The friends of a missing British woman are becoming increasingly desperate, now that it has been two weeks since she was last seen in the U.S. Virgin Islands with her boyfriend.
Sarm Heslop, 41, was originally reported missing on March 8 by partner Ryan Bane, according to the US Coast Guard and friends of the Southampton woman, who created the “Find Sarm” website.
The loved ones are “desperately worried about her, as it is not characteristic of her to disappear without contact”, according to “Find Sarm”.
The Virgin Islands Police Department is asking for help from the community to locate her and information about her disappearance.
Bane, a 44-year-old American, told authorities that he and Heslop went to bed around 10 pm on March 7, aboard their moored catamaran, said US Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad .
The next morning, Bane said that Heslop was gone, but that all his belongings were still on board, Castrodad said.
“It’s completely out of character,” Heslop’s friend Andrew Baldwin told Sky News. “She wouldn’t leave her belongings just sitting on the boat.”
Search and rescue efforts at sea and on land have not found it.
“We will not lose hope – we are determined to find our friend,” said “Find Sarm” in a statement on Sunday.
Bane could not be reached immediately for comment on the publicly listed phone numbers, e-mail and social media accounts for him. But his lawyer insisted that the American is cooperating with the authorities to help find Heslop.
Bane handed over all of Heslop’s personal belongings – including his cell phone, iPad and passport – to the police, according to lawyer David Cattie.
“Ryan’s thoughts are with Sarm and his family right now, and he is praying for his safe return,” said Cattie in a statement to NBC News on Monday.
Julie Goldstein contributed.