Friends and family of a missing Southampton woman have marked the third anniversary of her disappearance by launching an outspoken attack on Caribbean police.
Sarm Heslop was working on a catamaran owned by her US boyfriend, Ryan Bane, when she vanished in the US Virgin Islands on the night of March 8 2021.
As reported in the Daily Echo, her family now believe the former flight attendant was murdered.
In an update, the FindSarm campaign said her parents, Peter Heslop and Brenda Street, were rapidly running out of patience with the Virgin Islands Police Department.
"Sarm’s loved ones have been appalled by the continued lack of response from the VIPD.
"They claim the investigation is open and ongoing but we see no evidence that they are doing their jobs now, just as they have failed to do them from the very moment Sarm was reported missing.
"It’s startingly obvious that huge errors have hampered the search for Sarm."
READ MORE: Friends and family of missing Sarm Heslop fear she is no longer alive
FindSarm says VIPD officers who attended the dock in Frank's Bay on the night she went missing did not search Mr Bane's boat, alert the coastguards, or formally question him.
The campaigners have spoken out amid reports that parts of the boat were replaced a few weeks later.
Former Metropolitan Police officer David Johnston, who is assisting the family, said: "We have so many unanswered questions, and no one from the VIPD is willing to help Sarm’s family find out what happened."
FindSarm is urging the UK and US authorities to "audit" the investigation conducted by the VIPD and reclassify Sarm's case from missing person to murder.
They point to "undeniable failures" by the Caribbean police.
The statement says: "We know they just want us to go away but we are determined to find answers for Sarm and to hold someone accountable for the unbearable trauma we are all enduring."
READ MORE: Sarm Heslop's mother makes plea to US Virgin Islands police
Under US law, Mr Bane can stay silent and officers must show "probable cause" to obtain a search warrant.
His lawyer, David Cattie, has told The People newspaper: "Mr Bane is heartbroken over Sarm’s disappearance. We certainly understand and empathise with her mother’s pain and frustration.
“Mr Bane called 911 immediately upon waking and finding Sarm was not on board.
"He took his dinghy to shore to meet with VIPD that night and called the USCG (US Coast Guard) the next day when no-one appeared at his boat. He also had the USCG on his vessel twice.
“Later, Mr Bane and I personally took all of Sarm’s belongings to the police, including her electronic devices."
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