Mother of missing Sarm Heslop begs Joe Biden to force boyfriend to give answers

The mother of a Brit who vanished from her boyfriend’s yacht has pleaded with president Joe Biden “parent to parent” to appeal for Ryan Bane to come forward for formal questioning.

Sarm Heslop, 41, vanished from her American boyfriend Ryan Bane’s 47-foot luxury catamaran in the Caribbean on 8 March 2021. He is believed to have been the last person to see her alive.

The former flight attendant from Southampton, Hampshire, was last seen boarding Mr Bane’s boat where she had been working as a chef on Caribbean tours, after the couple matched on Tinder eight months earlier.

They had been out for dinner at the bar 420 to Center on St John, before returning to the £500,000 catamaran.

Sarm Heslop, right, with her mother Brenda Street

In a powerful open letter this week, Ms Heslop’s mother Brenda Street wrote: “I have reached the end of my patience and trust with the US Virgin Islands Police Department (USVIPD) who have neglected from the outset to communicate and carry out basic Police duties.

“When I met with the USVIPD in March 2022 and questioned their lack of action on that fateful night they looked me in the eye and admitted to ‘forgetting to call the coast guard, that was our fault, we forgot to do it’.

“This was their first admittance of failing to carry out their duties. Their communication since has been appalling and my daughter’s case is riddled with failures.”

She urged the president to appoint another government agency to take over this case, release CCTV of her last movements, investigate the failings of the USVIPD and appeal for Mr Bane to come forward for formal questioning.

She finished: “I would hope, and expect as a parent yourself, that you recognise, respect and empathise with the trauma I am going