mentioned in the official FB search page updates (only the Criminal Investigation Bureau contact info, which they started listing alongside 911 and Crimestoppers from 22nd March).
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If anything it’s the USVIPD that’s causing confusion, not you!

Sure enough USVIPD does give the number for the Criminal Investigation Bureau in press releases- even though they aren’t calling Sarm’s disappearance a criminal case!

Thanks for pointing it out as I missed it. Confusing, eh? http://www.vipd.gov.vi/Public_Inter...9/Woman_Reported_Missing_Search_Underway.aspx
 
@MsMarple and @Mandalas I agree with you, I’ve been searching the internet for days now and to no avail. I feel it’s all come to a stand still sadly.
From the beginning it’s been quite a botch up, time taken up looking in places like French Cay on St James, supposedly that being the last sighting of them where they had dinner. It is apparently approx 6.5 miles to French Cay from where Sarm went missing. Then checking ferries from Cruz Bay to Red Hook Bay. I realise they have to investigate if they get a lead. All the time RB there in his cat and no one able to check out the cabin. It’s over two weeks now that they said efforts going on to get a warrant. Something not right here in my opinion. I think this is just going to end up with Sarm staying on the missing peoples list. I really hope I’m proved wrong though..moo.
 
KING Charles said:
@MsMarple and @Mandalas I agree with you, I’ve been searching the internet for days now and to no avail. I feel it’s all come to a stand still sadly.
From the beginning it’s been quite a botch up, time taken up looking in places like French Cay on St James, supposedly that being the last sighting of them where they had dinner. It is apparently approx 6.5 miles to French Cay from where Sarm went missing. Then checking ferries from Cruz Bay to Red Hook Bay. I realise they have to investigate if they get a lead. All the time RB there in his cat and no one able to check out the cabin. It’s over two weeks now that they said efforts going on to get a warrant. Something not right here in my opinion. I think this is just going to end up with Sarm staying on the missing peoples list. I really hope I’m proved wrong though..moo.
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Sarm Heslop, going, going... gone. :( IMO it's disgusting that a woman can disappear in the middle of the night and the last person to see her - her romantic partner - can lawyer up and refuse to talk to LE and even worse, refuse to allow them to inspect the last place she was known to be.

Is this a blueprint for future behavior whenever a woman goes missing? How can anyone claim Ryan Bane was in love with Sarm? I daresay he would have expended more energy into searching for his dog if it "fell overboard" in the middle of the night.

How can RB stand to look at Sarm's remaining items in their cabin? Has he trashed her clothes, her swim suits, her books and all other reminders of her?

IMO no other U.S. jurisdiction would have blocked LE from getting a search warrant for RB's boat. We don't even know if a USVI judge would have refused a warrant as LE *never* applied for one (per msm). Horrible.
 
MsMarple said:
Sarm Heslop, going, going... gone. :( IMO it's disgusting that a woman can disappear in the middle of the night and the last person to see her - her romantic partner - can lawyer up and refuse to talk to LE and even worse, refuse to allow them to inspect the last place she was known to be.

Is this a blueprint for future behavior whenever a woman goes missing? How can anyone claim Ryan Bane was in love with Sarm? I daresay he would have expended more energy into searching for his dog if it "fell overboard" in the middle of the night.

How can RB stand to look at Sarm's remaining items in their cabin? Has he trashed her clothes, her swim suits, her books and all other reminders of her?

IMO no other U.S. jurisdiction would have blocked LE from getting a search warrant for RB's boat. We don't even know if a USVI judge would have refused a warrant as LE *never* applied for one (per msm). Horrible.
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It is frustrating that search warrants have not been issued for the watercraft. Who knows why RB denied the CG to do so initially unless something was on that yacht that the Captain did not wish to be discovered? And, that possibly could be something that has nothing to do with Sarm's missing but still could've equaled legal troubles for him.

Did covid restrictions have any adverse impact on his business operations in the past year? (Cruise Liners have been under a No Sail order by the CDC for months.) I wish we knew how financially stable he was.

While we don't know what the Captain may have done with Miss Sarm's personal belongings left aboard the Siren Song, a gentleman would have carefully boxed them then shipped her items to her grieving parents.

I do not expect LEO to find any of Sarm's items if they were to enter the Siren Song today, or in the future, so I do hope they're in the possession of her parents.
 
It’s now six weeks since Sarm went missing and no mention of this in the news. Even her friends have stopped posting and no update on findsarm.com but I guess that there is not much to say really.

I find this confusing (I know it’s old news but what else is there to relate to) that the manager where they were last seen said they left at 10pm because of the curfew.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/american...heslop-virgin-islands-spotted-boat-eyewitness
Missing Sarm Heslop's boyfriend spotted on boat that British girlfriend disappeared from: eyewitness

The manager of the restaurant where the couple ate dinner, 420 to Center, confirmed that they left around 10 p.m. due to the island's curfew and did not notice anything out of the ordinary.

Then the latest update that they arrived at between 6pm and 7pm and stayed approx 1.5hours.

Sarm Heslop's final movements not caught due to power outage

It would only be a short walk back to the dinghy from where they were last seen maximum three mins.
I know I’m scratching the ground going over old news but it’s just so frustrating that it has come to a complete standstill.
 
DeDee said:
Did covid restrictions have any adverse impact on his business operations in the past year? (Cruise Liners have been under a No Sail order by the CDC for months.) I wish we knew how financially stable he was.
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RS&BBM for emphasis.

The only references I've seen to RB's supposed wealth have come from questionable UK-based tabloids. (DM, Mirror.) I have no idea what if any factual evidence they have of this, aside from his owning (or having loan payments on) a fancy yacht. Has anyone seen credible indications of a non-yacht related nest egg, or other property in his name?

All of RB's business earnings, and any other income source he may have, could have been targeted to, literally, keeping the Siren Song and his seafaring lifestyle afloat. If charter-related earnings had dipped, or were not as lucrative as he needed them to be to cover his expenses onboard and also anything he may have owed onshore, who knows how he would be paying any crew members.

In the absence of hard evidence of his rumored wealth, I lean toward financial issues leading to a dispute between RB and his girlfriend/employee Sarm, and things escalated dramatically sometime after their last party of guests departed the boat that Sunday after breakfast. I'm not convinced by the conflicting accounts of the bartender and staff at 420 to Center that they were paying all that much attention to the couple's behavior or demeanor that night – and even if they were behaving as expected in a public venue, that doesn't mean things didn't flare up (again) after they left the bar and were out of public view. MOO.
 
janewall said:
RS&BBM for emphasis.

The only references I've seen to RB's supposed wealth have come from questionable UK-based tabloids. (DM, Mirror.) I have no idea what if any factual evidence they have of this, aside from his owning (or having loan payments on) a fancy yacht. Has anyone seen credible indications of a non-yacht related nest egg, or other property in his name?

All of RB's business earnings, and any other income source he may have, could have been targeted to, literally, keeping the Siren Song and his seafaring lifestyle afloat. If charter-related earnings had dipped, or were not as lucrative as he needed them to be to cover his expenses onboard and also anything he may have owed onshore, who knows how he would be paying any crew members.

In the absence of hard evidence of his rumored wealth, I lean toward financial issues leading to a dispute between RB and his girlfriend/employee Sarm, and things escalated dramatically sometime after their last party of guests departed the boat that Sunday after breakfast. I'm not convinced by the conflicting accounts of the bartender and staff at 420 to Center that they were paying all that much attention to the couple's behavior or demeanor that night – and even if they were behaving as expected in a public venue, that doesn't mean things didn't flare up (again) after they left the bar and were out of public view. MOO.
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Thank you, janewall, for affirming the possibility of money issues. It is highly possible that covid interrupted his cash flow the past year. Therefore, he may have not been able to pay Sarm's promised salary as a Chef. Wasn't it $500 per week? How many crew members did he have?

When given the next opp, I'll look into possible property ownership in Michigan, where he grew up, and in Ohio where he lived with his exwife. Any other clues that may help?

Money, too much or too little, has caused many people to lose their lives. Money remains the #2 reason to murder while domestic violence is #1.

Top 10 Reasons why a Person kills Someone - List Dose

#FindSarm Official Site For Sarm Heslop: Missing Person From USVI | #findsarm
 
Right now we can't sleuth too deeply since no one's been named a POI or suspect - though I can't imagine why not - but off the top of my head and with pure speculation IMO it's not about money. I'm also not convinced RB is as wealthy as we may think. I do believe he (and Sarm) made a good living from charters, even with food and fuel costs, etc.

Apart from money there are other reasons why couples might fight - assuming there even was an argument that night. Jealousy for one or an alcohol-fueled argument over nothing. We're all also aware that it's a dangerous time when a woman plans to leave a relationship.

Even the stress of entertaining guests for a week in a confined space can lead to an emotional let down and possible flare of anger. IOW, sometimes anything, even simple things can start a meltdown and if one partner has a volatile personality then it's like pouring gasoline on the fire. MOO.
 
MsMarple said:
Right now we can't sleuth too deeply since no one's been named a POI or suspect - though I can't imagine why not - but off the top of my head and with pure speculation IMO it's not about money. I'm also not convinced RB is as wealthy as we may think. I do believe he (and Sarm) made a good living from charters, even with food and fuel costs, etc.

Apart from money there are other reasons why couples might fight - assuming there even was an argument that night. Jealousy for one or an alcohol-fueled argument over nothing. We're all also aware that it's a dangerous time when a woman plans to leave a relationship.

Even the stress of entertaining guests for a week in a confined space can lead to an emotional let down and possible flare of anger. IOW, sometimes anything, even simple things can start a meltdown and if one partner has a volatile personality then it's like pouring gasoline on the fire. MOO.
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Where is that face palm emoji when needed? Thank you for the gentle reminder that RB is not an official POI even though it may seem so clear to some of us that he should be since Sarm did not vanish nor suicide herself.

You're correct in that a Mr Hyde type personality needs no excuse to become Dr Jekyll. Absolutely, anything at anytime can unleash fury. Who wants to walk about on eggshells?

Initially, wasn't Miss Heslop with him during this time period because she went for a temporary visit? Then, he offered a salary if she would prepare fabulous meals for Siren Song's guests, thereby, extending her visit. The offer may imply he was using her in order to satisfy his guests by having Sarm prepare awesome meals that were pleasing to guests as the yacht's listing promises.

Had the Captain ever paid Sarm for her culinary services? If so, was it on a regular basis as it should be?

If there was an argument that evening, and she threatened to leave him, then he could have forcefully and cruelly overreacted.

Perhaps jealousy was the cause for the frequent turnover in Chefs? Although, I suspect it was his volatility and not jealousy.

Bane enjoyed fun and adventure but perhaps more than a friendship with guests, it was their cash he desired.

Siren Song is a 2004 Robinson [sic] and Caine Leopard 4700 WELCOME TO SIREN SONG, THE VIRGIN ISLANDS’ PREMIER LUXURY SAILING CHARTER - St. Thomas
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This Robertson and Cain 2004 Leopard 47 Hardtop catamaran sold for $299,000
https://catamaranguru.com/2004-leopard-47-for-sale-by-owner/
 
MsMarple said:
Right now we can't sleuth too deeply since no one's been named a POI or suspect - though I can't imagine why not - but off the top of my head and with pure speculation IMO it's not about money. I'm also not convinced RB is as wealthy as we may think. I do believe he (and Sarm) made a good living from charters, even with food and fuel costs, etc.

Apart from money there are other reasons why couples might fight - assuming there even was an argument that night. Jealousy for one or an alcohol-fueled argument over nothing. We're all also aware that it's a dangerous time when a woman plans to leave a relationship.

Even the stress of entertaining guests for a week in a confined space can lead to an emotional let down and possible flare of anger. IOW, sometimes anything, even simple things can start a meltdown and if one partner has a volatile personality then it's like pouring gasoline on the fire. MOO.
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I agree that it's not about money. I think this is a case of hot temper. I also see this case as left to go cold. :(

jmo
 
Have been super busy the last few days and not had a second to post, but have caught up with the trickles of updates on this case. Nothing new to observe I see other than investigations continue. I'm thinking very much of Sarm's friends and family, and sincerely hope they are getting due care and attention on this case from the authorities.

I really hope they establish some facts or new insight soon. It must be terribly complicated.....
 
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