US Coast Guard Seizes Brian Hooker's Sailboat in Probe of Wife's Bahamas Disappearance

The U.S. Coast Guard seized Brian Hooker's sailboat as federal investigators probe the disappearance of his wife, Lynette, whom he claims fell from a dinghy in the Bahamas.

Hooker told Bahamian officials that Lynette fell off the dinghy after they left shore at Hope Town around 7:30 p.m. on April 4. He said she went overboard with the ignition key. Local authorities noted that Hooker reached a marina at Marsh Harbour around 4 a.m. on April 5, after paddling to shore about eight hours later.

Two sources told CBS News that the Coast Guard seized the couple's sailboat, named Soulmate, on Saturday as it traveled toward the U.S. The Coast Guard Investigative Service has stepped up its examination of Lynette Hooker's disappearance in recent days. Brian Hooker faces no criminal charges.

The Coast Guard declined to comment to Fox News Digital, citing the ongoing investigation.

The seizure occurred roughly a week after the Coast Guard asked the public to identify the owner of a sailboat moored near the Hookers' Soulmate in the Bahamas.

Bahamian police held Brian Hooker for five days after his wife's disappearance but released him without charges. His attorney in Michigan urged Americans to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Crystal Marie Hauser, a friend, said, "I would ask those watching to treat him the way you would want to be treated, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and to consider that not all of us, nor you, considering your own relationships, the way you speak to one another, we all handle things in different ways."

Hauser said she believes Hooker's heart remains in the Bahamas but did not say whether he plans to return. His Bahamian attorney previously stated that Hooker left the island for the U.S. to care for his very ill mother.

After Lynette went missing, Brian Hooker posted on Facebook that he was heartbroken. "I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas," he wrote. "Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus."

Fox News Digital contacted Brian Hooker's attorneys.