Coast Guard takes custody of dinghy involved in Lynette Hooker’s disappearance in Bahamas, US official says

By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard has taken custody of the small dinghy where Lynette Hooker’s husband said he last saw his wife as part of its criminal investigation into the American woman’s disappearance in the Bahamas, according to a US official familiar with the investigation.

A Coast Guard vessel equipped with cadaver dogs, divers and search equipment arrived in the Bahamas earlier this week to search for the remains of Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old mother and sailor who has been missing since early April.

Her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities at the time that she fell from the 8‑foot dinghy while the couple was navigating back to their yacht, “Soulmate,” near the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands, according to police.

The development involving the dinghy was first reported by CBS News.

The investigation is examining whether Lynette Hooker’s death may not have been an accident, the official said. Finding her remains could provide crucial evidence to help determine whether she could have been killed.

Federal investigators have yet to publicly identify a suspect, and Brian Hooker has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with his wife’s disappearance.

The Coast Guard already has the couple’s yacht in its custody. That vessel was seized last month as part of the ongoing investigation.

As of Thursday morning, divers had entered the water in the Sea of Abaco, the official said. On land, cadaver dogs sniffed the shore for any trace of Lynette.

The Coast Guard arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday and initiated its search Wednesday. A bright orange Coast Guard dinghy navigated waters near Hope Town, accompanied by a Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessel, video shows.

Searchers were seen disembarking the small Coast Guard boat near a cay in Hope Town on Wednesday afternoon, and they began carefully wading in shallow waters offshore.

The Coast Guard announced it had opened a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance on April 8, three days after she vanished. The report of her disappearance set off a dayslong search, but her body has not been recovered.

The renewed search effort was set in motion last week after investigators found inconsistencies between the husband’s location data and his statements to investigators about where to search for his wife and where they had traveled that evening, a US official familiar with the investigation told CNN.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force granted permission to the Coast Guard to search an area of the Sea of Abaco, which envelops the island Brian Hooker said they were sailing to, Elbow Cay, the official said.

As the Coast Guard has worked to collect more evidence, it has requested DNA samples from Lynette Hooker’s relatives, her daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told CNN. The daughter and Lynette Hooker’s parents provided mouth swab samples Thursday.

Brian Hooker reported his wife missing April 5, telling investigators she fell overboard the evening prior as they were navigating through choppy water back to their yacht.

Authorities say Brian Hooker told them the dinghy lost power because she had the engine safety key when she fell. Lynette Hooker’s daughter says he later left her a voicemail saying he threw a flotation device after his wife.

Bahamian police arrested Brian Hooker as a suspect in his wife’s disappearance and questioned him repeatedly. He was released without being charged and has returned to the United States.

Brian Hooker has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his missing wife. His attorney, Terrel Butler, declined to comment last week on the new search request, also citing the ongoing investigation.

The Michigan couple, both US nationals, had been sailing together for more than a decade, documenting their life at sea on social media. They were navigating the Bahamas on their yacht when the incident happened.

After her mother’s disappearance, Aylesworth cast skepticism on her stepfather’s account of what happened. She was confident her mother is an experienced sailor and capable swimmer who was not likely to be swept away by strong waters.

But Brian Hooker’s attorney has denied Aylesworth’s accusations, saying in April he was cooperating with investigators. Butler told CNN that authorities have not presented her with evidence her client may have committed wrongdoing.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Amanda Musa, Dianne Gallagher and CNN Meteorologist Taylor Ward contributed to this report.