Federal investigators have taken control of the sailboat at the center of a missing-person case in the Bahamas. The Soulmate, the vessel Brian and Lynette Hooker used to cruise the islands, was intercepted by the US Coast Guard on Saturday as it headed from Marsh Harbour toward the United States, two sources tell CBS News. Drone images show the boat now tied up at the Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The move signals a ramped-up investigation into the April disappearance of Michigan resident Lynette Hooker, last reported seen near Aunt Pat's Bay near Elbow Cay and Hope Town on the night of April 4. Her husband, Brian Hooker, told Bahamian authorities she went overboard during a nighttime dinghy ride and has denied any involvement; he was questioned for five days, then released. He later traveled to the US because his mother was seriously ill, his attorney said. His current location is unclear.
The Coast Guard's investigative arm has been interviewing potential witnesses and recently released photos of another sailboat whose occupants they want to identify. In a Mother's Day video, Lynette Hooker's daughter Karli Aylesworth, who has questioned her stepfather's account of events, said she knew the Soulmate had left the Bahamas but has received no updates from investigators. No charges have been filed against Brian Hooker, whose attorney has urged people to give him the "benefit of the doubt," Fox News reports.
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