Mother of missing British sailor Sarm Heslop appeals to Trump to press her daughter's American boyfriend over four-year disappearance

The mother of British sailor Sarm Heslop has urged former U.S. president Donald Trump to intervene in the disappearance of her daughter, four years after she vanished from a catamaran off the U.S. Virgin Islands. Heslop, 41, went missing on March 8, 2021, from the Siren Song, a £500,000 vessel owned by her partner, Ryan Bane. The last person to see her was Bane, who said they spent the evening together before he was awakened by the vessel’s anchor alarm at about 2 a.m. that day. About 30 minutes later he reported Heslop missing to local police. The case remains unresolved, with no suspects publicly named and police records listing it as a cold case.

Dispute over cooperation has long dogged the investigation. Bane has not been formally charged and has repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, leading to questions about why he has not been questioned more directly by authorities. The Virgin Islands Police Department said the inquiry continues, but with the case still classified as cold, and no warrant or arrest has been issued in connection with Heslop’s disappearance.

In a public appeal, Heslop’s mother, Brenda Street, told The Mirror that she believes Trump could press for a more thorough inquiry and compel Heslop’s boyfriend to cooperate with investigators. She said she would welcome an effort to appeal for Bane to come forward and to order a forensic search of the yacht. Street told the tabloid: “I think Trump is likely to do more than anyone else so far. I'd like him to push for the investigation to be done properly – to appeal for Bane to come forward and to order a forensic search of his yacht.” She added that if her daughter’s partner had nothing to hide, he would cooperate with authorities and provide a minute-by-minute account of the events on the night Heslop disappeared.

Lawyers for Bane have repeatedly said there is no evidence suggesting he acted improperly, and they have noted that he has not been charged and would return voluntarily if required to do so in the Virgin Islands. Street has also raised broader safety concerns, arguing that a review of dating platforms is warranted given Heslop’s past relationship history and the possibility that a safekeeping of background information could help prevent future tragedies. She told The People that she believes her daughter was murdered and has said she feels let down by police on the Caribbean tourist destination.

The case has continued to attract public attention in Britain and the Caribbean, with Heslop’s friends and family maintaining their search for answers. They appeared on BBC Breakfast last weekend to reiterate their commitment to keeping Heslop’s name and story in the public eye. A close friend, Zan, said that if Heslop had vanished in Britain, CCTV footage would have been released immediately in the search, underscoring the frustration felt by Heslop’s supporters in the Virgin Islands investigation. Another friend said the release of CCTV footage showing Heslop and Bane on land around Cruz Bay could help jog memories and provoke new information from witnesses. The footage, shown in a BBC2 documentary, Why Were We Let Down? (Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm), depicts the couple walking near a dinghy dock after visiting a local bar, with Bane’s arm around Heslop’s back as they stroll along the pier.

The documentary also highlighted the initial difficulty in obtaining the footage, with friends noting that authorities had initially told them there was no CCTV available. Chief of Police Stephen Philip of the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department explained that the department released the footage as they had reached a point where any new perspective could help “break the dead end.” He stated that the island’s force was seeking any information that could lead to new developments, given the lack of a definitive lead after years of investigation.

Meanwhile, Heslop’s mother has continued to advocate for a broader inquiry beyond the Virgin Islands, calling for more transparency and urging the authorities to consider all potential avenues. She and Heslop’s friends emphasized the ongoing emotional toll of the disappearance on family and loved ones, describing a relentless push to secure justice for Sarm. The People reported that Street has publicly said she believes her daughter was murdered and that she wants accountability for anyone who may have information connected to the case. Her statement was echoed by Bane’s legal representatives, who reiterate that their client is heartbroken and cooperative, should the authorities request his presence or testimony.

As the investigation moves forward, authorities in the U.S. Virgin Islands have stressed that cooperation from all parties remains essential to solving the case. Police leadership and investigators have urged Ryan Bane to share any information he may have, while emphasizing that there is no warrant and no charges against him at this time. The broader public attention surrounding the case underscores the persistent demand for answers from Heslop’s family and friends, who hope that new evidence, including publicly released CCTV footage, will yield fresh leads.

The Heslop family’s determination to pursue justice, despite the passage of four years, has kept the case in headlines and public discourse. In statements and interviews, Brenda Street has repeatedly underscored the impact of Heslop’s disappearance on their family and on the broader community in Southampton and beyond, highlighting the need for ongoing scrutiny of the investigation and the more robust sharing of information across jurisdictions. The authorities in the Virgin Islands have maintained that they are pursuing all viable paths to resolution, but they also acknowledge the challenges presented by a waterborne, Hawaii-like travel environment where witnesses and leads can disperse quickly.

In sum, Sarm Heslop’s disappearance remains unresolved, and the central question – what happened on that night aboard the Siren Song and whether all available leads have been thoroughly explored – continues to galvanize her family, friends, and supporters. While discussions about political intervention and checkout of the yacht’s owner’s conduct are not new, the core of the case rests on the ability of investigators to obtain cooperation from those with direct knowledge of the events of March 7–8, 2021, and to apply all appropriate investigative techniques to determine Heslop’s fate. The family’s hope endures that new evidence will emerge, and authorities will pursue every plausible avenue to deliver answers and, if warranted, accountability.