Almost five months after Sarm Heslop vanished without a trace, her parents, Brenda and Peter, have made an emotional appeal to the authorities investigating the case. Heslop disappeared from a luxury catamaran in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the early hours of Monday 8th March 2021, and has not been seen since.
While one might expect no stone to remain unturned within any such international missing person search, reports suggest that to date the boat not been fully forensically examined, nor has Heslop’s boyfriend—the owner of the vessel in question—submitted to police questioning. Expressing their desperation in July, Heslop’s parents shared, “There are no words for our suffering. We want a forensic search of the boat. We want, need and demand answers.”
Turning to the Internet for Answers
With no light shed so far on what happened to Sarm Heslop, her family and friends have turned to technology in order to seek answers of their own. Posting regular updates via the hashtag #findsarm and on the website FindSarm.com, and in launching a viral TikTok campaign, loved ones of the missing woman have been able to increase awareness of her disappearance and raise funds to support their search on GoFundMe. Heslop herself was a keen social media user, sharing shots of her seemingly idyllic coastal lifestyle.
41 year-old Sarm Heslop is a former flight attendant turned chef from Southampton, England. Pursuing her passion for all things food-related, Heslop moved to the Virgin Islands in a hope of harnessing her talents professionally. Her appearance is described as Caucasian with an athletic build, and she stands at approximately 5ft 8ins. At the time of her disappearance, Heslop had long dark brown hair, while a large tattoo colorfully depicting a seahorse, butterfly, and lily is located on her shoulder.
Ryan Bane Reportedly Continues To Avoid Cooperation
At the time of her disappearance, Sarm Heslop was working as a chef on the 47-foot luxury catamaran that belongs to her boyfriend, Ryan Bane. On the evening of March 8th, the pair went to dinner at a local eatery on the island of St John. Heslops movements that evening were reportedly not captured on CCTV because of a power failure. Having returned to the boat and gone to bed several hours earlier, Bane is believed to have called the police to report Heslop missing at around 2:30 in the morning on 8th March—claiming that she was no longer on the boat when he woke up.
According to The Times of London, officers instructed Bane to contact the Coast Guard so that a search could be initiated. However, Bane delayed making such a call until much later, at 11:46 a.m. As a search and rescue operation began, Bane is reported to have refused investigators access to the upper deck of his vessel. Having been issued a citation for “obstructing law enforcement agents,” Bane is said to have “invoked his right to silence.” Speaking to The Times, Yachtsman David Woody—whose boat was next to Bane’s that night—expressed concern that no alarm was raised, saying “I’d start yelling and wake up every boat in the area and [would have] gotten into the dinghy, bang on the boats, you know, ‘Help me, help me.’”
The International Missing Person Search Continues
After extensive searches of the water and coastline both in proximity to Bane’s boat and further afield, no indication of the fate of Sarm Heslop has been uncovered. While Bane has not been named a suspect or person of interest in the case, a history of domestic violence has been reported in the media, as has his hiring of the lawyer of disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, David Cattie. The case has now transitioned into an international missing person search, with Virgin Islands investigators staging a joint investigation with FBI agents and U.K. Authorities. As an expert in missing children and adults worldwide, international private investigator Thomas Lauth offers the highest caliber of assistance to those who need it most. He and his team at Missing Persons Investigations Worldwide strive to bring you the latest insight on people missing abroad, and guidance on what to do when your loved one goes missing overseas. If you require support in locating a missing person, contact our team today.
When we think of missing persons, we typically think of missing children, or missing women who have run afoul of a predator. We picture candlelit vigils, balloon releases, pictures of devastated families who are still waiting for answers in the disappearance of their loved one. What we don’t typically think of are suspects or subjects of an investigation who have purposely vanished in order to escape responsibility or culpability for their actions. These missing persons may be career criminals, or individuals with no history of violence. Whatever the reason for their flight, families who are victims of their crimes may opt to hire a private investigator to find a fugitive in order to facilitate delivery of justice.
One of the best recent examples of attempting to find a fugitive is the tragic case of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan out of Iowa. Back in 2018, the children were reported missing when the family could not confirm the last time the children had been seen alive. Their mother, Lori Vallow, had recently pulled them out of school citing that the family was planning to move out of state and planning to homeschool the children. While Lori continued to remain evasive with her family regarding the details of their new living situation, J.J.’s grandparents became increasingly suspicious that Lori and her new husband, Chad Daybell, has harmed the children and were now covering up their disappearance. Following up on their grandson’s disappearance, the Rexburg police conducted a welfare check on J.J., at which time Lori advised the boy was with her friend, which turned out to be false. On November 26, 2019, the police arrive to serve the newlywed Daybells with a search warrant on their home, they discovered they had fled their home and subsequently the state. At the time, Lori and Chad Daybell were only named as persons of interest in their disappearance of Lori’s children, but their flight from police made them appear even more suspicious—to say nothing of the other suspicious deaths that surrounded the disappearance of the children. Investigators worked tirelessly to track the Daybells down to the island of Kauai, Hawaii where they were celebrating their recent marriage. Lori was under a court order to produce the children before 5 p.m. on January 30th, 2020, which she failed to do, resulting in her arrest. Following a search of Chad Daybell’s property, the remains of both children were located in his backyard, leading to his subsequent arrest.
When individuals try to outrun the law, they may be able to do so successfully due to the quality of communication between jurisdictions in the United States. While it’s true that missing persons, with or without culpability, are entered into the appropriate databases, it is perilously easy for investigators to miss crucial information on a case because it might be in another jurisdiction’s database. This is why in highly prioritized cases, the initial investigating agency will contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help with the search, gaining the benefit of their national resources and extended labor power. However, even with the nation’s every resource at their fingertips, it can still be difficult to find these fugitives—and that’s if the missing fugitive is a top priority.
There are many families who have experienced the perceived indifference of law enforcement in getting justice on their behalf. To find a fugitive is a very detailed process, and sometimes local entities come up short. This typically happens in cases where the initial investigating agency has been unable to build a case against them. For instance, if an individual has been murdered, their family might have every reason to believe it was at the hands of someone with whom they have a history of violence or disagreements. Following the flight of this individual from jurisdiction, if law enforcement has been unable to build a case against them, they are free to roam about the country. While they continue living their lives, families can be left twisting in the wind without answers.
In cases where law enforcement has been unable to move on a search for suspects or persons of interest in a case, families have contracted private investigators to find those subjects. Private investigators are not bound by jurisdiction, but by their licensure in respective states throughout the nation. Therefore, when a subject travels outside the jurisdiction, P.I.s do not have the typical restrictions in place that prevent them from following where the leads take them. Private investigators also have access to nationwide databases for both public and restricted records in any state. If the missing subject attempts to reboot their life in another part of the country using their identity, private investigators can locate their new area of operations. Private investigators can assemble detailed reports on these subjects and coordinate with local law enforcement in order to successfully recover those individuals.
If your family needs help finding a person of interest in your case, call Lauth Investigations International today for a free quote on how our investigators can help you. Call 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthmissinstg.wpengine.com
While few internationally missing person cases remain fresh within the collective consciousness over the course of decades, the case of Amelia Earhart continues to captivate and mystify new minds as each year passes. Earhart was a pioneer of aviation and an inspiration to countless women of her generation. Her disappearance on July 2nd 1937, alongside her navigator Fred Noonan, has never been explained. Here, we will explore what still makes Earhart such a compelling character, and the circumstances that led up to her vanishing.
The Courage and Conviction of Amelia Earhart
Kansas native Amelia Earhart was working as a nurse’s aide near Toronto during World War I when she first fell in love with airplanes. After volunteering during the 1918 flu pandemic, Earhart moved to California and began taking flying lessons. By 1922, her accomplishments had already earned her a women’s altitude record of 14,000 feet and the epithet aviatrix. Earhart studied health and medicine at Columbia University and worked as a social worker in Boston—all the while continuing her flight training, doing aerial stunts for charity, and becoming the only female member of her local pilots association.
Following Charles Lindbergh’s successful solo flight across the Atlantic, Earhart became the first woman to complete the feat in 1928. Now notorious for her skill in the skies, Earhart began writing and lecturing on her adventures, and even launched her own fashion line. Engaging in shaping women’s career paths at Purdue University, Earhart inspired many female students to take a bold leap away from studying home economics and into the fields of engineering and economics.
A Fateful Final Journey
Having enthralled the world with all sorts of aerial pursuits, in 1937 at the tender age of 39 Earhart announced that she would undertake one final voyage before retiring from flying. Never one to be unambitious, her vision was to circumnavigate the globe in its entirety. Recruiting the assistance of navigator Fred Noonan, Earhart took off on June 1st 1937. Over the course of the next month, she and Noonan successfully reported their progress to the U.S. Media. However, on July 2nd, all contact ceased. Estimations of their progress placed the daring duo above the central Pacific Ocean at the time of the disappearance.
The U.S. Navy soon began a search of unprecedented scale, recruiting several ships and a substantial fleet of airplanes—reported running up costs of as much as $250,000 a day. Finally, while the Coast Guard continued to complain of hoax radio reports, the chances of finding Earhart and her navigator were deemed one in a million. As the official search drew to a close, conspiracy theories began to spring up, including accusations that Earhart had been kidnapped by the Japanese, or that she had gone undercover on a spy mission for President Roosevelt.
Continuing Interest in the Amelia Earhart Case
While Earhart was declared legally dead on January 5th 1939, investigations into her mysterious disappearance are periodically reawakened. In 1991 the FBI reported an aluminum map case found on an atoll 420 miles southeast of Howland Island, considered to be a possible clue. If the map case were indeed Earhart and Noonan’s, extreme temperatures and a lack of fresh water would have likely sealed the adventurers’ fates.
In 2009 a robotic search of the ocean floor was undertaken, and in 2018, a further expedition to the area was launched following the discovery of human remains—however no conclusive evidence pointing to Earhart was uncovered. While a photograph was thought to have identified Earhart and Noonan alive and well on Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the image was later found to have been two years too old to have captured the pair. A 1989 article in TIME magazine declared that Earhart had “vanished into legend”, and for now at least this appears to be true. However, among the many who continue to discover the story of Amelia Earhart, it seems that hope remains alive. Thomas Lauth and his team at Missing Persons Investigations Worldwide offer the highest caliber of assistance to those with a loved one missing overseas. They also aim to elevate global awareness of people missing abroad, while sharing their insights as experts in recovering missing children and adults. If you require support from international private investigator Thomas Lauth in locating a missing person, contact his team today.
When a person goes missing, the onset of the investigation is already overwhelming for the family and loved ones of that missing person. Investigators who take the initial report need a cornucopia of information in order to get an idea of their schedule, their habits, and who they were close to in their lives. From there, investigators develop a plan for search and recovery of that missing person. One of the only things that could exacerbate these circumstances further is when a loved one goes missing abroad. International missing person investigations already require the cooperation of several entities that could be easily tied up in red tape. The apprehension associated with a strange country where you don’t speak the language and are not familiar with their legal system further compounds the panic that sets in when a loved one goes missing abroad. That’s why loved ones need to consult an international missing person investigator to ensure that no stone goes unturned.
Missing person investigations are inherently a tricky business. Though there are certainly observable patterns in missing person victimology, every case is different, and each case demands a unique approach. While a missing person report and investigation must be initiated with law enforcement, many families of missing persons will tell you that their local police or sheriff department was ill-equipped to handle the disappearance of their loved one. This could be due to a lack of labor, resources, or an overwhelming caseload for investigators. Regardless of the source of the issue, all roads lead to lost time in a missing person investigation. All missing person investigators will tell you that the first 48-72 hours of any missing person investigation are the most crucial, because that is the window of time when relevant witnesses and evidence are still fresh. Unfortunately, in the case of international missing person cases, the time in which it could take to properly facilitate the launch of a missing person investigation, these important leads could be lost. International investigations come with unique quirks depending on the country, but with regards to Americans who go missing abroad, families can expect to encounter problems with language barriers, lack of knowledge about the law enforcement systems in place, and general confusion when it comes to navigating the investigation.
One such case where an international missing person investigation faced similar issues was the case of Travis Sackett. Lauth Investigations International recently joined the search for the missing Batavia, New York man who went missing while travelling abroad in Ecuador back in February 2021. On the day of his disappearance, Travis was reportedly on his way to hike the nearby Imbabura Volcano. When he did not report to work the next morning on the farm where he had been working and living, his host reported him missing. In the initial stages of the investigation, searches for Travis by local law enforcement were very spaced out due to poor weather conditions, and valuable time was lost in the onset. Despite the crucial direction of local guides and the dedication of independent investigators, there have still been no answers in the search for Travis.
An international missing person investigator can run a concurrent investigation with local law enforcement into the disappearance of an American who goes missing overseas. While local law enforcement runs their protocol in missing person investigations, an independent investigator can turn over proverbial stones that law enforcement lacks the time or resources to investigate. If your family is struggling with a loved one who’s gone missing abroad, please reach out to Lauth Investigations International for a free consultation on how our missing person investigators can help you find answers.
When a loved one goes missing in the United States, their families file a missing person report in good faith that local law enforcement will conduct a thorough investigation into their disappearance. Concurrent with the investigation, family and loved ones conduct their own information campaign, keeping their missing loved one’s face in the media to increase the likelihood of their being found. However, when a person goes missing in Mexico, families and friends might not have recourse from the American government.
American investigative bodies do not have jurisdiction in Mexico. When Americans go missing in Mexico, the FBI is only able to assist Mexican law enforcement in searching for the missing person. The Los Angeles Times covered the story of a missing man named Francisco Aguilar, an American citizen and firefighter. Aguilar was last heard from in an WhatsApp message from his Rosarito beach home. Aguilar’s ex-wife, Karla Izquierdo, remarked on how difficult it has been for her family in the wake of Aguilar’s disappearance, “This is a living nightmare. Since this happened, we’ve been meeting all these families in Mexico who have also been searching for their loved ones for years and have been left without answers.” Despite filing a missing person report, Izquierdo said it was weeks before investigators in Mexican law enforcement seriously looked into what has been called Aguilar’s “forced disappearance,” leading to hundreds of hours of lost time and case progression.
The Baja California Police Department has come to the defense of the Mexican authorities, stating that Aguilar’s disappearance was thoroughly investigated, particularly because there was immediate evidence of foul play at his Rosarita home, including missing property and blood found inside the home. Two people were arrested in Aguilar’s disappearance after being found in possession of his credit cards. A former San Diego police sergeant by the name of Oscar Armenta vouched for the Mexican authorities, “I can personally tell you they’re outstanding at investigations. They’re really good at boots on the ground, with the limited resources and the other challenges they face.”
When a loved one goes missing in Mexico, Americans usually begin their due-diligence inside the United States by filing a missing person report. Anyone can file a missing person report in the United States for a loved one who disappeared outside of the country—however, American authorities realizing they have no jurisdiction in the area will advise “if you think your loved one is in Mexico, go to Mexico.”
Americans who go missing in Mexico typically—either by design or by happenstance—have run afoul of illegal activity south of the border. Criminals in Mexico do not kidnap Americans for the sake of doing so. Missing Americans in Mexico typically draw a lot of attention from both media and law enforcement that make operating a criminal empire more difficult. Without recourse from other law enforcement agencies, there are families who follow their scant advice and travel south of the border in search of their loved one missing in Mexico, despite the fact that they also run the risk of coming to harm.
Not all families are equipped to drop their entire lives to search for a missing loved one. Even fewer are able to make it down to Mexico to conduct a proper search. That’s why many families turn to the expertise of Lauth Investigations International and their team of private investigators to find answers in the case of their missing loved one. A private investigator can be the ideal professional to conduct a missing person search in tandem with law enforcement. Private investigators are independent from law enforcement and are not bound by any jurisdictional restrictions. This means no time is lost in looking for the missing person. Private investigators have a diverse tool chest of skills that allow them to turn over every rock in Mexico in search of a missing person. Because they’re not law enforcement, witnesses are more comfortable opening up to private investigators, giving them necessary information needed for case progression. Lauth’s private investigators have previously worked with the FBI, Interpol, and other agencies to recover missing persons from throughout the globe. If your loved one has gone missing, call Lauth Investigations International at 317-951-1100.
On Tuesday, July 27, 2021, the community of Fruitland, Idaho has been impacted by the disappearance of a 5-year-old boy, Michael Vaughn. In a move that puzzled some citizens of Fruitland, Payette County opted to issue an endangered missing person alert for the missing boy rather than the more colloquially-known AMBER Alert. Michael is described as 3’7″ tall, 50 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue ‘minecraft’ shirt and dark blue boxer briefs with sandals.
Michael Vaughn was last seen on Tuesday in the area of SW 9th and Arizona around 6:30 p.m. It was only an hour before law enforcement was on the ground looking for Micahel, assisted by the fire department, EMS, helicopters, drones, and a throng of community volunteers. Despite their best efforts, these first searches yielded no answers for investigators. “The Fruitland Police Department would like to extend a sincere thanks to all of our partner first responders and our community for taking the time to help us thoroughly search the area,” Huff said, however, “I am asking citizen searchers to stay out of the area until the professional search crews are finished.”
Many wondered why investigators did not issue an AMBER Alert for Michael Vaughn when he was reported missing. After all, an Amber alert gives investigators the ability to send out a notification to all cell phones within a designated radius to increase the chances of discovering leads. However, law enforcement is typically very discerning when it comes to issuing AMBER Alerts. If AMBER Alerts are issued too liberally, their impact can be diminished as the notifications become part of the digital background noise in all of our lives. Therefore law enforcement adheres to strict critereia when it comes to AMBER Alerts, which is as follows:
A child is known by police to have been abducted.
The abduction occurred within 12 hours of initial rerport
Child is under 17
Investigators must suspect the child of being in immediate danger or loss of life.
There must be enough information regarding the disappearance to make the AMBER alert useful to public.
The missing child has been entered into NCIC.
In the event that a missing child case does not meet all of the above criteria, law enforcement is then able to issue an Endangered Missing Person Alert, which carries similar tools to that of the AMBER alert. These notifications are sent through email, text messages, social media posts, and the alerting program known as CodeRED. By 9:40 on the evening Michael Vaughn disappeared, investigators had expanded the notification of his disappearance nationwide.
