Authorities are searching for a British flight attendant who vanished in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sunday or early Monday, leaving no sign of how she disappeared.
According to the Virgin Islands Daily News and the New York Post, Sarm Heslop was aboard the Siren Song catamaran, moored in the Virgin Islands, when she disappeared sometime overnight Sunday. Her boyfriend, who has not been identified, reportedly told police that the couple went to bed at about 10 p.m., and that he woke up around 2 a.m. Monday to find her gone. Heslop’s cell phone, purse and shoes were reportedly left behind.
According to the reports, the vessel’s dinghy was still tied on the boat. Investigators have launched an intensive search for the woman, and have found no sign of her despite favorable search conditions and visibility.
“[We] had a Coast Guard helicopter searching that afternoon and the search continued throughout the night,” U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad told the Virgin Island Daily News. “Conditions were excellent as far as visibility, sea state, and there were no signs of anyone in the water.”
Further, investigators have not found evidence that Heslop, 41, entered the water.
A friend who spoke to the Telegraph said she was very concerned about Heslop’s safety, noting that it’s extremely out of character for her to just disappear, and has called for a thorough investigation.
“She would not just disappear, leaving no trace. We are asking for an urgent and thorough investigation into this incident as her friends here at home are devastated and just need her disappearance to be made a critical priority,” the friend said.
“We would like to thank all the local community for their support in searching for Sarm both on water and land,” she continued. “They have been so amazing but we urge them not to give up until she is found or we have more information.”
It is unclear how long Heslop and her boyfriend had been staying on the catamaran, which her boyfriend reportedly owns. The Sun reported that the catamaran is rented out at roughly $7,000 a week.
Heslop’s Instagram includes a number of photos taken in the U.S. Virgin Islands in recent weeks, including one taken of her on a vessel that may be the catamaran where she was last seen.
This is a developing story. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
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[Feature image: Sarm Heslop/Instagram]
