US Coast Guard Continues Search for Missing American Woman in Bahamas
A team of Coast Guard divers has continued their search for Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas after the American went missing two months ago on a sailing trip with her husband, Brian Hooker.
The Michigan couple was traveling on a dinghy from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on the night of April 4 to get back to their sailboat called the “Soulmate” when Lynette fell overboard, Brian told investigators.
“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” local police said in a statement at the time. Brian has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
The Coast Guard, which is investigating Lynette’s disappearance, sent a dive team on Wednesday to comb through the Sea of Abaco, west of Hope Town and Elbow Cay, according to reports from ABC News and CBS News.
New movements from the Coast Guard in the search for Lynette followed reports that recovered GPS data from Brian’s electronic devices did not match what he told police.
Authorities will also be searching the couple’s sailboat, which is reportedly docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for clues, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital.
"Any sort of digital devices that you can take, any computer systems that you can extract, anything of that sort, will be taken in," Nicole Parker, former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor, told the outlet.
Soon after Lynette’s disappearance, Brian was questioned by local police but released days later.
Authorities probed Brian for more than three hours about his relationship with his wife, and whether he caused her harm, his attorney Terrel Butler said at the time, per NBC News.
Butler said in a statement shared with The Independent shortly after his release that his “primary focus remains the search for his wife of 25 years.
“He is dedicating his full emotional and physical energy toward coordinating with relevant parties to find her.”
The Independent has reached out to the Coast Guard and Brian Hooker’s lawyer for comment.
Brian and Lynette had documented their adventures at sea on social media under the name “Sailing Hookers.”
Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, previously told NBC News that her mother and Brian have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”
