Dateline Unforgettable: Is Ryan Bane a suspect in Sarm Heslop’s 2021 disappearance?

The ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Sarm Heslop from the United States Virgin Islands brought her American boyfriend, Ryan Bane, under speculation as a person of interest. Heslop had been living and working with Bane on his $500,000 luxury catamaran named Siren Song after she quit her job as a flight attendant in 2020.

However, as she disappeared around 2:00 on March 8, 2021, Ryan took nine hours to inform the U.S. Coast Guard after having informed the Virgin Islands Police Department. He also refused to let the authorities conduct forensic tests on his boat. The police had neither considered him to be a person of interest nor a suspect but have named him to be a person of interest ever since his conviction for assaulting his ex-wife came to light, per the Virgin Islands Free Press.

The Dateline Unforgettable episode titled Siren Song aired on January 25, 2024, at 8 pm EST on Oxygen and showcased the mysterious disappearance of Sarm Heslop. The synopsis reads:

"A mystery in paradise unfolds when Sarm Heslop vanishes from her boyfriend's yacht; in a case that made international headlines, Andrea Canning recounts her memorable journey searching for a particular person of interest."

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Why is Ryan Bane a person of interest in Sarm Heslop's missing case?

Sarm Heslop, the 41-year-old former FlyBe flight attendant, had been living out of her boyfriend, Ryan Bane's catamaran in the United States Virgin Islands. Bane and Heslop had met each other on Tinder in 2020. On March 7, 2021, the couple visited the 420 to Center bar in Cruz Bay having their boat moored in Frank Bay. Around 2:00 local time, Sarm had gone missing from her boat and Ryan had reached out to the Virgin Islands Police Department.

As the investigation into Heslop's disappearance began, her family received the surveillance footage from the bar which showed Sarm Heslop and Ryan Bane walking towards the dinghy dock. The video was cut off following that and Heslop's final movements thus remained unknown.

As Sarm Helsop's mother, Brenda Street, blamed the Virginia Islands Police Department for their lack of action, the owner of the bar-restaurant complex spoke to the UK Mirror saying,

“She [Heslop] and Ryan were at the edge of the bar — no arguing, no trouble, not that we know about. They were talking, that was it. It was about 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. when they came in. I think he [Bane] had three beers and Sarm no more than two. They were here for about an hour-and-a-half.”

He further stated the rest of the video had not been captured due to a power outage. However, a woman from a cyber connections cafe on the mainland reported Ryan Bane going about his usual business after Sarm Heslop's disappearance. She added,

“It’s so strange that there’s just no sign of her, no clothing that’s washed up or been found, just nothing."

Nine days after Heslop went missing, a local dog walker reported having heard a scream from the sea - roughly from the direction of where Siren Song was moored, per The Daily Telegraph.

Ryan Bane had hired the US Virgin Islands-based celebrity lawyer, David Cattie, and on his advice, refused authorities from searching for his vessel. However, he returned her belongings such as her passport, cell phone, wallet, and iPad to the police, per Daily Mail.

As Sarm Heslop's friends and family continue to draw attention to her missing case, they pointed out that they wish for Ryan "to provide as many details as possible" in the investigation. While Bane believes Heslop had fallen off the boat in the middle of the night, her friends spoke of her as being "level-headed and a strong swimmer" who had sailed across the Atlantic considering it unlikely for such a mishap to have taken place.

Ryan Bane had additionally served time in prison for charges of domestic violence during his previous marriage.