U.S. Coast Guard in Bahamas to search for remains of Lynette Hooker
· Toronto Sun
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Divers from the U.S. Coast Guard have arrived in the Bahamas to begin an underwater search for missing American woman Lynette Hooker.
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Fox News reported the Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell arrived in Hope Town in the Bahamas around 5 p.m. Tuesday after departing from Miami, with a diving crew set to scour a new area that’s about 7.6 metres deep in the Sea of Abaco.
The Coast Guard was spotted arriving at a dock outside the Abaco Inn, with a small boat pulled up to the dock where crews unloaded gear before heading back out to sea.
The woman’s disappearance has prompted a federal criminal investigation, a U.S. official told CNN .
Federal investigation launched after disappearance
On April 4, Hooker, a 55-year-old mother and sailor, went missing after she and her husband, Brian, were sailing near Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands near the Bahamas.
At the time, Brian told authorities that his wife fell from an eight-foot dinghy while navigating through rough waters. Three days after she disappeared, the Coast Guard announced it was opening a federal investigation.
Last week, plans for a renewed search were put in place after investigators found inconsistencies between Brian’s location data and statements he made to authorities about where to search for Lynette and where they had been travelling, CNN reported.
The Coast Guard was granted permission by the Royal Bahamas Police Force to search an area of the Sea of Abaco, which surrounds the island Brian claimed he and Lynette were sailing to, an official stated.
The Coast Guard has collected more evidence as the investigation continues. Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told CNN authorities had requested DNA samples from her mother’s relatives.
Husband questioned and released
Police in the Bahamas arrested Brian on suspicion of his wife’s disappearance and repeatedly questioned him. He was later released without being charged and returned to the U.S.
Brian has maintained he’s not behind his wife’s disappearance.
The Michigan couple had been sailing together for more than 10 years and had documented their life at sea on social media. They were trekking through the Bahamas on their yacht, “Soulmate,” when Lynette vanished.
Hooker a ‘go-to person’
A family friend told Fox News that Hooker was a friend who was always there for others.
“She’s the kind of person anybody would be happy to be around in any occasion,” the friend said. “She’s the type of person after the party that sticks around to help clean up. She’s a person who shows up beforehand to help you set up. She is your go-to person when you need a friend.
“When we heard somebody was missing in the Bahamas and the boating community, that’s tragic,” they said. “When we heard it was Lynette, that was emotional.”
Aylesworth was skeptical of Brian’s account of what happened. She told CNN she was confident in her mother as an experienced sailor and capable swimmer, and was not likely to be swept away by strong waters.