Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: "FIND SARM: CCTV SPOTS MISSING STEWARDESS BEFORE VANISHING OFF YACHT"

Date: November 28, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
Host: Nancy Grace

Episode Overview

Nancy Grace investigates the mysterious disappearance of Sarm Heslop, a British former flight attendant turned yacht crew member, who vanished from her boyfriend's catamaran in the US Virgin Islands. Centering on the newly released CCTV footage, she scrutinizes the last known hours of Sarm’s life, the inconsistencies in the boyfriend’s story, and the troubling gaps in the search and investigation. The episode features interviews with Sarm’s friends, her former roommate, and a disaster response coordinator, as they dissect the available facts, raise critical questions, and spotlight missing pieces in the timeline.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Background: Who is Sarm Heslop?

• Sarm: Adventurous, loved travel, worked various jobs (flight attendant, waitress) to fund her adventures (10:46).
• Described by friends as loyal, street-smart, and meticulous (12:42, 14:07).
• Moved to the Virgin Islands for yacht work and relationship with Ryan Bain (15:39).

2. Timeline of Disappearance

• March 7: Sarm and boyfriend Ryan Bain went to dinner on St. John (17:10).
• CCTV shows them walking together, Sarm in clothes different than later reported (03:55, 33:23).
• They board the dinghy to return to Bain’s yacht, Siren Song, moored about 200 feet offshore (17:32).
• Bain claims Sarm was asleep by 10pm; he awoke at 2:30am to find her missing (17:32).
• Bain reported her missing to local police, but delays notifying Coast Guard until nearly 12 hours later (18:00).

3. The Investigation & Search

• Immediate search efforts: shoreline, scuba, drones—NO physical evidence found (03:55, 31:20).
• Sarm’s wallet, passport, and phone left on the boat (31:20).
• Bain reportedly did not permit police or Coast Guard to conduct a full search on board (18:28, 37:59).
• Boat captains nearby “heard nothing,” weren’t alerted, no shouts for help or flare usage (23:39, 26:39).

4. Critical Questions & Inconsistencies

• Wardrobe discrepancy: CCTV shows Sarm in different clothes than what Bain described; missing black dress never returned to family (33:23, 34:03).
  • Nancy: “Why were we told by Bain…that she’s wearing a black dress when clearly that’s not what she’s wearing?” (34:03)
• Delayed Reporting: Bain delayed contacting Coast Guard by nearly 10 hours (18:00).
  • Kate Vernals: “He didn’t even get on the radio…He didn’t set off any flares. He didn’t even call her name.” (19:46)
• Lack of Emergency Action: No evidence Bain attempted to wake neighboring yachts or conduct a search (26:39, 27:54).
  • Andrew Baldwin: “If it was my loved one…I would be screaming, I would be shouting, I would be calling for help.” (26:39)
• Personal effects left behind: Impossible Sarm would have left intentionally without her ID, wallet, or phone (32:27).
  • Andrew Baldwin: “She wouldn't have left those items in the first place...She would never get off the boat...not willingly.” (32:27)
• Bain's behavior: Refusal to allow boat search, invocation of legal rights, subsequent silence, and sale of the yacht (37:59, 38:16).
• Prior Domestic Incident: Bain’s ex-wife stated he was violent; he was previously arrested for domestic assault (38:53).

5. Friends' and Family’s Perspectives

• Both Andrew Baldwin and Kate Vernals reject theories that Sarm left the yacht or fell overboard (09:36, 09:55).
• They are frustrated by Bain’s silence and lack of cooperation; question his motives and credibility (19:27, 41:54).
  • Kate: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, then just speak to the police and tell them what you know.” (43:41)

6. Troubling Aftermath

• Bain leaves the Virgin Islands weeks after Sarm’s disappearance, replaces major yacht fixtures, removes yacht's name, and sells the catamaran (38:16).
• Bain issues a public open letter focusing on his vilification, but gives no new actionable insight (42:37, 45:03).
  • Nancy: “If he has facts that are unknown to everyone else, let’s hear them.” (45:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Sarm’s Adventurous Spirit and Travel

“She just loved new experiences, you know, Nancy, she loved to meet people. She loved new cultures, new destinations. She liked to do things that perhaps some of us just wouldn't do.”
— Andrew Baldwin (10:51)

“This girl was scrubbed in sunshine. She loved life. And I don't like those insinuations about her.”
— Nancy Grace (11:30)

The Immediate Aftermath and Missing Person Report

“We initially the first six days spent a lot of time in small craft searching shoreline, scuba diving, snorkeling…We found nothing…not clothing, not, not shoes, not, an unusual broken twig.”
— Jeff Jones (03:55)

Problems with the Boyfriend’s Behavior

“I've got a problem with him not allowing them on board. If he wants to find Sarm, why wouldn't he allow them on board the yacht?”
— Nancy Grace (18:28)

“He didn't even get in his dinghy to go looking for her. He gets in his dinghy to go to shore to speak to the police. But then he just comes straight back. There's no evidence of him reaching out to anybody else to ask for help to search for Sarm.”
— Kate Vernals (19:46)

“He…refused them the [Coast Guard and Police] mention to the main area of the boat because he was intoxicated and they didn't want to put themselves in any risk.”
— Andrew Baldwin (18:38)

“It's not acceptable that the answer would be well she might have gone to shore to have drinks with friends. If she did that then she would have had to swum to shore. It was Covid there was a curfew ...There is no logical explanation to delay calling the Coast Guard by nine hours unless you are waiting for something to something else to happen..."
— Kate Vernals (27:57)

The Black Dress and Timeline Issue

“Why were we told by Bain, the boyfriend, that she's wearing a black dress when clearly that's not what she's wearing?...So where's the black dress and why the wardrobe change? Or is it all a big lie?”
— Nancy Grace (34:03)

Critical Reflection on Silence

“…Hell would freeze over before I would stay silent while my husband is missing. But that is what happened.”
— Nancy Grace (36:41)

“If you haven't done anything wrong, then just speak to the police and tell them what you know.”
— Kate Vernals (43:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:55]: First search, lack of evidence, initial footage revealed.
• [06:10] – [12:42]: Friends and roommate speak about Sarm’s character and adventurous spirit.
• [15:21] – [17:32]: Recap of Sarm’s relationship with Bain, timeline of night she vanished.
• [18:00] – [19:46]: Bain’s delayed call to Coast Guard; refusal of on-boat search.
• [23:39] – [26:39]: Nearby boat captains not alerted, no search noises, critical gap.
• [31:20] – [32:53]: Sarm’s belongings left on the yacht, theory she went to town debunked.
• [33:23] – [36:41]: The missing black dress and inconsistency in boyfriend’s statements.
• [37:59] – [38:16]: Bain invokes legal rights, leaves islands, sells the yacht.
• [38:53]: Bain’s domestic violence history revealed.
• [41:54] – [45:03]: Bain resumes communication only to defend himself in a public letter.

Tone and Language

Nancy Grace’s style is urgent, confrontational, and undeterred, pressing guests for specifics, dissecting inconsistencies, and calling out behavior she finds suspicious. The friends and family speak with both heartbreak and frustration, emphasizing Sarm's reliability, the implausibility of the accidental-overboard theory, and their confusion at Bain's actions. The episode is direct yet compassionate toward the victim.

Conclusion

Nancy Grace’s investigation highlights troubling contradictions in the disappearance of Sarm Heslop, focusing especially on her boyfriend’s behavior and the stalling of investigative efforts. With thoughtful testimony from people close to Sarm and damning gaps in the timeline raised by disaster response experts, the episode calls for renewed scrutiny—and information from the public—to break the silence surrounding her fate. Listeners are explicitly urged to contact authorities with any tips (800-222-8477).

For further listening:

• Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm (BBC Select, referenced at 17:04)

This summary provides a comprehensive breakdown, focusing on the detailed timeline, critical questions, key statements, and ongoing call for justice for Sarm Heslop as featured on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.