I’m honestly not sure if I liked this three-part true crime docuseries or not. On the one hand, it’s gripping, and you want answers. On the other, I came away with even more questions than I started with.
The series, Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm (available on BBC iPlayer), explores the disappearance of 41-year-old Sarm Heslop, who vanished from a yacht in the US Virgin Islands on the night of 7th March 2021. At the time, she was in a relationship with American Ryan Bane, the yacht’s owner. The two had been at a bar that evening, took a dinghy back to his vessel, and sometime that night Sarm disappeared. Her body has never been found.
The documentary follows a young investigative journalist as she retraces Sarm’s last known steps and speaks to people connected with the case. She brings a thoughtful, approachable style to the investigation, and in fairness, she isn’t afraid to press those she interviews, including Bane’s lawyer. The episodes are short and easy to follow, which makes it very watchable.
But here’s the problem: the deeper the doc goes, the more everything seems to circle back to Bane. His past includes domestic abuse, which instantly raises red flags. On the night in question, he didn’t ask the two neighboring boats for help, he waited until 2:30 a.m. to call the police, and then bizarrely didn’t notify the coastguard until nine hours later. And this is crucial: as the captain of the vessel, the main rule if someone goes overboard or goes missing is to call the coastguard first. That’s standard maritime protocol. The fact that he ignored that basic duty speaks volumes and makes his behavior look even more suspicious.
And the local police? Honestly, they come across as completely inept. They didn’t search the boat for evidence. They didn’t properly question the neighboring captains. They even withheld CCTV footage of Sarm and Bane leaving the bar that night, which only fuels speculation that someone is protecting him.
It’s frustrating because you’re left with the sense that if basic police work had been done, maybe there would be answers today. Instead, what lingers is a fog of incompetence, avoidance, and suspicion. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck but the authorities seem determined not to call it one.
I think what unsettles me most is the lack of closure. A woman is missing, her family still has no answers, and the person who was last with her has never been properly investigated. The documentary gives Sarm a voice, but it doesn’t give us the resolution her story deserves.
So, do I recommend it? Yes, but with caution. It will pull you in, but don’t expect neat conclusions or justice served. You’ll come away as frustrated as you are fascinated and maybe that’s the point.