Six months after Michigan mother Lynette Hooker disappeared during a sailing vacation in the Bahamas, federal investigators continue to work the case behind the scenes. A former FBI special agent says the investigation is far from closed and that authorities are carefully piecing together what may have happened on the water the night she vanished.

Lynette Hooker, 55, was last known to be alive on April 4, 2026. According to her husband, Brian Hooker, the couple had spent the evening in Hope Town before heading back to their sailboat, Soulmate, in a small dinghy. Brian told authorities that Lynette went overboard during the short trip. No one has seen or heard from her since that night. Bahamian police detained and questioned Brian shortly afterward, then released him. He has not been charged with any offense.

The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service has taken a central role in the inquiry. In May, agents seized the couple’s sailboat. In early June, a team of divers was sent to search the surrounding waters for any physical trace of Lynette. Investigators later recovered the dinghy and transported it to the United States, where it was submitted to a forensic laboratory for detailed examination. Selected pieces of evidence were also sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico for further analysis.

Nicole Parker, a Fox News contributor and former FBI special agent who previously served as the bureau’s crimes-on-the-high-seas coordinator, described the current phase of the investigation. She noted that agents are attempting to reconstruct a potential crime scene that took place in open water—an especially complex and time-consuming process. “It is not something that has been put to rest,” Parker said. “Just because the public doesn’t exactly see what’s happening doesn’t mean that it’s not happening behind the scenes.” She added that laboratory work of this kind often requires significant time before results become available.

Lynette’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, has spoken publicly about her belief that her daughter reached the sailboat that night and that foul play was involved. She has said the Coast Guard has restricted what she is allowed to discuss about the investigation.

While the federal probe continues, Brian Hooker has been living a low-profile life at his mother’s home in Citrus Heights, California, northeast of Sacramento. He has been seen walking dogs, speaking with neighbors, running everyday errands, and collecting discarded items from nearby streets. He has not made any recent public comments regarding his wife’s disappearance.

Parker emphasized that cases involving incidents at sea frequently move more slowly than the public expects. “There were times when even I myself as an investigator wanted things to move more quickly,” she said. “But these types of cases, they do take time.” She added that investigators are doing everything possible to obtain answers. “At the end of the day, that’s what Lynette deserves.”

The FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard have declined to comment on the status of the ongoing investigation.

Source : Fox News.