The mother of British flight attendant Sarm Heslop, who disappeared from her American boyfriend’s luxury yacht in the US Virgin Islands, begs US President Joe Biden for help finding her daughter as she criticizes local police

The mother of a British flight attendant who disappeared in the US Virgin Islands three years ago has begged US President Joe Biden to help find her daughter, criticizing local police for “not doing their job as human beings”.

Sarm Heslop, 41, from Southampton, was living in the idyllic US Virgin Islands – a group of tropical Caribbean islands – with her new boyfriend Ryan Bane, who she matched with on Tinder in 2020.

The pair lived and worked on Bane’s £500,000 yacht called Siren Song, but in the middle of the night on March 8, 2021, Heslop disappeared without a trace and is still officially missing.

Her mother Brenda Street now believes she was murdered and has begged President Biden to help finally locate her.

Speaking from her home in Essex, the devastated mother revealed she had emailed the head of state asking for his help.

Street told Sky News: “I emailed President Biden but he didn’t reply. I ask for his help, for a department of his that will help us.’

Heslop and Bane, from Michigan, had been at a sports bar in Frank Bat, St. John, the night before she went missing.

Bane reported his girlfriend missing to Virgin Islands police at 2:30 a.m. the next morning, claiming he woke up to find her gone.

He was advised to contact the Coast Guard immediately, but reportedly did not do so until nine hours later.

When officials finally boarded the catamaran, a Coast Guard report claimed Bane was “highly intoxicated” and prevented a search of the cabin.

No suspects were sought in connection with her disappearance and there appeared to be no explanation for how the strong swimmer disappeared.

Island police never interviewed Bane or forensically tested the boat, and Bane refused help from the FBI, forcing Heslop’s mother to desperately seek the Biden’s help. “They didn’t do their job as police officers, they didn’t do their job as police officers. human beings,” she said, calling on US authorities to take over the case from the Virgin Islands police.

In a latest update on the case, speaking to Fox News earlier this month, a private investigator hired by Heslop’s family revealed that Bane had replaced the freezer on their boat after she disappeared.

David Johnston, who is working on the case on behalf of the Heslop family, said Bane had parts of the boat replaced after her disappearance.

Johnston told the newspaper: “We know he then went to Grenada and had the freezer on the boat replaced. Why? We know he had other parts of the forward cabin replaced. Why?’

This has led Heslop’s parents to believe she had been murdered, claiming their daughter was the victim of foul play and that there was no case of a missing person.

“I do believe she was murdered,” Street told Sky News.

“There are places where people can be put in the ocean and never be found again. I believe that happened.”

The former Metropolitan Police homicide commander has also contacted Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to urge him to push US authorities to oversee the ongoing Virgin Islands Police investigation.

He told Sky News: ‘What I think we really need now is for David Cameron as Foreign Secretary to hold his counterpart in the US… to demand that the island’s governor give the family clear and unequivocal answers talks about what they have done or what more could be done’.

He also asked him to consider formally interviewing Bane to find out what happened that night.

Bane was previously convicted of domestic violence against his then-wife Corie Stevenson in 2011.

In a statement, a lawyer for Mr Bane said: ‘While we empathize with the frustration of Sarm’s family, Ryan Bane had nothing to do with Sarm’s disappearance.

“Ryan is heartbroken that Sarm is missing… The Coast Guard was on the ship twice conducting a search and questioning Ryan. They had unfettered access to the ship and Ryan answered all questions put to him.”

Local police failed to obtain a search warrant for his catamaran, Siren Song, before Bane sailed it outside their jurisdiction and is now said to have sold it.

Johnston added: “Sarm is probably dead, and her death came too late and could have been a murder. It could have been an accident, but no one wants to talk to us.”

According to the PI, he first offered to help with the case 18 months ago and contacted the Governor of the Virgin Islands and the Chief of Police.

Johnston claims he has been unable to get results and says the two have become unresponsive to the family and him.

He added, “I’ve been carried away over the last 15 months by the governor and (Police Chief) Ray Martinez saying, ‘You’re welcome to come look at the chair, but we’re not going to talk.’ about the research. It’s an active investigation and we don’t talk about active investigations.”

Johnston added: “Bane should have at least been interviewed with caution.

‘From my thirty years of experience as an agent, he is a very interesting person and he has a number of questions to answer.

“And until he does, he must remain the most likely suspect in her disappearance and possible death.”

Under US law, Bane is classified as a ‘person of interest’ as he was the last person to see Miss Heslop.

But he has not been classified as a suspect and officers must prove probable cause for a search warrant.

A British Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We are assisting the family of a British woman reported missing in the US Virgin Islands and are in contact with the US Virgin Islands Police and the US Coast Guard.’