NEAR FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) — A Broward Sheriff’s Office K-9 team has joined the U.S. Coast Guard in the Bahamas as investigators narrow down their search area for a Michigan woman who has been missing at sea for three months.
The BSO K-9 team with cadaver dog Maggie and her handler, BSO Detective Christopher Favitta, was spotted on Wednesday, along with USCG divers searching a new area for 55-year-old Lynette Hooker, who has been missing for three months after her husband, Brian Hooker, said she went overboard and was swept away.
“The wind blew us apart so fast that I think she tried to swim back to the sailboat right back to our sailboat,” said Brian Hooker.
Retired FBI agent Richard Kolko shared that cadaver dogs will be extremely helpful.
“The major role they can play is locate a body if indeed there is one. These cadaver dogs are well-trained, very successful at what they do, even after a long period of time,” said Kolko.
U.S. officials said GPS data recovered from Brian’s electronic devices did not match what he told police, leading investigators to zero in on different locations.
That prompted investigators to search different locations.
Kolko shared that electronic data can help point investigators in the right direction.
“They can rebuild where these devices actually were. Not only where they were, but the exact moment they were there. And they put that together, along with comparing it to the interviews that were conducted by the Bahamas Police Force at the time. Sounds like they didn’t match up. That’s what’s pointing these investigators, divers and even cadaver dogs back to new areas,” said Kolko.
One of those locations they are searching is called Lubbers Cay. It is only two minutes away from where the Hooker’s sailboat, “The Soulmate,” was anchored.
That sailboat is now in Florida after being seized by the Coast Guard.
Teams are also scouring the coastline around a quarter mile from where Brian said he ended up after his wife vanished.
Brian was arrested by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, but later released without any charges.
In April, Brian said he would stay in the Bahamas until his wife was found.
“I’m going to keep going. I’m not leaving until I’m told to leave or convinced that it’s fruitless,” he said.
Kolko shared that the investigation may cause Brian Hooker to share additional details about the incident.
“Now watching this investigation heat up again, when he probably thought it was going to cool off, that’s got to be putting a lot of pressure on him. And it may cause him to crack and want to talk and give some additional information,” said Kolko.
However, just hours after his release, Brian did return to the U.S. on Thursday morning, Fox News reported that he may have left the U.S. through the California-Mexico border.
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