British woman Sarm Heslop’s boyfriend and the last person believed to have seen her alive before she went missing was previously arrested for domestic violence after allegedly breaking his ex wife’s teeth.
American yachtsman Captain Ryan Bane, 44, was arrested in 2011 and charged with simple assault against his then-wife Cori Stevenson, according to Crime Online.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Stevenson’s fiance detailed how Bane allegedly broke her teeth during one violent confrontation.
‘He must have beat her up 100 times while they were together,’ fiance Ralph Carpenter told DailyMail.com,
Bane and Stevenson met in Michigan and she says that his demeanor completely changed after their 2008 wedding. She said she ended their honeymoon early because she feared for her safety.
The couple divorced in 2014 and Bane moved to the Caribbean in 2015.
Stevenson now says that she is communicating with the Virgin Islands police about Bane’s past and has provided authorities with court documents related to their marriage and divorce.
British woman Sarm Heslop, 41, vanished while on board her American boyfriend Ryan Bane’s 47ft yacht moored in the Virgin Islands on March 7. The couple are pictured together with his dog Hunter
Bane was arrested in 2011 and charged with simple assault against his then-wife Cori Stevenson (pictured), according to Crime Online
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Stevenson and her new fiance Carpenter say that they suspect foul play.
The couple said that Bane’s father has flown to the Virgin Islands to be with his son.
On Sunday March 7, Heslop vanished from Bane’s 47ft yacht, the Siren Song, moored off the coast of St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and hasn’t been seen since.
According to Bane, the couple had been for dinner in a restaurant, leaving at 10pm in line with the local Covid curfew and taking their dinghy back to the vessel, anchored 120ft from secluded Frank Bay.
They went to sleep, Bane says, and when he woke at 2am after his yacht’s anchor alarm sounded, Heslop had gone.
Stevenson and her new fiance Ralph Carpenter(pictured together) tell DailyMail.com that they suspect foul play
Bane called the Coast Guard’s San Juan station reporting that ‘his girlfriend may have fallen’ from the yacht.
Police searching for the missing 41-year-old from Southampton, England have been scouring land and sea off the island of St John, where the yacht was moored.
But the officers have been stopped from stepping foot on the Siren Song by Bane who is not cooperating.
Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) spokesman Toby Derima said officers had performed an ‘initial land search’, adding on the BBC: ‘Soon after reporting Ms Heslop missing, Mr Bane acquired the services of an attorney.
‘Upon his attorney’s advice, Mr Bane exercised his constitutional right to remain silent and denied officers’ requests to search the vessel.’
It has been widely reported that Bane, who is still on board Siren Song, waited almost ten hours to report his girlfriend missing.
His lawyer, David Cattie, has said this is ‘categorically false’ and that, in fact, Ryan called the police at 2.30am after discovering she had disappeared.
Police searching for the missing 41-year-old from Southampton, England have been scouring land and sea off the island of St John, where the yacht was moored
A search of land and sea was undereway by the police and an army of local volunteers. Their efforts have dredged up no discoveries as to Sarm’s whereabouts. Pictured is the Siren Song catamaran
But while Heslop’s friends have launched desperate appeals for information, Bane has yet to speak publicly about her, save for a brief statement that was released through his lawyer.
‘Mr Bane’s only hope is that Sarm is found alive and well,’ it read.
‘His thoughts and prayers are with Sarm and her family… Mr Bane has spent countless hours searching for Sarm, and will continue to do so. Ryan is devastated that Sarm is missing.’
This comes as a friend of Heslop’s in the UK said they were told that her phone, passport and belongings had all been left behind on the yacht.
The friend added: ‘We would like to thank all the local community for their support in searching for Sarm both on water and land.
‘They have been so amazing but we urge them not to give up until she is found or we have more information.’
Heslop’s friends insist they are not ‘pointing fingers’ at Bane but are calling on the American, who moved to the Caribbean in 2015, ‘to provide as many details as possible’
She was on board the Siren Song with American yachtsman, Captain Ryan Bane. He has yet to speak publicly about her, except for a brief statement that was released through his lawyer
Heslop’s friends insist they are not ‘pointing fingers’ at Bane but are calling on the American, who moved to the Caribbean in 2015, ‘to provide as many details as possible’.
Heslop is described as a slim woman with a southern English accent and a tattoo on her left shoulder.
Police spokesman Toby Derima said: ‘Divers from various law enforcement agencies have searched hundreds of square feet of water for Heslop.
Volunteers from the Virgin Islands have also scoured the area around Cruz Bay during daylight hours, police said.