Virgin Islands missing woman boat 'Siren Song' name invokes morbid mythology
Sarm Heslop went missing from boyfriend Ryan Bane's 'Siren Song' catamaran in the US Virgin Islands
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Siren Song" is the name of a lustful yet morbid 1974 poem by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood about the figures in Greek mythology believed to have enticed sailors to their deaths.
The Sirens of lore lured ships in to wreck along rocky coasts by singing supposedly irresistible songs.
"The song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons even though they see the beached skulls," Atwood begins the poem.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MISSING WOMAN IN VIRGIN ISLANDS HAD AMERICAN BOYFRIEND QUICK TO ANGER: EX-WIFE
They're supposed to be human-headed bird women with beautiful voices whose main mission is to make sure anyone trying to sail near their rocky island wrecks and dies.
They appear in Homer’s epic poem, "The Odyssey," and attempt to kill protagonist Odysseus and his crew in that manner, but fail.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Siren Song" is also the oddly juxtaposed name of a 47-foot luxury catamaran available for charter in the U.S. Virgin Islands – and the last place a British woman was seen before she went missing earlier this month.
Sarm Heslop, 41, had is believed to have been hired by her boyfriend Ryan Bane, 44, to work as a chef as he chartered the boat out.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But she went missing sometime between March 7 and 8.
Sarm Heslop, 41, had is believed to have been hired by her boyfriend Ryan Bane, 44, to work as a chef as he chartered the boat out. (Virgin Islands Police Department)
He called 911 around 2:30 a.m. to report that she was no longer on the boat – and no one has seen her since.
Virgin Islands police told him to contact the Coast Guard – but he reportedly did not do so for roughly 10 hours. Then he got a lawyer and has not allowed police to search his vessel.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The boat remained moored in the harbor for more than two weeks but had departed by Thursday morning, and its whereabouts were unknown.
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Although investigators have not named Bane a suspect in Heslop’s disappearance, he has a 2011 domestic violence conviction and was described by his ex-wife as being abusive, quick to anger and a habitual liar.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The booking photo from Bane's 2011 domestic violence arrest. (Oakland County Sheriff's Office)
He was eventually jailed a second time in 2013 after violating his probation, according to court records.
The FBI said earlier this week that it was supporting local authorities in the investigation.