A friend of the British woman who disappeared from her American boyfriend’s yacht in the U.S. Virgin Islands more than a week ago is questioning why the police have not yet searched the ship where she was last seen, he told Fox News on Tuesday. market.
Andrew Baldwin, speaking at “America’s Newsroom”, said that Sarm Heslop is his best friend and wants to understand why investigators took so long to search the 47-foot Siren Song, which was anchored in Frank Bay, St. John, at the time the former flight attendant disappeared.
THE UNITED KINGDOM WOMAN WHO DISAPPEARED FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS YACHT IS MISSING FOR MORE THAN A WEEK
“It has been eight days since Sarm disappeared,” said Baldwin. “Eight days later, they could have found anything on the boat.”
Heslop was last seen on the night of March 7 on board the ship owned and operated by her American boyfriend, who has since been identified as Ryan Bane.
Heslop is a former flight attendant from Southampton, a port city on the south coast of England.
(Virgin Islands Police Department)
Baldwin told Fox News that Heslop met Bane after crossing the Atlantic with two friends, from the UK to the Virgin Islands, in late 2019.
“She met Ryan sometime in the next year, while in prison for COVID,” he said, adding that their relationship has been going on for five or six months.
Bane told investigators that he and Heslop returned to St. John’s ship at about 10 pm and went to sleep, United States Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad told Virgin Island Daily News on Thursday.
Castrodad said the American called the police to report Heslop’s disappearance at 11:46 am the next day, saying that “at 2 am he woke up and realized she was not on board”. He also told police that Heslop’s cell phone and other belongings were still on board the ship, and the boat was still tied up.
Police divers and volunteers scoured the waters along the coast in search of Heslop in the days that followed. But the researchers found no sign of anyone in the water.
Baldwin said he finds it “incredibly difficult” to believe that Heslop fell off the ship. Police said there was no evidence to indicate that the Southampton native entered the water.
Nancy Grace of Fox Nation examined the moment when Heslop disappeared in “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning, saying, “I am curious as to why it took so long [Bane] almost 10 hours to alert someone. ”
Baldwin asked Bane to support the police in their investigation and that authorities handle the search with “the utmost urgency and severity”.
Bane could not be reached for comment on Heslop’s disappearance. His lawyer, David Cattie, issued a statement on his behalf.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“Mr. Bane will not have an interview,” the statement said. “Mr. Bane’s only hope is that Sarm will be found alive and well. His thoughts and prayers are with Sarm and his family during this difficult period.
“Mr. Bane has spent countless hours looking for Sarm and will continue to do so. Ryan is devastated by Sarm’s disappearance.”
Heslop’s friends created a Facebook page for Missing Sarm Heslop to share information about the search while the police continue to investigate the disappearance.
Virgin Islands police have asked anyone with information about Heslop’s whereabouts to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-774-2211.