A major search operation is under way in connection with the disappearance of Lynette Hooker, an American woman who vanished while on a sailing holiday with her husband in the Bahamas.The case has drawn attention from both Bahamian authorities and US agencies, including the FBI and the US Coast Guard.Hooker reportedly disappeared last month while the couple were returning to their sailboat, named ‘Soulmate’, in a dinghy in the Sea of Abaco.According to initial accounts, her husband stated that she fell overboard during the trip back to the vessel.

However, investigators have indicated that GPS data retrieved from the couple’s boat appears to contradict elements of his version of events, placing the vessel in a different location from the one he described.This discrepancy has led authorities to expand their search area to a section of the Sea of Abaco identified through the digital evidence.

The US Coast Guard has since seized the sailboat, which had been moved to Florida after leaving the Bahamas, and is examining it for electronic devices and other forensic material that could help establish what happened.

A dive team has also been authorised to search the waters where Hooker is believed to have disappeared, with the aim of recovering further evidence and, if possible, her remains.Hooker’s husband was briefly detained during the initial investigation but has since been released and has not been charged with any offence.He denies any wrongdoing and maintains that he is cooperating fully with authorities.The case is further complicated by reports of a difficult relationship history between the couple.Investigators continue to treat the disappearance as an open and active investigation.

Before the incident, the couple were known for documenting their sailing lifestyle on a YouTube channel, which has since come under renewed scrutiny as part of the broader inquiry into the events surrounding her disappearance.