A forensic expert has shed light on what the Coast Guard might be searching for after seizing Brian Hooker’s sailboat as part of their investigation into his wife’s disappearance in the Bahamas.
Brian Hooker reported to Bahamian authorities that his wife, Lynette, fell off a dinghy near Hope Town around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, along with the ignition key. Hooker claimed he reached Marsh Harbour marina by paddling to shore around 4 a.m. the following day, about eight hours after the incident. Despite an extensive search, Lynette Hooker remains missing.
A source with knowledge of the case informed Fox News Digital that the sailboat, named “Soulmate,” was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard while heading to the United States. According to CBS News, the vessel was intercepted on Saturday and transported to the Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance has gained momentum, with the Coast Guard Investigative Service intensifying their probe. As of now, Brian Hooker has not faced any charges.
The yacht “Soulmate” is currently docked at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida, as of Monday, May 11, 2026. The boat, owned by Brian and Lynette Hooker, was brought back to the U.S. from the Bahamas by the Coast Guard, according to sources. (Photo obtained by Fox News Digital)
Forensic scientist Joseph Scott Morgan told Fox News Digital that Coast Guard investigators are likely searching for evidence, particularly “large focal areas of blood,” that could provide clues about Lynette’s disappearance.
“That would be a copious amount of blood, dried blood, has there been any effort to sanitize the area, clean the area?” Morgan said. “I’d want to see if there was any evidence of struggle in the form of like breakage of any kind.”
“What they could do is they can go in there and look for any kind of trace evidence on there that might give them some kind of indication of any kind of violent act took place,” he said.
The yacht Soulmate is moored at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fla., on May 11, 2026. The vessel belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker and was reportedly brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Fox News Digital)
Morgan said that Coast Guard investigators aren’t in an “ideal situation,” seizing the boat more than a month after Lynette Hooker went missing.
“You don’t know what individuals may have been on there,” Morgan said. “The more time trickles through, you know, the hourglass, all that stuff becomes degraded. It becomes compromised. So that’s, it can be problematic.”
Brian Hooker visits the Central Police Station in Freeport, The Bahamas, on April 14, 2026, to retrieve his wedding ring and watch with his lawyer, Terrel A. Butler. Hooker was released from jail the previous night after police questioned him about the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
The forensic scientist said the Coast Guard has “the entire federal government at their disposal,” meaning they can request help from other agencies, such as the FBI.
Kenneth Engerrand, an adjunct professor of maritime law at the University of Houston Law Center and shareholder in the Brown Sims law firm, told Fox News Digital that U.S. authorities, like the Coast Guard, would have jurisdiction to make an arrest if that’s where the evidence led them, despite the incident taking place in Bahamian waters, since the vessel has an American flag.
WATCH: Coast Guard seizes Brian Hooker’s yacht after wife’s Bahamas disappearance
“The United States is well within its rights to assert a violation of the murder statute. It also has jurisdiction over statutes involving violent acts committed on a United States vessel. That’s a separate crime, but those are both crimes that can be prosecuted, involving American citizens on American vessels, even in a foreign port,” Engerrand said.
Exterior view of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., Monday, May 11, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Engerrand said that Coast Guard officials likely didn’t need a warrant to seize the sailboat.
“[The Coast Guard has] the authority to seize any vessel that they believe is involved in a criminal activity. So they have the absolute authority,” Engerrand said.
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.
The yacht, Soulmate is moored at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., Monday, May 11, 2026. The vessel, which belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the USCG, according to a source. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
The Coast Guard declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday, citing the active investigation.
Brian Hooker was detained by Bahamian police for about five days after his wife’s disappearance, but wasn’t charged. His Michigan-based attorney previously asked Americans to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“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.
Lynette Hooker, a 56-year-old American woman, disappeared after going overboard during a boat trip in the Bahamas, according to local officials. ((Brian Hooker/Facebook))
Brian Hooker left the Bahamas shortly after he was released from jail, with his Caribbean-based attorney telling Fox News Digital he went to be with his “very ill” mother.
Fox News Digital reached out to Brian Hooker’s attorney for comment.
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