A year has passed since Brit Sarm Heslop went missing in the Caribbean and her parents are still desperately searching for answers.
Ryan Bain has reported that his Southampton girlfriend Sarm went missing from her boat off St John on March 8, 2021.
The former flight attendant, now 42, lived and worked with Ryan, a US citizen, on a catamaran.
The boat was never searched and the police never questioned Ryan.
It was revealed yesterday that Sarm’s parents, Peter Heslop and Brenda Street, flew out to the island in hopes of piecing together their daughter’s last known movements.
And Sarma’s friends and family are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information.
They said, “It’s been a whole year since we learned of her disappearance, but we still only have a few facts about what happened that night.”
Here we explore the unanswered questions in the Sarma case.
Why did Ryan wait 9 hours to alert the Coast Guard?
At 2:30 a.m., Ryan called the Virgin Islands police and said that he was awakened by the sound of his boat’s anchor alarm, which goes off when the ship is drifting.
He told them that Sarm was nowhere on board, but her passport, wallet and mobile phone were still there.
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The police ordered him to immediately alert the US Coast Guard while they began searching for the missing, but he did not call them until 11:46 a.m.
As soon as they were notified - nine hours later - the US Coast Guard searched the water around and out to sea from Siren Song, as well as nearby islands.
Police and local volunteers conducted a search using dogs and drones that continued throughout the day until police confirmed they had checked everything on the 20-square-mile island. There was no sign of Sarma.
Why did the police never search the boat?
In the afternoon, when Sarm was declared missing, police and coast guards arrived to search the vessel.
But Ryan prevented them from conducting a full forensic examination and did not answer any questions on the advice of his lawyer.
The local police were powerless to force a search of the boat because they needed a good reason to request a warrant and question Ryan further, and the case was still classified as a missing persons investigation.
The US Coast Guard has since accused him of obstructing the agents who boarded the vessel, claiming he blocked the door and said they could not get inside.
Was Sarm even on the boat?
It is known that Sarm went to dinner with Ryan on Sunday, March 7, in St. John, and it was learned that she returned to the yacht and went to bed.
Her belongings, including bank cards and mobile phone, were still on board when she disappeared.
But police said they weren’t sure if Sam was ever on board the boat the night she disappeared.
The Virgin Islands Police Department said, “Investigators cannot confirm with certainty whether or when Ms. Heslop boarded the Siren Song on March 7.”
Did the sea pull her in?
The divers analyzed the sea currents to try to determine where they could drag Sarm if she went into the water.
A Coast Guard helicopter joined the search, and a police spokesman confirmed conditions were near-perfect in terms of visibility and sea conditions, but there was no sign of anyone in the water.
Meanwhile, other boats in Frank’s Bay were interviewed to see if they had any information.
But none of the skippers reported anything out of the ordinary or Sarma sightings.
Why doesn’t Ryan want to talk to the police?
According to the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), Ryan, the last person to see Sarm, declined the detectives’ request for an interview.
Sarm’s friends said: “We were so grateful to the Hampshire Police for helping the VIPD with the investigation, but we are absolutely upset that they are no longer escorting Sarm’s parents.
“We believe there is much more that the US and British Virgin Islands authorities can do to support the investigation.”
They added: “The investigation has reached a dead end and no one seems to want to press Sarm anymore. She is a British citizen and is missing. She deserves more.”
Under US law, Ryan has the right to remain silent, and police will need to show “probable cause” in order to obtain a search warrant.
Where is Ryan now?
Last March, responding to media reports that he had sailed out of the area, VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said: “As far as investigators know, Mr. Bain remains on the property.”
He added: “His whereabouts are known to law enforcement.”
Since then, Ryan has remained silent, presumably on the advice of his legal advisers.
But in November, he was tracked down at Le Phare Bleu Marina in Grenada and “seemed to not care.”
The idyllic spot is 500 miles south of the US Virgin Islands, where Sarm disappeared after they spent the night on the beach together.
While Sarma’s friends and family are consumed with worry and have a Facebook page, Missing: Sarm Heslopto help find his love, rich Ryan spends hours enjoying the sun.
According to Sunday Mirrorhe exchanged friendly words with passers-by from time to time and carefully cleaned his boat - the same vessel on which Sharma was last seen.
Ryan, who had a past conviction for domestic violence against his ex-wife Corey Stevenson, is said to keep fit by running up the steep hill every morning.
It costs £50 a night to moor a boat like Ryan’s at a jetty in a former British colony, and he is said to have requested that his name not be listed on the jetty’s ledger.
“He has breakfast and lunch and drinks soda or fruit juice, but not alcohol. But he’s definitely enjoying the good life - that’s the playboy lifestyle.
“This place is heaven. He never mentioned Sarm. No one here has the slightest idea about it.”
Ryan sold the boat?
In November, it was revealed that Ryan had put the Siren Song boat up for sale for $229,000 (£174,000).
He also removed its name and changed it to Orion’s Belt.
It is unknown if the yacht has been sold to new owners.