Dateline Unforgettable: Where was Sarm Heslop last seen?

Sarm Heslop, a resident of Southampton, United Kingdom, was reported missing on March 8, 2021, after she was believed to have fallen off her boyfriend's boat in the United States Virgin Islands. Heslop and Bane had been to Saint John for dinner at the 420 to Center restaurant bar in Cruz Bay where she was spotted on the surveillance footage exiting the establishment, per New York Post.

Heslop had been living with Ryan Bane on his 47-foot catamaran named Siren Song ever since she started working in the luxury yacht business with Bane. Despite continuous efforts, Heslop remains missing to this day.

The Dateline Unforgettable episode, titled Siren Song, aired on January 25, 2024, at 8 pm EST on Oxygen and chronicled the 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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Sarm Heslop was working as a chef at the time of her disappearance

Sarm Heslop, born and raised in Southampton, United Kingdom, was a former flight attendant who had met Michigan resident Ryan Bane on Tinder in 2020. Ever since, she quit her job to pursue the life of a private chef on Bane's $500,000 luxury boat, Siren Song, as the couple hosted guests for $2,000 per day.

On March 7, 2021, Heslop and Bane had been to the mainland of Saint John for dinner when they visited the 420 to Center restaurant and bar. They then reportedly took the dinghy back to their catamaran, moored at 200 meters from the shore in Frank Bay. According to a BBC News report, Bane and Heslop were believed to have left the establishment early, as the island was under a 10pm local time Covid curfew.

According to New York Post, this was the last time Sarm Heslop was seen alive and the last person she was seen with was her boyfriend, Ryan Bane. As the Virgin Islands Police Department struggled to locate security footage from businesses around the restaurant, they received video evidence of Heslop and Bane exiting the restaurant. However, the video clip ended before the two boarded the dinghy for Siren Song, leaving Heslop's final movements unknown.

While Sarm Heslop's friends and family pressed the Virgin Islands Police Department for a copy of the video recording that was shown to them in March 2022, the police declined their request. The statement, obtained via Fox News, read:

"During the meeting, Sarm’s parents were shown CCTV footage of Sarm and Ryan after they left the bar 420 to Center, despite previously advising that on the night Sarm went missing there was no CCTV footage recorded! Sarm’s Mother, Brenda Street, has confirmed that the footage was stopped by the US Virgin Islands Police before the end of the recording."

The footage allegedly contradicted Bane's statement to the police, as the released statement said:

"In the CCTV footage Sarm is seen wearing skirt/shorts and a top but her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, told police and Sarm’s parents and friends that she was wearing a black dress with flowers on."

According to Sarm Heslop's friends, "little to no communication has been received from the US authorities regarding the investigation," which led to Heslop's parents visiting Saint John to conduct searches privately. Heslop is still considered a missing person to this day.