Lynette Hooker’s daughter shares emotional Mother’s Day message as Coast Guard seizes sailboat

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Lynette Hooker’s daughter shared an emotional Mother’s Day message as investigators intensified their probe into the Michigan mother’s disappearance in the Bahamas and seized the couple’s sailboat, ‘Soulmate.’

Karli Aylesworth said she was aware the sailboat had left the Bahamas but claimed she had not received any update from the US Coast Guard regarding the ongoing investigation into her mother’s disappearance.

The emotional video surfaced as authorities expanded their investigation and took custody of the vessel connected to the case.

Daughter's emotional Mother's Day message

Aylesworth posted the video message on social media on May 11, describing the emotional toll of spending Mother’s Day without her mother for the first time.

“It’s pretty hard right now to know that she’s not a text away anymore, and last week was my birthday on Sunday, so it’s been kind of a rough week, honestly,” she said.

“Updates on Soulmate: the boat has [been] moved by two men that, neither of them are Brian, never seen them before, and they turned off their GPS so no foreign land can track them anymore,” Aylesworth said in the clip, adding that she believes the boat may be heading for Florida.

“I have not heard any news from the Coast Guard regarding this, so I don’t know what they’re going to do about it, if they’re going to do anything about it right now,” she added. 

Boat seized by investigators

The sailboat ‘Soulmate,’ used by Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker during their travels across the Bahamas, was seized by US Coast Guard investigators, according to CBS News, citing sources familiar with the probe.

The vessel reportedly departed Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas on May 8 and was heading toward the United States when the Coast Guard took it into custody on May 9. Drone images obtained by the outlet showed the sailboat docked at the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station in Florida.

The report also stated that Coast Guard investigators have been actively interviewing potential witnesses in recent days as the investigation intensified.

Lynette Hooker vanished on April 4

Lynette Hooker was last seen near Aunt Pat's Bay close to Elbow Cay and Hope Town on April 4, according to her husband Brian Hooker. Brian Hooker told local authorities that his wife fell overboard during a nighttime dinghy ride. He reported her missing on April 5.

As part of the investigation, authorities recently released images of another sailboat and asked to speak with its owners or occupants.

Brian Hooker has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. Bahamian authorities detained him for questioning for five days before releasing him. Afterward, he traveled to the United States to visit his ailing mother, according to his Bahamian attorney.

The outlet further reported that Brian Hooker’s current whereabouts are unknown, while his US-based attorney declined to comment on the case.