Yahoo News Sarm Heslop: Parents of British woman missing in Caribbean urge forensic search of catamaran
Police must forensically examine a boat in the US Virgin Islands where a missing British woman was last seen, her parents have said.
Sarm Heslop, from Southampton, disappeared from the Siren Song, a catamaran owned and operated by her American boyfriend, Ryan Bane, while off the coast of St John in the early hours of 8 March.
She has not been seen since.
Her parents, Peter Heslop and Brenda Street, from Essex, said they have not given up hope of finding their daughter.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Street described her daughter as “very popular, very loving, fun-loving, always made you laugh”.
She added: “I feel like I’m in a numb bubble, I don’t want to go out, can’t go out in case I see somebody. I just feel awful, I just feel my heart’s broken but I still do not feel she’s gone.
“I will always think she will walk back through the door, always. I never give up on her and I never give up looking for her.”
Mr Heslop said: “I’d like a full forensic search of the ship and a real full-on one, which I hope they do not find anything, but if they do that justice be done if there needs to be, that is what I want.
“I’ve got no peace, I’ll never have any real peace ever, for the rest of my life, I don’t suppose.”
Hampshire Police announced in April that they were supporting the Virgin Islands Police Department in their investigation into Ms Heslop’s disappearance.
She was known to have gone for dinner in St John with Mr Bane on 7 March and he reported her missing to police at 2.30am the following day.
Earlier this month, a campaign set up by friends of Ms Heslop to help find her, released a video to raise awareness of her disappearance.
In April it emerged that Ms Heslop’s last know movements were not captured on CCTV in the bar she was drinking in because of a power failure.
The former flight attendant had been on an extended holiday with Mr Bane.
He claims he woke up at 2am on the luxury yacht they were sharing to find she was gone.
Local police officers questioned Mr Bane, with reports suggesting he was urged to cooperate fully with the investigation after he refused to allow coastguards to search his boat.
Coastguard officials told local media that when they visited Mr Bane on his boat that afternoon, during a search and rescue operation, they found him drunk and uncooperative. He refused to answer questions and physically prevented them from searching the vessel.
Local police were joined by FBI agents from the US to find out what happened to Ms Heslop.
She had been living aboard the boat with Mr Bane, acting as a chef and hostess on charter cruises for private clients.
Additional reporting by Press Association
Read More
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast
