Sarm Heslop: Ryan Bane seen on boat he refused to let investigators search after girlfriend went missing
Sarm Heslop went missing in the U.S. Virgin Islands from the boat owned by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, more than two weeks ago. Bane has since kept a low profile, refusing to answer questions by investigators and resisting efforts to search his boat. Virgin Islands resident Jeff Jones, who has assisted in the search for Heslop, said he spotted Bane on the catamaran Wednesday morning.
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Speaking to Fox's 'America's Newsroom' Wednesday, Jones said he "did happen to see Mr. Bane on the vessel, standing inside the salon." He said it was hard for him to understand the timeline of the night Heslop disappeared. "We keep trying to figure out how to fill in this timeline with all the empty spaces," Jones explained. "It’s a puzzle. The more we dig, we’ll find more pieces and eventually put it together, but we gotta keep digging."
According to Fox News, the couple went to dinner on the evening of March 7 before returning to Bane's boat 'Siren Song,' which was moored about 50 yards offshore in Frank Bay.
The manager of '420 to Center,' the restaurant where the couple ate dinner, also confirmed to authorities that they left around 10 pm owing to the island's curfew and did not notice anything suspicious.
Around 2:30 am on March 8, Bane woke up to realize Heslop was missing. He immediately called 911 and then "traveled to meet members of the [Virgin Islands Police Department] to give a statement regarding Sarm," his lawyer said.
Bane was instructed by the VIPD to contact the U.S. Coast Guard, but he did that about 10 hours later at 11:46 am.
"As part of the search and rescue effort, the Coast Guard went aboard the vessel to interview and gather information from the reporting source," a spokesperson for the Coast Guard previously told Fox News. "Later, the Coast Guard returned to the vessel to conduct a standard vessel safety check to ensure proper equipment and compliance with applicable rules and regulations for vessel type and operation."
But despite an extensive search, the Coast Guard and local authorities found no sign of Heslop in the surrounding waters or on land. The FBI is now assisting local authorities in their search efforts.
"We can confirm that we are supporting local law enforcement in their investigative efforts," a spokesperson for the FBI told Fox News on Wednesday. "All we are doing is providing support in any way that they need. For the most part, it’s really just support of their investigation."
On March 10, divers from various local and federal law enforcement agencies, and other citizens, formed a dive search party to try to locate 41-year-old Sarm Haslop, who was reported missing on March 8. Unfortunately, this effort proved unsuccessful. pic.twitter.com/u480DVyEAS
— United States Virgin Islands Police Department (@VirginIslandsPD) March 10, 2021
According to Jones, investigators have now started focusing on surrounding areas using drones to map out areas that can't be reached by foot.
Speaking to Daily Mail, Bane's friend said he was distraught over his girlfriend's disappearance and was also concerned about the VIPD's ability to conduct the "investigation with clarity."
"He's concerned that something could go wrong or be spun the wrong way, or that they're going to be looking for something to implicate him as opposed to the other way around," the friend told the British newspaper. According to Crime Online, Bane was arrested in 2011 for allegedly assaulting his ex-wife after returning from a wedding they attended in Michigan.