Police in the U.S. Virgin Islands have released previously unseen CCTV footage showing British woman Sarm Heslop walking on a Cruz Bay jetty with her boyfriend hours before she disappeared from his catamaran in March 2021, authorities said.
The grainy colour video, shown in a new three-part BBC Two documentary, depicts Heslop and her boyfriend, U.S. captain Ryan Bane, strolling toward a dinghy dock in Cruz Bay and boarding a small boat that would take them back to a 47-foot catamaran, Siren Song, anchored in a nearby bay. Chief of Police Stephen Philip said the footage was being released because investigators have reached a "dead end" and hope the public may provide new information.
Heslop, 41, a former flight attendant from Southampton who had moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands to work as a yacht chef, has not been seen since the early hours of March 8, 2021. Her disappearance sparked an extensive search, but her body has never been recovered. Police have classified the investigation as a cold case and say there are no suspects at this time.
The CCTV clip is timestamped at about 8:45 p.m., showing the couple leaving a bar in Cruz Bay and boarding the dinghy bound for Siren Song, which was anchored in nearby Frank Bay. Bane told police he and Heslop returned to the boat at about 10 p.m., a discrepancy of roughly an hour and five minutes that the documentary notes as unexplained. Bane has said he awoke at around 2 a.m. after an anchor alarm and discovered Heslop was no longer aboard. He reported her missing to police, he said, soon after noticing she was gone.
Bane has not been formally charged in the case and has not been extensively questioned by investigators, according to police statements and the documentary. U.S. law enforcement officials described him as a person of interest because he was the last person to see Heslop alive, but they said they lacked probable cause for a warrant early in the probe. Police did not obtain a search warrant for Siren Song before the vessel left the territory. Authorities also said that when Coast Guard officers arrived on March 8 they asked to search the catamaran; Bane was described by some agents as heavily intoxicated and uncooperative and he invoked his right to remain silent. He received a citation that does not create a criminal record.
Heslop's family and friends have criticised the pace and scope of the early investigation. Close friends Kate Vernalls and Zan Lawther told BBC Breakfast that it took too long for the CCTV footage to be released and that relatives were initially told there was no surveillance video. Vernalls said the delay left the family "almost blindfolded" and frustrated efforts to follow leads. Heslop's mother, Brenda Street, has said she believes her daughter was murdered and that she will keep pressing for answers. In the documentary she is shown describing her determination to continue seeking the truth: "What am I going to do without her? I am stronger now and I'm going to do everything I can. I'll never give up."
Private investigators hired by Heslop's family say they uncovered changes to the vessel after the disappearance. David Johnston, working on behalf of the family, told media outlets that parts of the boat — including a freezer and sections of the forecabin — were replaced after March 2021. Authorities have not confirmed those claims publicly, and Bane's lawyer has defended his client. David Cattie, who the documentary says was appointed to represent Bane hours after Heslop vanished, said his client was "devastated" by the disappearance and has empathised with the family's pain.
Chief Philip told the documentary that releasing the footage was a measure to prompt new tips: "We are at a dead end road and we need help," he said. Investigative reporter Tir Dhondy, who travelled to the islands to examine the case for the BBC programme "Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm," interviewed local coastguard personnel, police officials and Bane's lawyer as part of the three-night series.
The couple had met in 2020, according to friends, and Heslop had sailed to the U.S. Virgin Islands after working abroad. Friends and family describe her as adventurous, a strong swimmer and a free spirit. Police descriptions following her disappearance noted Heslop as a 5-foot-8-inch Caucasian woman of slim build with a colourful tattoo on her left shoulder featuring a seahorse, bird, butterfly and a pink flower.
Investigators have said the initial search was hampered by procedural decisions. The police commissioner for the territory later acknowledged that delays in contacting the U.S. Coast Guard — including a delay by a reported nine hours — likely cost valuable search time. The missing-person file remains open but is catalogued as a cold case by the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department.
Heslop's disappearance has continued to draw attention from family, friends and members of the sailing community. The BBC documentary airing on Sept. 17–19 aims to keep the case in public view and to prompt anyone with information to come forward. Police have asked members of the public who may recognise details in the footage or who have information about Heslop's movements that night to contact investigators.
As the case approaches its fourth anniversary, no arrests have been announced and authorities say they welcome new leads. The family continues to press for access to records and for renewed investigative action while friends keep campaigning to maintain public awareness of Heslop's disappearance.