Four and a half years after Sarm Heslop vanished in the US Virgin Islands, her story is resurfacing with chilling new details. A new BBC documentary has revealed never-before-seen CCTV footage — the last recorded images of the 41-year-old British woman before she disappeared from her boyfriend’s luxury catamaran, Siren Song.
The Last Known Sighting
The footage, filmed on March 7, 2021, shows Sarm walking through Cruz Bay with her boyfriend, American boat captain Ryan Bane.
In the grainy video, Bane rests his arm on her lower back as they stroll along the pier.
After leaving a local bar, the pair head to their dinghy, which ferries them back to the £500,000 yacht anchored in nearby Frank Bay.
Bane later told police they returned to the boat around 10 p.m.
But the timestamp on the CCTV shows them leaving Cruz Bay at 8:45 p.m., meaning they likely reached the catamaran by 8:55 p.m. — leaving more than an hour unaccounted for.
A Vanishing Without Answers
By 2 a.m., Bane claimed he was woken by the yacht’s anchor alarm and realised Sarm was gone.
Her phone, passport, and money were still onboard.
He said he called police within half an hour, but Coast Guard officials were not contacted until nine hours later, a delay police later admitted wasted crucial time.
Despite the suspicious circumstances, local authorities never searched Bane’s boat.
When the Coast Guard asked for permission to board Siren Song, Bane — reportedly drunk at the time — refused and blocked entry, later invoking his right to silence.
A Cold Case and Frustrated Family
The disappearance remains a missing person case, now labelled a “cold case.”
No suspects have been charged, and Ryan Bane has never been formally questioned. Under US law, he is classified as a “person of interest” — the last known person to see Sarm alive.
Her mother, Brenda Street, has been outspoken about her heartbreak and anger.
She told reporters this week, “I don’t believe Sarm just went missing. I believe she was murdered. I want justice for her.”
She described feeling “let down” by police and admitted she holds “hatred” for Bane, who she accuses of withholding the truth.
The Unsettling Details
Private investigators hired by Sarm’s family have uncovered troubling details.
They allege that Bane replaced the freezer and other fittings on the catamaran shortly after Sarm’s disappearance.
Despite this, authorities never secured a search warrant before he sailed the boat out of local waters.
Friends of Sarm, who was known as a strong swimmer and free spirit, say they were told early on there was no CCTV footage.
Learning years later that video evidence existed has only deepened their frustration.
“If this had happened in the UK, the footage would have been released immediately,” her friend Zan Lawther said.
A New Push for Answers
In Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm, airing this week on BBC Two, investigative journalist Tir Dhondy revisits the Caribbean island to piece together the mystery.
The programme features interviews with officials, Bane’s lawyer, and Sarm’s loved ones, who refuse to give up until they find out what happened.
Even the islands’ Chief of Police admitted on camera that investigators are “at a dead end” and appealed for public help, saying, “If anybody could look at this video and see something and say something, it could help.”
A Mother’s Heartbreak
In the documentary, Brenda Street speaks candidly from her home in Hampshire.
Breaking down, she says, “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.”
While Ryan Bane’s lawyer insists he is “heartbroken” and empathetic toward the family’s pain, Brenda remains convinced her daughter was killed — and vows to fight until the truth comes out.
A Case That Refuses to Fade
Sarm Heslop left the UK in 2019 to follow her dream of sailing and working abroad.
What began as an adventurous new life in paradise has instead become a haunting mystery.
For her family and friends, the release of this footage isn’t closure — it’s a painful reminder of the unanswered questions that still surround her disappearance.