Brian Hooker claims his wife fell from a dinghy near Elbow Cay; he was detained for five days but not charged

The vessel ‘Soulmate,’ owned by Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was brought to Fort Pierce, Florida. (Brad Young for Fox News Digital)

Crime scene tape surrounds the sailboat Soulmate in Fort Pierce, Florida, where authorities are conducting forensic processing as part of the investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance, a source familiar with the probe told Fox News Digital.

Images obtained Tuesday show crime scene tape draped across portions of Lynette and Brian Hooker’s sailboat, Soulmate, as it sits docked at the U.S. Coast Guard’s station in Fort Pierce, where the source said evidentiary processing of the vessel is underway.

Investigators wearing black shirts with yellow lettering, tan pants and blue gloves were seen searching the boat on Tuesday, according to Treasure Coast News.

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The development marks a significant step in the federal investigation, as authorities move from the seizure of the boat to a detailed forensic examination. Lynette’s husband, Brian Hooker, has not been charged with a crime.

The sailing vessel Soulmate moored at a dock at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce.

The yacht, Soulmate is moored at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The vessel, which belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was reportedly brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the USCG. (Brad Young for Fox News Digital)

A source familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital that the couple’s sailboat was seized by the Coast Guard. According to CBS News, the Hookers’ sailboat was en route to the U.S. when it was seized by the Coast Guard on Saturday.

Coast Guard seizes Brian Hooker's yacht after wife's Bahamas disappearanceVideo

The sailboat was taken to a Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida.

The sailing vessel Soulmate moored at a dock at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce.

The yacht, Soulmate, is moored at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The vessel, which belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was reportedly brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the USCG. (Brad Young for Fox News Digital)

Brian Hooker initially told Bahamian officials that his wife fell off a dinghy after leaving shore at Hope Town at around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, saying that Lynette fell off with the ignition key. Local authorities said that he arrived at a marina at Marsh Harbour at around 4 a.m. on April 5 after paddling to shore, roughly eight hours after his wife went overboard. Despite a weekslong search, authorities haven’t been able to locate Lynette Hooker.

In recent days, according to CBS News, the Coast Guard Investigative Service’s probe into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance has intensified.

Brian Hooker leaving hotel with lawyer Terell A. Butler in Freeport, The Bahamas

Brian Hooker leaves his hotel with lawyer Terell A. Butler in Freeport, The Bahamas, on April 14, 2026. Hooker was released from police custody the previous night after being questioned in connection to the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

The Coast Guard declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital, citing the active investigation.

The sailing vessel Soulmate moored at a dock at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce.

The yacht, Soulmate, is moored at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The vessel, which belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was reportedly brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the USCG. (Brad Young for Fox News Digital)

The sailing vessel Soulmate moored at a dock at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce.

The yacht, Soulmate, is moored at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The vessel, which belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was reportedly brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the USCG. (Brad Young for Fox News Digital)

The development comes about a week after the Coast Guard sought the public’s help in finding the owner of a sailboat that was moored near Brian and Lynette Hooker’s “Soulmate” in the Bahamas.

Brian Hooker was detained for five days by Bahamian police after his wife disappeared, but wasn’t charged. His Michigan-based attorney previously asked Americans to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The exterior of the U.S. Coast Guard station building in Fort Pierce.

Exterior view of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., Monday, May 11, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

“I would ask those watching to treat him the way you would want to be treated, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and to consider that not all of us, nor you, considering your own relationships, the way you speak to one another, we all handle things in different ways,” Crystal Marie Hauser said.

The sailboat Soulmate owned by Brian and Lynette Hooker floating in calm water in Marsh Harbour Bahamas

The sailboat Soulmate, owned by Brian and Lynette Hooker, floats in calm water in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on April 16, 2025. (Matthew Symons/NY Post)

While Hauser said she imagines Brian Hooker’s “heart” is in the Bahamas, she didn’t reveal if he has plans to return.

Brian Hooker left the island for the U.S. to tend to his “very ill” mother, his Bahamian attorney previously said.

Lynette Hooker (L) and Brian Hooker (R).

Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker are seen in a picture taken in 2023 on a small boat. (John Waters)

After Lynette Hooker went missing, Brian said in a Facebook post that he was “heartbroken.”

“I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote. “Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”