The U.S. Coast Guard has taken possession of a sailboat belonging to Brian Hooker as part of an ongoing investigation into the mysterious disappearance of his wife, a federal source disclosed.
Brian Hooker informed authorities in the Bahamas that his wife, Lynette, accidentally fell overboard from a dinghy near Hope Town around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, taking the ignition key with her. Officials reported that Hooker reached Marsh Harbour Marina approximately eight hours later at 4 a.m. on April 5, after paddling to shore alone.
According to an insider, the Coast Guard seized the couple’s sailboat, named “Soulmate,” while it was heading towards the U.S. on Saturday, as reported by Fox News Digital. CBS News confirmed that the vessel was intercepted by the Coast Guard during its journey.
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 transported from The Bahamas back to the U.S. by the Coast Guard, according to sources.
The investigation by the Coast Guard Investigative Service into Lynette Hooker’s vanishing has gained momentum in recent days. As of now, Brian Hooker has not been charged with any crime.
In recent days, according to the report, the Coast Guard Investigative Service’s probe into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance has intensified. Brian Hooker hasn’t been charged with a crime.
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 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)
Exterior view of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fl., Monday, May 11, 2026. (Obtained by 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.
“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, 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 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.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Brian’s attorneys.
