US Virgin Is - Sarm Joan Lillian Heslop, 41, British, aboard vessel Siren Song, St. John, 7 Mar 2021

[pizzaman12]

It’s unclear why police have not obtained a search warrant for the Siren Song, and the department has declined to comment.

Several experts have told Fox News that they believe there is enough probable cause* to convince a judge to grant a search warrant, as Heslop was purportedly last seen alive on the boat before going missing.
...
A spokesperson for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on any possible search of the Siren Song.
US Virgin Islands missing woman Sarm Heslop’s friends plead for boyfriend to help search

*From April 1:
"Get a warrant, get a judge to sign the warrant and get a search warrant," Forrester said. "They have enough probably (sic) cause, I think. She’s missing, and she was on that boat. ... They’re just not doing their job."

The U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but earlier this week investigators renewed their appeal for anyone with information on Heslop’s whereabouts to contact them. The FBI is also involved in the search, and police at the nearby British Virgin Islands told Fox News last week they were monitoring the case.
US Virgin Islands missing Sarm Heslop: 'Not normal' for police not to search boyfriend's yacht, expert says

I hate the direction this is all going but how is she was on that boat "probable cause", especially when her last sighting was at the restaurant and they've stated publicly that they're unsure if she ever made it back.

You can't just say that she once was on that boat and that's a reason for a warrant

 

[Bogyo13]

LEO states that they can find no evidence of Sarm boarding the Siren Song after departing the restaurant. They are telling the Captain that they do not believe him and his cockamamie story.

What evidence are they relying upon to determine whether or not this young lady made it back to the yacht? There must be camera evidence somewhere showing RB without Sarm.

Now, I am beginning to wonder if RB took Sarm ashore for a specific purpose and it was not to wine and dine with her.

#FindSarm

Interesting, I haven't considered it to be premeditated. More of a heat of the moment argument type.
I keep going back to the idea of never returning to the boat and perhaps there are no cameras around there to confirm or deny that but if not going back, why hasn't she been found? How could he hide her on land so well? perhaps because of covid there are no tourists so there are parts where locals don't use that much?abandoned closed off buildings(restaurant/bar perhaps) near that restaurant they were at?
Speculation only MOO

 

[WildOrchid]

Why isn’t it cause? If someone disappears for no obvious reason, don’t the police speak to friends and family and look around the “home”? Even if the person isn’t as suspicious as someone in this case is behaving? What if there’s a suicide note at any given person’s home? What if they are looking for clues to her mindset up to the disappearance? I think these detectives just have some allergy to clues. Are they sitting around going, “A clue you say? *clears throat loudly* Absolutely not, my dear Watson! We do not like clues. We are detectives.” What in the world is going on over there? What kind of detectives are they?

I hate the direction this is all going but how is she was on that boat "probable cause", especially when her last sighting was at the restaurant and they've stated publicly that they're unsure if she ever made it back.

You can't just say that she once was on that boat and that's a reason for a warrant

 

[Satchie]

Why isn’t it cause? If someone disappears for no obvious reason, don’t the police speak to friends and family and look around the “home”? Even if the person isn’t as suspicious as someone in this case is behaving? What if there’s a suicide note at any given person’s home? What if they are looking for clues to her mindset up to the disappearance? I think these detectives just have some allergy to clues. Are they sitting around going, “A clue you say? *clears throat loudly* Absolutely not, my dear Watson! We do not like clues. We are detectives.” What in the world is going on over there? What kind of detectives are they?

So if you suspect your neighbour of something, you just walk into their home and search through all their possessions? Say, their daughter disappeared, you don't like them and are convinced they killed her, for no reason at all, and so you break into their home and start searching and refuse to leave when they tell you to?

It's the same for police, they can't do it unless a judge gives them a warrant. It's very likely the judge has refused to approve the warrant because there's no evidence a crime has been committed. Suspicion is not evidence.

 

[MsMarple]

So if you suspect your neighbour of something, you just walk into their home and search through all their possessions? Say, their daughter disappeared, you don't like them and are convinced they killed her, for no reason at all, and so you break into their home and start searching and refuse to leave when they tell you to?

It's the same for police, they can't do it unless a judge gives them a warrant. It's very likely the judge has refused to approve the warrant because there's no evidence a crime has been committed. Suspicion is not evidence.

Of course not, but there is a difference between a suspicious neighbor and law enforcement. The whole point of obtaining a search warrant is to investigate legally. According to the LE spokesperson neither LE nor the DA have even applied for a search warrant so it's a moot point anyway.

IMO the problem is that Sarm is an adult and this particular jurisdiction has issues with interfering in adult affairs, perhaps more than other jurisdictions. If Sarm was 14 the boat would get searched. I even believe if she was RB's wife LE would push to search the boat.

Unfortunately Sarm is just another woman who disappeared and LE feels they have to accept RB's contention that she "probably fell overboard" even though her body wasn't found in the vicinity of the boat. After 6 weeks I doubt Sarm is off partying and drinking rum runners - with no phone, identification, change of clothes, credit cards or money.

IMO the next logical step would be to declare Sarm endangered given that she disappeared under mysterious circumstances and hasn't been heard from since March 7. Name RB a POI since he was the last person to see her - his constitutional rights don't protect him from being considered suspicious by LE. And of course apply for a search warrant. MOO.

 

[genuineusa77]

Definitely agree with you @MsMarple

Mr Bane's lawyer said his client was "devastated" at what happened.

Oh really! I don’t believe in my opinion that RB is devastated. What a load of twaddle! People on this thread have shown more sympathy and searching for clues that don’t even know Sarm.

If he was "devastated", why doesn't he let them search his boat? I mean if someone heard her scream and the last place he said she was, was on the boat, there has to be alot of evidence to help the police to find her. Maybe she was abducted! How safe is the area?

 

[Mandalas]

Just a thought: maybe he hired a lawyer for the very reason there seems to be a witch hunt in his name. Perhaps he could see how suspicious it looked to anyone outside the situation, and pre-empted things. Events / his story might look suspicious, but it doesn't mean that he is culpable. Regardless of whether he was involved or not, his life and business as it was is pretty much ruined. Seems like trouble follows this guy around. Some might say there's no smoke without fire, which I do get.

I used to know a guy for many years who seemed to be deeply unfortunate, for no obvious reason other than he just seemed to be the kind of person that had bad luck following him everywhere, from the mundane to the serious (eg. being mugged at knifepoint for a burger, no joke).

I'm not saying either way about RB, you all know my opinion here so I risk repeating myself. What if it was simply a very unfortunate (devestatingly so) series of events that has resulted in Sarm missing? There's only so much we can explore without any more facts or evidence,

MOO and no offence intended.

 

[janewall]

Why isn’t it cause? If someone disappears for no obvious reason, don’t the police speak to friends and family and look around the “home”? Even if the person isn’t as suspicious as someone in this case is behaving? What if there’s a suicide note at any given person’s home? What if they are looking for clues to her mindset up to the disappearance? I think these detectives just have some allergy to clues. Are they sitting around going, “A clue you say? *clears throat loudly* Absolutely not, my dear Watson! We do not like clues. We are detectives.” What in the world is going on over there? What kind of detectives are they?

This all begs a couple of questions, IMO.

Would the public ever have been informed Sarm was considered missing if RB had not reported her missing?

Or would USVIPD simply be stonewalling the questions of any friends and family who realized they hadn't heard from her?

 

[genuineusa77]

This all begs a couple of questions, IMO.

Would the public ever have been informed Sarm was considered missing if RB had not reported her missing?

Or would USVIPD simply be stonewalling the questions of any friends and family who realized they hadn't heard from her?

Her parents would have made it public and then he would look even more suspicious.

 

[Curiousobserver]

If he was "devastated", why doesn't he let them search his boat? I mean if someone heard her scream and the last place he said she was, was on the boat, there has to be alot of evidence to help the police to find her. Maybe she was abducted! How safe is the area?

Its goofy, of course there is probable cause. He said she was on the boat, he said she was missing at 2:30, he said she made it back to the boat.

The only valid reason to refuse a search for a missing person is if there is evidence of a crime on board that boat.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Her friends are calling on Bane to step up and help investigators find her – and allow police to search the cabin of his 47-foot catamaran, the Siren Song.

"The boat hasn’t been searched," Heslop’s friend Vicky Mogridge-Percy noted during an appearance on the BBC Friday morning. "And that, in line with U.S. laws, that can happen. We want the boat searched."

Bane has declined to speak with investigators and repeatedly blocked them from searching the vessel – prompting Heslop’s friends Mogridge-Percy and Andrew Baldwin to publicly plea on the BBC Friday for him to get more involved in the search effort.

"We're really desperate to find her, and desperate to find answers and information," Baldwin told the broadcaster.
US Virgin Islands missing woman Sarm Heslop’s friends plead for boyfriend to help search

 

[Beans]

Its goofy, of course there is probable cause. He said she was on the boat, he said she was missing at 2:30, he said she made it back to the boat.

The only valid reason to refuse a search for a missing person is if there is evidence of a crime on board that boat.

Even if he genuinely did have nothing to do with it, he’s still obstructing an investigation. There’s no acceptable explanation for his behaviour or attitude here and for that reason I hope his business suffers. Passengers are not safe around someone with that sort of attitude.

 

[MsMarple]

Even if he genuinely did have nothing to do with it, he’s still obstructing an investigation. There’s no acceptable explanation for his behaviour or attitude here and for that reason I hope his business suffers. Passengers are not safe around someone with that sort of attitude.

Agreed, nothing that RB has done so far sounds "innocent." Even his attorney's claim that RB "has searched everywhere" rings false - RB has not searched for Sarm, apparently instead he's expending his energy into looking for an available boat slip.
Virgin Islands police take search for missing British woman Sarm Heslop inland | Daily Mail Online

I don't care how worried RB is about looking guilty or being set up by USVIPD, nothing explains his laisse faire attitude about Sarm's well-being. Does he mistrust the Coast Guard too? The FBI? IMO no, he's avoiding something revealing that's on his boat. Something caused him to delay for 9 hours before reporting that Sarm "fell overboard."

People in love don't act the way RB is acting, pure and simple. I hope LE gets their act together soon and in the meantime IMO if RB's business fails it's not LE's or the media's fault, it's his own doing. MOO.

 

[pizzaman12]

Its goofy, of course there is probable cause. He said she was on the boat, he said she was missing at 2:30, he said she made it back to the boat.

The only valid reason to refuse a search for a missing person is if there is evidence of a crime on board that boat.

Again, I'm not defending him but to state the only valid reason to refuse that is that because there is evidence of a crime aboard? That's the exact reason there are laws in place. That logic alone is scary. What you just told me is that he's guilty and there is zero other explanations.

I've stated that I think (in my opinion) the lawyer is calling the shots but I think any top lawyer would advise the same

 

[Mandalas]

Again, I'm not defending him but to state the only valid reason to refuse that is that because there is evidence of a crime aboard? That's the exact reason there are laws in place. That logic alone is scary. What you just told me is that he's guilty and there is zero other explanations.

I've stated that I think (in my opinion) the lawyer is calling the shots but I think any top lawyer would advise the same

I agree with you.

It's scary to think that we don't have the complete picture and yet the prevailing wind is that he is guilty. I'm not specifically defending him either, but we don't know what night have happened, nor why he secured a lawyer. Speculating without any evidence other than our suspicions is a dangerous game in my book, as is making judgements about him based on our subjective, cultural or cognitive bias.

Imagine being innocent, (eg. something horrendous happened but not a crime per se) and being either terrified of being framed or wrongly charged, or simply having to go on trial by proxy/prejudice in the eyes of the public or media. Yes he has a record, and the rule of law came down then, but in fairness, that was 10/11 years ago, and not only can a person change, we also understand a lot more nowadays in psychology terms such as the nuances of mental health, behavioural and/or developmental disorders (for example), and also have (at least in the UK) new laws around coercion and control. So the odds might be in favour of a repeat crime (including innocent circumstances gone wrong), or odds may be in favour of a reformed individual in an unfortunate set of circumstances self-protecting for one reason or another. Do we know that he is or isn't talking to the authorities via his lawyer?

The law exists for a reason (that's not to say he could be exploiting a loophole), as does the principle that someone is innocent until proven guilty. I know WS is victim-friendly site - and I enjoy the site for that reason. But it might also be worth remembering that that rule extends to anyone linked to victims and suspects. Sleuthing family members, friends, and others who have not been designated as suspects is not permitted on WS, so we need to be careful about not placing RB in the suspect box until we know more. I am not preaching; I'd prefer to reserve judgement / keep an open mind until we know more and of course, this is anyway all MOO, whatever that counts for anyway, ha!

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Even if he genuinely did have nothing to do with it, he’s still obstructing an investigation. There’s no acceptable explanation for his behaviour or attitude here and for that reason I hope his business suffers. Passengers are not safe around someone with that sort of attitude.

Maybe he has other things on board that are illegal, immoral or just plain bad.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Even if he genuinely did have nothing to do with it, he’s still obstructing an investigation. There’s no acceptable explanation for his behaviour or attitude here and for that reason I hope his business suffers. Passengers are not safe around someone with that sort of attitude.

Exactly- either he is refusing because he is guilty, which is at least a reason, but a terrible reason; worse is if he is refusing and he didn't do anything. Either way its a sign of a man with terrible judgement in my opinion and a danger to his passengers.

 

[MrsWatson]

Hoping for news in this investigation. Or "alleged" investigation, because really, what is being done?

 

[Curiousobserver]

I agree with you.

It's scary to think that we don't have the complete picture and yet the prevailing wind is that he is guilty. I'm not specifically defending him either, but we don't know what night have happened, nor why he secured a lawyer. Speculating without any evidence other than our suspicions is a dangerous game in my book, as is making judgements about him based on our subjective, cultural or cognitive bias.

Imagine being innocent, (eg. something horrendous happened but not a crime per se) and being either terrified of being framed or wrongly charged, or simply having to go on trial by proxy/prejudice in the eyes of the public or media. Yes he has a record, and the rule of law came down then, but in fairness, that was 10/11 years ago, and not only can a person change, we also understand a lot more nowadays in psychology terms such as the nuances of mental health, behavioural and/or developmental disorders (for example), and also have (at least in the UK) new laws around coercion and control. So the odds might be in favour of a repeat crime (including innocent circumstances gone wrong), or odds may be in favour of a reformed individual in an unfortunate set of circumstances self-protecting for one reason or another. Do we know that he is or isn't talking to the authorities via his lawyer?

The law exists for a reason (that's not to say he could be exploiting a loophole), as does the principle that someone is innocent until proven guilty. I know WS is victim-friendly site - and I enjoy the site for that reason. But it might also be worth remembering that that rule extends to anyone linked to victims and suspects. Sleuthing family members, friends, and others who have not been designated as suspects is not permitted on WS, so we need to be careful about not placing RB in the suspect box until we know more. I am not preaching; I'd prefer to reserve judgement / keep an open mind until we know more and of course, this is anyway all MOO, whatever that counts for anyway, ha!

There are a number of things he could have chosen to do that would be more in-line with a person sincerely worried about his missing girlfriend.

While not evidence of guilt and not the complete picture, the optics of them is not good for him as a person or as a potential suspect.

-He chose not to wake the people on the boat next to him to see if they had heard or seen anything. He didn't even yell loud enough for them to hear him "searching".

-He choose to wait almost 10 hours before informing the coast guard, the people who had the expertise and equipment to search the water where she could have been drowning.

-He choose to refuse a search of his vessel so they could quickly eliminate him as a suspect, or perhaps find evidence where his girlfriend had gone. He had at least 10 hours to remove evidence of unrelated criminal activity so what was the point?

-He choose to refuse to answer any questions except through his lawyer.

-He choose to leave the area and thus not participate in any further searches.

This is just what we know about.

 

[MsMarple]

Exactly- either he is refusing because he is guilty, which is at least a reason, but a terrible reason; worse is if he is refusing and he didn't do anything. Either way its a sign of a man with terrible judgement in my opinion and a danger to his passengers.

Hours later, around 2:30 a.m., Bane reportedly discovered her missing and called 911 to report the disappearance. His attorney, David Cattie, told Fox News that Bane “traveled to meet members of the (Virgin Islands Police Department) to give a statement regarding Sarm.”

Virgin Islands Police spokesman Toby Derima said officers performed an “initial land search” for Heslop and instructed Bane to call the U.S. Coast Guard. However, Bane allegedly didn’t place that call until 11:46 a.m.—approximately nine hours later.
Loved Ones Demand Answers After UK Woman Mysteriously Vanishes From American Boyfriend’s Boat In The Virgin Islands | Oxygen Official Site
BBM
I sure as heck wouldn't step foot on RB's boat - he's a danger to his passengers IMO.
Imagine if you were a customer, paying over a thousand dollars to vacation on a luxury boat and when you fall overboard the captain waits nine hours before calling for help. In Sarm's case RB - who told LE he believed she fell overboard - didn't even bother to alert the people on the boat moored next to him, instead he called his lawyer. I wonder if Sarm's parents could bring a civil suit against him.