Federal investigators have reignited the search for a missing Michigan woman in the Bahamas following revelations from fresh forensic data that challenge her husband’s account of the night she disappeared.
U.S. officials are seeking permission from the Bahamian government to deploy a dive team to the Sea of Abaco in a renewed effort to locate Lynette Hooker. This action follows the emergence of GPS data that seemingly contradicts the timeline provided by her husband, as initially reported by CBS News and corroborated by Fox News Digital.
Sources indicate that the GPS information, sourced from a device owned by Brian Hooker, conflicts with his narrative to authorities. This data uncovers potential search areas that have remained unexplored until now.
In addition to the GPS data, investigators are reportedly attempting to retrieve information from various instruments aboard the couple’s boat. These include an infrared camera, which might offer further insights into the circumstances surrounding Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.
SAILBOAT TRACKING DATA WAS INACTIVE FOR 11 HOURS ON THE NIGHT AMERICAN WOMAN VANISHED IN THE BAHAMAS
An undated photo shows Brian and Lynette Hooker together on a dinghy. (Brian Hooker/Facebook)
A source in the Bahamas told Fox News Digital that the new search, if approved by Bahamian authorities, will focus on an area of the Sea of Abaco with waters reaching 25-foot depths. The renewed efforts are based on GPS data from Brian Hooker’s phone, in which he was using a marine navigation app. The Hookers’ dinghy allegedly visited the same area, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The Hookers’ boat, Soulmate, has been moved from Fort Pierce to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, because authorities did not have the capability to pull it from the water in Fort Pierce, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital.
A map shows the reported movements of Brian and Lynnette Hooker on the night of April 4, 2026 between the Abaco and Marsh Harbour. (Google Maps)
The data shows the device on the water, stopping in the Sea of Abaco and later returning to shore, CBS News reported. The newly obtained data provides investigators with a more precise area to search, the source reportedly added.
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
Brian Hooker leaves Central Police Station in Freeport, The Bahamas, on April 13, 2026, after being released from custody. He was questioned about the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, who he says fell overboard from their dinghy earlier this month. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Family members of Lynette Hooker confirmed to Fox News Digital that they have provided DNA samples to aid in the investigation.
Brian Hooker leaves his hotel with lawyer, Terell A. Butler, in Freeport, The Bahamas, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Hooker was released from police custody, where he’d been held for questioning in connection to the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST
Additional evidence in the case continues to be processed at the FBI’s lab in Quantico, CBS News reported.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
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))
The development comes nearly two months after Lynnette Hooker vanished while on vacation with her husband on April 4, while also raising new questions surrounding Brian Hooker’s version of events.
WATCH: Coast Guard seizes Brian Hooker’s yacht after wife’s Bahamas disappearance
Brian Hooker initially told investigators he and his wife were on a nighttime boat ride when she fell from a small dinghy and was swept away, Fox News Digital previously reported.
SEND US A TIP HERE
He said he was forced to paddle back to shore because his wife was carrying the ignition key when she went overboard, authorities said.
HUSBAND OF MISSING AMERICAN WOMAN WILL REMAIN IN BAHAMAS AFTER JAIL RELEASE, ATTORNEY SAYS
Lynette Hooker, 55, went missing after falling overboard during a boat trip near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas on Saturday evening, police said. ((Brian Hooker/Facebook))
WATCH: Brian Hooker leaves Freeport for Nassau after being released from jail
Despite a weekslong search, investigators were unable to find Lynette Hooker.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
Brian Hooker was detained for five days by Bahamian police after his wife disappeared, but was never charged with a crime. He subsequently returned to the U.S. to tend to his “very ill” mother, his Bahamian attorney previously said.
Brian Hooker leaves Central Police Station after being released from custody, Freeport, The Bahamas, Monday, April 13, 2026. Hooker, who is accompanied by his lawyer, Terrel A. Butler, was being questioned over the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, who he says fell overboard from their dinghy earlier this month. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Last month, investigators with the Coast Guard Investigative Service seized the couple’s shared sailboat and brought it to Fort Pierce, Florida, Fox News Digital reported.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
U.S. Coast Guard investigators search the boat Soulmate docked at their station in Fort Pierce, Fla., on May 13, 2026. The vessel belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker and was brought back to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
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.”
U.S. Coast Guard investigators search the boat, Soulmate, docked at their station in Fort Pierce, Fl., Wednesday, May 13, 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. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Brian Hooker has not been charged with a crime by American authorities.
Fox News Digital reached out to Brian Hooker’s attorney for comment.
