GPS data reportedly contradicts husband Brian Hooker's account in missing Michigan woman case

BAHAMAS: Newly obtained GPS evidence has prompted US investigators to reopen part of the search for missing Michigan woman Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas, after authorities said the data appeared to conflict with her husband Brian Hooker’s earlier account of the night she disappeared.

The new forensic evidence has prompted authorities to ask the Bahamas for permission to send a dive team into previously unsearched areas of the Sea of Abaco. Investigators believe the updated GPS information may provide a more precise location to search for Lynette Hooker’s body and other possible evidence. The latest development marks a significant shift in the investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance, which has remained unresolved since April. 

Investigators say GPS data pointed to movements in new search area

A US official familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the GPS data extracted from one of Brian Hooker’s electronic devices showed movement patterns that did not align with the version of events he previously gave investigators. 

The official added that the device appeared to travel out onto the water, stop in the Sea of Abaco, and later return, creating what investigators described as a new and more targeted search location.

Authorities believe earlier search efforts may have focused on the wrong area based on Brian Hooker’s initial account. The updated forensic evidence has led the Coast Guard Investigative Service to request approval from Bahamian authorities to conduct a new dive search in previously unsearched areas, as the search area falls within Bahamian territorial waters, despite the vessel involved being US-flagged.

Investigators are also continuing to process evidence collected in the case through the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. Family members told the media outlet that authorities recently requested DNA samples from Lynette Hooker’s relatives to assist in identifying any possible remains or evidence recovered during the renewed search effort. 

Probe revisits Brian Hooker’s account of Lynette Hooker’s disappearance

Brian Hooker previously told authorities that Lynette Hooker fell from an 8-foot dinghy during a nighttime ride near Elbow Cay and Hope Town in the Bahamas on April 4. According to his account, she fell overboard while holding the boat keys, leaving him unable to restart the engine.

He told investigators he paddled for hours before eventually reaching shore around 4 am on April 5 and reporting what happened. Lynette Hooker was last reported near Aunt Pat’s Bay in the Abacos.

Investigators later seized the couple’s sailboat, the 'Soulmate,' as part of the growing US criminal investigation. Authorities have also examined technology aboard the vessel, including an infrared camera that investigators believe could contain evidence relevant to the case. Officials have not publicly stated whether the camera was in use the night Lynette disappeared.

 The case remains under investigation, and Brian Hooker has not been charged with a crime. He has denied wrongdoing.