The US Coast Guard has seized the dinghy missing mom Lynette Hooker was riding when she vanished into Bahamian waters over two months ago on a doomed vacation with her husband.
Cadaver dogs and divers also scoured the area this week as part of a deepening probe that has her husband Brian Hooker squarely in investigators’ crosshairs.
The couple were riding the small, open craft back to the “Soulmate” sailboat the pair lived on together when she disappeared into the water in early April.
Coast Guard crew members were seen loading the eight-foot dinghy onto a truck to examine it for evidence.
As the boat was collected, divers explored a new area of the Sea of Abaco, Fox 35 reported.
Investigators recently relaunched their search for Lynette Hooker, 55, when they discovered GPS data recovered from her husband’s phone allegedly didn’t line up with what he told detectives.
Brian Hooker, 59, was detained as a suspect after his wife plunged into the sea, but was released days later.
He has not been hit with any charges in relation to the chilling incident and claims he’s innocent, but remains a top suspect.
Lynette Hooker’s body still hasn’t been found.
Investigators secured clearance in May to search the “Soulmate” boat the couple lived and traveled on.
Law enforcement officials seized the sailboat from the Bahamas and docked it in Fort Pierce, Florida. They later moved it to Fort Lauderdale, according to Fox News.
Those close to the couple sounded the alarm that Brian Hooker was allegedly abusive toward his wife and disclosed that they had a turbulent relationship.
The Michigan couple’s longtime neighbor Jordan Plentz recently said she is hopeful that the Coast Guard will finally get some answers in the case, but is skeptical that Lynette Hooker drowned.
“I think something happened prior to that,” she told Jesse Weber Live.
“She was trying to get away from the domestic violence situation, so I hope that justice is served.”
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