MELBOURNE, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service has taken control of a sailboat as part of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Lynette Hooker.
Officials said agents, working with Coast Guard crews and aircraft, stopped the sailing vessel Soulmate about 40 miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida. The operation was part of a larger investigation led by federal authorities.
After the vessel was seized, it lost power and had to be towed by the Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser. It was later handed off to a Coast Guard crew in Fort Pierce to guide it through the inlet.
The Coast Guard says the sailboat is now being held as investigators continue looking into what happened to Hooker.
Lynette Hooker went missing earlier while traveling aboard the Soulmate. Officials have not released many details, but say the case remains active and under investigation.
At this time, authorities are not sharing additional information.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Coast Guard Investigative Service tip line.
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