Coast Guard Seizes Sailboat of American Woman Who Vanished in Bahamas

The U.S. Coast Guard has reportedly seized the sailboat at the center of a Bahamas mystery after a Michigan woman vanished more than a month ago.

The boat, named “Soulmate,” had been docked in the Bahamas since a Michigan woman, Lynette Hooker, disappeared April 4 near Hope Town and Elbow Cay, ABC News reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the investigation. CBS News reported the vessel left Marsh Harbour on Friday and was taken into custody by the Coast Guard on Saturday while it was headed toward the U.S., marking a sharp turn in a case that has moved from a search for a missing woman to an investigation now centered on the boat she and her husband had been using.

The Coast Guard told Military.com that it does not comment on ongoing investigations. Military.com inquiredwhether the sailboat “Soulmate” was seized or otherwise taken into custody by U.S. authorities, whether it was being held in Florida, and whether investigators were examining the boat as evidence in Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.

Drone images showed the sailboat docked Monday at the Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida, according to CBS News, adding that Coast Guard investigators have been conducting interviews with potential witnesses as the probe intensified in recent days.

The reported seizure is significant because “Soulmate” was the boat Lynette and her husband, Brian, had been using in the Bahamas before she vanished April 4, potentially shifting the case from a missing person case one to one involving crime.

No charges have been announced. Brian Hooker has denied all wrongdoing.

The Coast Guard’s broader mission includes maritime law enforcement, search-and-rescue operations, and working with regional partners in the Caribbean, including past operations with the Royal Bahamian Defense Force to rescue migrants at sea. The service also has a long record of seizing vessels and contraband during maritime law enforcement missions, including large-scale drug interdiction in international waters.

Husband’s Account Draws Scrutiny

Brian Hooker told authorities he and his wife left Hope Town by dinghy on the evening of April 4 to return to their sailboat when bad weather caused Lynette to fall overboard, according to ABC News.

He told officials Lynette had the keys when she went into the water, leaving him unable to restart the dinghy’s engine, according to the outlet. Fox News reported that Hooker told Bahamian officials the couple left shore around 7:30 p.m. and that he reached a marina in Marsh Harbour around 4 a.m. on April 5 after paddling to shore.

Brian was arrested April 8 and questioned by Bahamian police before being released April 13 without charges, per ABC News.

He has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. Reuters reported in April that his attorney, Terrel Butler, said Hooker denied any wrongdoing after his release from police custody.

Butler declined to answer questions from Military.com on Monday about the reported seizure of “Soulmate,” whether Hooker is cooperating with authorities, and whether Hooker remains under investigation.

Investigators Hunt for Second Sailboat

The reported seizure came about a week after Coast Guard investigators asked for the public’s help identifying another sailboat that was moored near the “Soulmate” around the time Lynette disappeared.

People reported that the Coast Guard Investigative Service released images of the nearby vessel and asked for information about the owner or occupants, saying the boat was near Aunt Pat’s Bay in the Bahamas on April 4.

The U.S. Embassy in Nassau also posted that CGIS was asking the public for information about Lynette Hooker’s disappearance in Aunt Pat’s Bay, Elbow Cay, on April 4.

The request suggests investigators are trying to lock down who was nearby, what they may have seen or heard, and whether anyone can help confirm the timeline Brian gave authorities.

The New York Post also reported that investigators were seeking the owner of a sailboat moored near the Hookers’ vessel on the night Lynette disappeared.

No public statement has indicated that the owner or occupants of that sailboat are suspected of wrongdoing.

Family Questions Husband’s Story

Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has publicly questioned Brian’s account of what happened the night her mother disappeared.

ABC News reported Aylesworth said she doubted Hooker’s story. CBS News reported she posted a Mother’s Day video saying she knew the “Soulmate” had left the Bahamas but had not received an update from the Coast Guard.

Aylesworth said in the video that it was her first Mother’s Day without her mom and that it was painful knowing her mother was no longer “a text away.”

People reported that Aylesworth and Lynette’s mother have raised concerns about the couple’s relationship, while Brian’s attorney has denied wrongdoing and said he is cooperating with authorities.

Brian has not been charged with a crime, and authorities have not publicly accused him of killing or harming his wife.

Investigation Pushed Across Borders

The investigation now spans U.S. and Bahamian authorities, due to Lynette’s disappearance occurring in the Bahamas.

The Tribune, a Bahamas newspaper, reported that Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles told NBC that investigators had recovered only a flotation device so far. The outlet also reported local authorities had no new updates when contacted last week.

Military.com reached out for comment to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Public Affairs & Communications Office, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, the Bahamas Ministry of National Security, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, attorneys for Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker’s family.

Brian’s current whereabouts are not publicly clear. CBS News reported his U.S.-based attorney declined to comment to the outlet, while his Bahamian attorney previously said Hooker traveled to the U.S. to see his ailing mother after he was released from custody.