Lynette Hooker's Bahamas disappearance being investigated as murder case: US official

MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas — The disappearance of American woman Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas is being investigated as a murder, a U.S. official familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.

Hooker vanished on April 4 while boating near Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands with her husband, Brian Hooker. Her husband has maintained that his wife fell from a dinghy at night and was swept away. Lynette Hooker’s body has not been recovered.

But investigators are treating the case as a homicide, the official said, as they review digital evidence, location data and the couple’s sailboat, Soulmate, which was recently seized by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.

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After the vessel left the Bahamas, authorities seized it and the Coast Guard docked Soulmate in Fort Pierce, Florida. Eventually, officials relocated the boat to a port in Fort Lauderdale.

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A U.S. official familiar with the investigation previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that, once pulled from the water, Soulmate would be taken to a warehouse to be combed for clues.

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Investigators are expected to examine the vessel’s electronics, navigation systems and any other potential forensic evidence aboard.

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"Any sort of digital devices that you can take, any computer systems that you can extract, anything of that sort, will be taken in," said Nicole Parker, former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor.

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Brian Hooker was initially detained by Bahamian authorities after Lynette was reported missing, but he was later released.

He has not been charged with any crime or accused of wrongdoing. His attorney could not be reached for comment after numerous attempts by Fox News Digital.