Brian Hooker, 58, Filmed in California 4 Months After Wife Vanished in Bahamas

Q: Why did the sailboat's tracking signal go dark for 11 hours the night Lynette Hooker vanished in the Bahamas?

It is not publicly known why the sailboat’s tracking signal went dark for about 11 hours the night Lynette Hooker disappeared. Reporting cited by Fox News Digital and other outlets says the vessel *Soulmate*’s AIS signal stopped around 9:29 p.m. on April 4 and did not resume until about 8:40 a.m. the next morning. Investigators have not publicly explained the outage, and no official finding has been released saying whether it was caused by equipment failure, loss of power, signal interruption, or the AIS being manually turned off. What is clear is that the blackout has become a significant investigative issue. Former federal prosecutor Tad DiBiase told Fox News Digital that determining how and when the tracking was disabled would be a “key question” for investigators, especially because the gap overlaps with the window in which Lynette Hooker vanished. Separate reporting also says investigators found inconsistencies between Brian Hooker’s account and electronic location data recovered from devices, prompting renewed searches in the Sea of Abaco and forensic examination of both the dinghy and the sailboat. There are general maritime explanations for tracking gaps, including technical malfunctions or intermittent GPS/AIS disruptions, but the available reporting does not tie any of those causes to this case. As of now, authorities have not publicly answered why the signal went dark, and Brian Hooker has not been charged with any crime.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 29

New footage shows Brian Hooker in Citrus Heights, California, four months after wife Lynette disappeared in the Bahamas, walking dogs, drinking coffee in a garage and sifting through neighborhood trash.
The 58-year-old has kept a low profile near Sacramento after telling investigators Lynette fell from a dinghy while the couple was returning to their sailboat, Soulmate, near Elbow Cay in April.
Bahamian authorities detained and questioned Hooker after the disappearance but released him, and he has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing.
The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service is leading the case as Lynette's family still seeks answers, with her mother saying she wants "the truth" and justice for her daughter.