HomeLatest NewsMissing Flight Attendant's Friends Drop 911 Bombshell in Tropical Cold Case

Missing Flight Attendant’s Friends Drop 911 Bombshell in Tropical Cold Case

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Sarm Heslop was a 41-year-old flight attendant from Southampton, UK. She settled down with Ryan Bane, her American boyfriend, on his catamaran luxury off St. John, U.S Virgin Islands, for an adventure at sea as well as a picturesque backdrop.

After dinner at Frank Bay’s bar, she disappeared without a trace.

It was Wednesday, two years ago. Police have not revealed any details, including whether she ever returned to Bane’s 47-foot yacht Siren Song.

Friends and family of her claim that they are now frustrated and helpless in the Atlantic, and the case has gone cold. Friends claim that her family revealed on Tuesday that a crucial 911 call regarding the case was not recorded.

Heslop’s roommate and friend Kate Varnalls told Fox News Digital Wednesday that “it’s another setback.” It was a door that had been opened to us as an opportunity, but it has now been shut again. A 911 call wasn’t recorded, which feels completely insane. We are being told that the 911 call was not recorded. Where do we go?

This week, Heslop was incorrectly spelled by police in a statement. They also avoided answering any questions.

“The Virgin Islands Police Department continues sending thoughts and prayers to family, friends, and colleagues of Sarmhelsop,” a spokesman for the department told Fox News Digital via email. “The VIPD Criminal Investigations Bureau is continuing to work on this ongoing investigation. We will keep you informed of any further developments when they are available.”

Varnalls stated that the supporters of the missing woman have no plans to stop asking for answers.

She said that Ryan and VIPD should have taken so many important steps early on that didn’t happen. “If somebody is missing in the UK, CCTV (closed circuit television) would usually release footage of their last sighting.”

The U.S. Virgin Islands police, who have been criticized for their handling of Heslop’s case and many others, have not returned her iPad and phone to her family. They have also declined to release surveillance footage showing her last known location and have never obtained a warrant to search Bane’s boat.

Varnalls doesn’t like the lack of accountability. He said that it was “shameful and infuriating” to not have answers.

She said that she was still looking for answers in the UK to help get the VIPD held accountable and release the CCTV footage. “Someone in a higher authority should come forward and tell them they must release the CCTV footage or question why the 911 call was not recorded.”

Initial authorities claimed that they didn’t have any surveillance footage of Heslop or Bane leaving the Center Bar at 420. However, last year she showed her parents a short CCTV clip that shows the couple walking towards a dinghy following dinner. The couple stopped the tape just before they boarded the vessel. They have maintained publicly that Heslop didn’t make it back to the Siren Song that night.

Despite her family’s pleas, the police refused to release it.

Varnalls stated Wednesday that the only explanation was “Well, it’s an ongoing probe. Why not release it? The last steps of someone who is missing can be a clue to the identity of that person. They might recognize her.”

Heslop’s friends earlier this week revealed that Bane’s 911 call on March 8th, 2021 at 11:46 AM was not recorded. This is another clue possibly lost in the hands of VIPD.

The court denied the police’s requests for a search warrant to look into Bane’s boat. It was placed up for sale last year, and its current location is not known. Bane is believed to have returned to Michigan in order to obtain a pilot’s license.

Heslop’s parents have not received any information from the police, but they have been given very few details by them.

Last year, Commissioner Trevor Velinor spoke out to Dateline about the mistakes made by his officers. He failed to notify the Coast Guard when Bane called 911 at 2:30 AM and also failed to inspect his boat or the nearby moorings.

Varnalls stated, “It’s mind-blowing that an agency, a department of police, can get away without delivering, following through, and not providing evidence and backup for the ongoing investigation.”

David Cattie, Bane’s lawyer, stated that his client called 911 immediately when Heslop went missing at 2:30 AM. He then “traveled to Virginia to make a statement about Sarm to members of the [Virgin Islands Police Department]”.

He didn’t immediately respond to my request for comment Wednesday morning.

Cattie claimed that separate Coast Guard crews performed an “on-site inspection of the vessel” and conducted an interview without limitation. However, USCG officials stated that they were denied full access to the catamaran by the Coast Guard and were issued citations.

Bane did not have to consent to police searching his boat without a warrant. His attorney has also denied that he was involved in Heslop’s disappearance. He has not been identified as a suspect in the Heslop case or accused of wrongdoing.

Michigan native Bane was convicted of domestic violence in 2011. He had attacked his ex-wife in a drunken brawl after attending a friend’s wedding.

He also called 911 twice on March 8, the first time at 2:30 AM to inform the police that he couldn’t find Heslop and then again at 11:46 AM to alert Coast Guard that she might have gone overboard.

A VIPD spokesperson declined to confirm that the call at 2:30 a.m. was recorded, or comment on the issues with the second one.

Heslop stands 5′ 8″ tall, with brown hair, a slim build, and a bright-colored tattoo that covers her left shoulder. It includes a seahorse and a butterfly as well as a bird, a bird, and a pink flower.

To reward friends who crack the case, a GoFundMe campaign was set up to raise money.

They hope to raise more money, and maybe bring in a private detective – a costly step that victims of crime in the U.S. Virgin Islands told Fox News Digital was necessary for justice.

Varnalls stated, “It’s almost as if people believe that we’ll disappear if we don’t get answers.” “But I don’t believe anyone in this situation would do such a thing, and we certainly aren’t going to do so.”

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