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Coast Guard Seeks Public Help Identifying Sailboat Owners Near Missing Michigan Woman's Vessel
The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service is appealing for public help to identify owners of a sailboat moored near the vessel where Lynette Hooker disappeared in the Bahamas on April 4, 2026. Investigators are expanding their search for witnesses and conducting interviews. Hooker, 55, remains missing a month later, with her husband Brian Hooker denying wrongdoing after brief detention.
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U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service is seeking the public's assistance to identify the owners of a sailboat that may have been moored next to the vessel of Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old Michigan woman who disappeared in the Bahamas on April 4, 2026.
According to a Coast Guard memo obtained by CBS News, the owners or occupants of that sailing vessel may have information relevant to the ongoing investigation.
CBS News reported that this appeal marks a new development in the case, as federal investigators look beyond earlier accounts of the incident. Lynette Hooker vanished near Aunt Pat's Bay, close to Elbow Cay and Hope Town, during the night of April 4, 2026.
She and her husband, Brian Hooker, were traveling aboard the sailing vessel Soulmate, which had been anchored in Aunt Pat's Bay earlier that day.
A separate sailboat was moored nearby, and investigators are now focusing on potential witnesses who may have been in the vicinity of Soulmate before or around the time Hooker was reported missing. Brian Hooker told authorities that his wife disappeared after falling from an 8-foot dinghy during a nighttime ride in the Abacos.
He stated that Lynette Hooker fell overboard with the boat keys, which caused the engine to shut off.
Left without power, Brian Hooker paddled for hours before reaching shore. Following the incident, Brian Hooker was detained by Bahamian authorities but released without charges. He has denied any wrongdoing.
