Husband’s phone GPS data prompts feds to search 25-foot-deep Bahamian waters for Lynette Hooker: sources

Husband’s phone GPS data prompts feds to search 25-foot-deep Bahamian waters for Lynette Hooker: sources

Marine navigation app data allegedly shows discrepancy with what he first told police, sources say

close Video

Coast Guard seizes Brian Hooker's yacht after wife's Bahamas disappearance

The vessel 'Soulmate,' owned by Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was brought to Fort Pierce, Florida, and secured at a U.S. Coast Guard station. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

FIRST ON FOX: Data from Brian Hooker's phone led United States investigators to plan to search a new area in 25-foot-deep Bahamian waters in the search for missing Lynette Hooker, sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.

Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker initially left shore at Hope Town in the Bahamas at around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, with the husband telling local authorities that rough waters caused his wife to fall off their dinghy. However, GPS data from Brian Hooker's phone obtained by authorities allegedly shows a discrepancy between what he first told law enforcement, sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.

That discrepancy prompted federal U.S. authorities to seek permission from Bahamian authorities to search a new area in the Sea of Abaco with 25-foot-deep waters, the sources added.

LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST

(L) Brian Hooker and his sailboat Soulmate (R) (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital and Coast Guard)

Authorities obtained data from Brian Hooker's phone, specifically GPS data from a marine navigation app that was used while the couple was on the dinghy, the sources said.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

The couple was headed back to their sailboat Soulmate, their full-time home in retirement, when Lynette fell overboard. They frequently sail around the U.S. and Caribbean, according to their social media pages.

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker's daughter, told Fox News Digital that the Coast Guard has asked her family to submit DNA samples to help with their investigation.

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)

The Coast Guard seized the couple's sailboat, Soulmate, in early May and took it to Fort Pierce, Florida, but it was recently moved to Fort Lauderdale, as authorities couldn't pull it from the water.

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

Brian Hooker was previously detained for five days by Bahamian police after his wife disappeared, but wasn't charged.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Brian Hooker's Michigan-based attorney asked Americans in an earlier interview to give him the benefit of the doubt in an interview with ABC News.

"I would ask those watching to treat him the way you would want to be treated, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and to consider that not all of us, nor you, considering your own relationships, the way you speak to one another, we all handle things in different ways," Crystal Marie Hauser said.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Fox News Digital reached out to the Coast Guard and Hauser for comment.

Adam Sabes is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.

Support Everyday Chronicle
Global reporting requires independent voices. If you value our coverage, please consider a small contribution to help us grow.
​Click the button below to make a secure donation