Coast Guard seizes dinghy Lynette Hooker allegedly “bounced off” in Bahamas

The 8-foot dinghy that Brian Hooker says he and his wife, Lynette Hooker, were aboard when she disappeared in the Bahamas in early April was seized by U.S. Coast Guard investigators Thursday.

CBS News captured the moment the dinghy was taken by a tender boat back to a U.S. Coast Guard cutter.

An investigator with the Coast Guard Investigative Service was seen aboard the dinghy, surveying it and holding up a life jacket. A cadaver dog was also seen with investigators. 

The dinghy could provide insight into what happened the night 55-year-old Lynette Hooker of Michigan disappeared. Brian Hooker, who reported her missing on April 5, initially told investigators his wife “bounced off” the dinghy during rough waters.

He said the couple had gone for a nighttime ride aboard the dinghy from Elbow Cay in the Bahamas when she fell overboard and was swept away in the current with the keys to the boat, forcing him to paddle back to shore. 

Brian Hooker was initially detained by Bahamian authorities but released after five days of questioning. He has since returned to the U.S. He has not been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing. Lynette Hooker has not yet been found. 

GPS data from an electronic device seized by authorities appears to differ from his account of what happened that night, which has sparked this new search in the Bahamas. 

The sailboat the couple was using in their travels around the Bahamas was seized by the Coast Guard last month.