Feds could bring charges in Bahamas disappearance case without ever finding body, expert says

A maritime instrumentality adept says that national authorities could bring charges successful the Bahamas disappearance of Lynette Hooker adjacent if they ne'er find her body.

Images taken by Fox News Digital connected Tuesday amusement transgression portion astir portions of Lynette and Brian Hooker's sailboat, Soulmate, arsenic it's docked astatine the U.S. Coast Guard's presumption successful Fort Pierce, Florida, aft a root said it was seized implicit the weekend.

The root said investigators were processing grounds onboard the sailboat connected Tuesday, which appears to person continued connected Wednesday.

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U.S. Coast Guard investigators hunt the vessel Soulmate docked astatine their presumption successful Fort Pierce, Fla., connected May 13, 2026. The vas belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing woman Lynette Hooker and was brought backmost to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Brian Hooker initially told Bahamian officials that his woman fell disconnected a dinghy aft leaving enactment astatine Hope Town astatine astir 7:30 p.m. connected April 4, saying that Lynette fell disconnected with the ignition key. Local authorities said that helium arrived astatine a marina astatine Marsh Harbour astatine astir 4 a.m. connected April 5 aft paddling to shore, astir 8 hours aft his woman went overboard. Despite a weekslong search, authorities haven't been capable to find Lynette Hooker.

COAST GUARD SEIZES BRIAN HOOKER'S SAILBOAT AS IT LEAVES BAHAMAS AFTER WIFE’S DISAPPEARANCE: REPORT

Brian Hooker hasn't been charged with a crime. The Coast Guard Investigative Service is probing Lynette Hooker's disappearance.

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U.S. Coast Guard investigators hunt the vessel Soulmate docked astatine their presumption successful Fort Pierce, Fla., connected May 13, 2026. The vas belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing woman Lynette Hooker and was brought backmost to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

U.S. Coast Guard investigators hunt the vessel Soulmate docked astatine their presumption successful Fort Pierce, Fla., connected May 13, 2026. The vas belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing woman Lynette Hooker and was brought backmost to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Kenneth Engerrand, an adjunct prof of maritime instrumentality astatine the University of Houston Law Center and shareholder successful the Brown Sims instrumentality firm, told Fox News Digital that adjacent if investigators aren't capable to find Lynette Hooker's body, the Coast Guard's probe could inactive effect successful transgression charges.

"They can't record charges without important evidence, but that's wherefore they're connected the boat. They're looking for evidence. And what volition person to hap is the Coast Guard tin make the grounds that's indispensable successful conjunction with the U.S. lawyer successful Florida," helium said. "Sometimes it takes much effort to make evidence, and this is the lawsuit wherever that's the concern due to the fact that you don't person the body."

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"That's a overmuch much hard process without the body, but it's not intolerable to do," Engerrand said.

Engerrand said that Coast Guard investigators didn't request a warrant to hunt Brian and Lynette Hooker's sailboat since it's American-flagged.

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Brian Hooker visits the Central Police Station successful Freeport, The Bahamas, connected April 14, 2026, to retrieve his wedding ringing and ticker with his lawyer, Terrel A. Butler. Hooker was released from jailhouse the erstwhile nighttime aft constabulary questioned him astir the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

"They person a circumstantial national statute for that, and the courts person upheld that, with conscionable a fewer limitations and truthful the Coast Guard tin behaviour a implicit probe with respect to the vessel and enactment that occurred connected the vessel nether that statute that's valid until they get to the constituent wherever they are doing a focused transgression investigation. They don't request a warrant for immoderate of that and erstwhile they get to the constituent of focusing connected him, each they request is tenable suspicion," helium said. "They don't adjacent person to person a warrant past to bash probe successful transportation with enactment connected a vas that is an American flagged vessel."

DAUGHTER OF MISSING AMERICAN IN BAHAMAS SAYS BRIAN HOOKER USING MOTHER'S ILLNESS AS 'EXCUSE' TO LEAVE COUNTRY

Brian Hooker was detained for 5 days by Bahamian constabulary aft his woman disappeared, but wasn't charged. His Michigan-based lawyer antecedently asked Americans to springiness him the payment of the doubt.

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"I would inquire those watching to dainty him the mode you would privation to beryllium treated, to springiness him the payment of the doubt, and to see that not each of us, nor you, considering your ain relationships, the mode you talk to 1 another, we each grip things successful antithetic ways," Crystal Marie Hauser said.

Brian Hooker near the land for the U.S. to thin to his "very ill" mother, his Bahamian lawyer antecedently said.

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After Lynette Hooker went missing, Brian said successful a Facebook station that helium was "heartbroken."

"I americium heartbroken implicit the caller vessel mishap successful unpredictable seas and precocious winds that caused my beloved Lynette to autumn from our tiny dinghy adjacent Elbow Cay successful the Bahamas," helium wrote. "Despite hopeless attempts to scope her, the winds and currents drove america further apart. We proceed to hunt for her and that is my sole focus."