The Coast Guard is releasing new photos of the boat seized in the Lynette Hooker case
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
The Coast Guard has released new images of the agency’s seizure of Brian Hooker’s boat as a criminal investigation continues into his wife’s disappearance.
Agents of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) seized the sailboat Soulmate, owned by Brian and Lynette Hooker, 40 kilometers off the coast of Melbourne, Florida, according to a news release. A source previously told Fox News Digital that the boat was seized between May 8-10.
Lynette Hooker fell off the boat after leaving Hope Town in the Bahamas around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities. Brian Hooker said rough water caused Lynette to fall from the small boat. Brian Hooker paddled to shore and arrived in Marsh Harbor around 4 a.m. on April 5, according to authorities.
The couple were returning to their boat, their full-time retirement home, when Lynette fell overboard. They often sail in the US and the Caribbean, according to their social media pages.
SUBSCRIBE FOR CRIME NEWS
The Coast Guard has released new photos of the agency’s seizure of the sailboat “Soulmate.” (Coast Guard)
Brian Hooker has not been charged with a crime.
COAST GUARD OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO MISSING WOMAN LAST SEEN IN BAHAMAS
The coast guard said the seizure was part of “a serious surveillance and prevention mission.” Soulmate was taken to the Coast Guard Station in Fort Pierce, where investigators are examining the boat for possible evidence.
SEND US A TIP HERE
The Coast Guard on Thursday evening released new photos after the agency seized Brian and Lynette Hooker’s boat. (Coast Guard)
“The vessel Soulmate is currently under CGIS as part of an ongoing criminal investigation,” the Coast Guard said.
Photos obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday show Brian and Lynette Hooker’s sailboat sitting at the US Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME AND JUSTICE PODCAST WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’
Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker are seen in a photo taken in 2023 on a small boat. (John Waters)
The boat’s seizure comes about a week after the Coast Guard asked for the public’s help in finding the owner of a boat that was docked near Brian and Lynette Hooker’s Soulmate in the Bahamas.
Brian Hooker left the island for the US to care for his ailing mother, his Bahamian lawyer said earlier.
LIKE YOU’RE READING? FIND OUT MORE ON THE REAL CRIME NETWORK
Coast Guard officials said the boat was taken about 40 miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida. (Coast Guard)
Coast Guard officials said the seizure of the sailboat was part of a criminal investigation. (Coast Guard)
His Michigan-based attorney previously asked Americans to give him the benefit of the doubt in an interview with ABC News.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
“I would ask those watching to treat him the way you would like to be treated, give him the benefit of the doubt, and consider that not all of us, or you, if you consider your relationship, the way you talk to each other, we all handle things in different ways,” said Crystal Marie Hauser.
