Lynette Hooker: Investigators seize dinghy as search continues for missing American woman in the Bahamas
Lynette Hooker: Dinghy found in search for missing American woman
Investigators have seized a dinghy believed to be the last vessel used by missing American woman Lynette Hooker before she disappeared in the Bahamas two months ago.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Investigators have seized a dinghy believed to be the last vessel used by missing American woman Lynette Hooker before she disappeared in the Bahamas two months ago.
Photos show the dinghy being loaded onto a truck as authorities continue searching for clues in Hooker's disappearance.
The backstory:
Lynette Hooker has been missing since April after reportedly vanishing while returning to the sailboat she shared with her husband, Brian Hooker.
According to her husband's account, Hooker fell from the dinghy while the couple was traveling back to the sailboat, a vessel named Soulmate. She has not been found despite ongoing search efforts.
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The U.S. Coast Guard now has custody of the dinghy as investigators examine it for potential evidence.
tMeanwhile, divers and a cadaver dog team are searching a new area of the Sea of Abaco. Investigators say the location was identified using GPS data recovered from a navigation app on Hooker's husband's phone. Authorities say the data appears to conflict with his account of the events surrounding her disappearance.
Criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor Josh Ritter said the passage of time could complicate the search.
"They actually have cadaver dogs down there searching, but again, you've got to think about what is the condition of that body going to be?" Ritter said.
Ritter also noted that Hooker's husband was initially detained by authorities in the Bahamas but was later released.
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"He was originally detained in the Bahamas and they called it an arrest, but it was more for questioning, and he was let go without charges, so he was free to leave the Bahamas," Ritter said.
Last month, the couple's sailboat was seized by the Coast Guard off the coast of Melbourne and taken to Fort Pierce. Investigators are examining evidence from the vessel, including an onboard infrared camera, for possible clues.
Hooker's body has not been found, and her husband has not been charged with a crime. The investigation remains active.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by Fox News and the Associated Press.