Sarm Heslop: Missing woman's friends offer $10,000 reward

Sarm Heslop had been staying aboard Siren Song in Frank Bay, off the coast of the island of St John

Friends of a British woman who vanished from a Caribbean yacht more than two months ago have offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information.

Sarm Heslop, 41, from Southampton, was reported missing by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, from his boat off St John in the US Virgin Islands on 8 March.

UK friends hope the reward will persuade people with new information to come forward to local police.

Andrew Baldwin said: "We will not pause until we get the answers we need."

Police on the island have yet to confirm if Ms Heslop was onboard the catamaran the night before she was reported missing

The group of friends, who are also working with the US Virgin Islands Crime Stoppers group, have started a GoFundMe appeal to raise the cash for the reward.

Mr Baldwin added: "We all know Sarm would not disappear of her own volition or free will.

"Even the tiniest, seemingly irrelevant detail may indeed be relevant so we would implore people to come forward and inform Virgin Islands Police Department immediately if they can recall anything unusual or saw anything pertinent the night of Sunday March 7 and early hours of March 8, 2021."

Sarm Heslop's bank cards and mobile phone were still on board the catamaran when she vanished

Ms Heslop is known to have gone for dinner in St John, which was under a 22:00 local time Covid curfew, with Mr Bane on 7 March.

She had been staying onboard with the US citizen who reported her missing to police at 02:30 on 8 March.

The former flight attendant's possessions, including her bank cards and mobile phone, were still onboard catamaran, Siren Song, when she vanished.

Virgin Islands Police Department has searched the island and its coastline using divers, drones and dogs but have yet to confirm if she was onboard the night before she was reported missing.

Ms Heslop's friends, who have set up a Facebook page to share information about her disappearance, have also asked Mr Bane to explain what happened in the nine hours between him calling police and contacting the coastguard.