The boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman Sarm Heslop has spoken publicly for the first time in four years, denying claims that he was involved in her disappearance in the Caribbean.
Ryan Bane, 49, issued a five-page letter where he said he had lived under suspicion since March 2021, when Heslop vanished from his yacht, Siren Song, in the US Virgin Islands. He described their relationship as loving and insisted that his decision to seek legal advice and restrict access to his yacht was to protect his rights, not an attempt to hide evidence.
His comments followed the airing of a BBC documentary, Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm, which showed previously unseen CCTV footage of the couple hours before her disappearance. The video from March 7, 2021, captured them walking together hand-in-hand in St John before returning to the yacht. It was the last confirmed sighting of Heslop, who was 41 at the time.
Bane later told authorities he awoke around 2 a.m. to the sound of the anchor alarm before realizing Heslop was no longer onboard. Her disappearance remains unsolved, and no trace of her has been found since that night.
The case continues to draw attention in both the UK and the US Virgin Islands, with Heslop’s family and friends still seeking answers about what happened.