Brian Hooker Spotted in Michigan as Family Demands Answers | Missing in Bahamas Lynette Hooker

Summary

Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: Brian Hooker Spotted in Michigan as Family Demands Answers | Missing in Bahamas Lynette Hooker
Date: June 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Ashleigh Banfield delves deep into the baffling disappearance of Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas. The episode centers on new developments surrounding Lynette’s husband, Brian Hooker—his suspicious movements across the US following the incident, his evolving legal strategy, and mounting scrutiny from both media and Lynette’s family. Through an intimate interview with Lynette’s grieving parents, Dan and Kathy Shepard, Ashleigh exposes the emotional toll, critical evidence, and lingering questions haunting those seeking justice for Lynette.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brian Hooker’s Whereabouts & Behavior

• Recent Sightings:
  • Brian was spotted at the Sierra store in Center Point Mall, Grand Rapids, Michigan with daughter Rosie ([00:35]-[01:20]).
  • Reports confirm Brian traveled from Sacramento (to visit his ailing mother), to Oregon (where son Jacob Pellegri lives), and then Michigan.
• Pattern of Evasion:
  • Despite publicly claiming he’d “never leave the Bahamas without [Lynette],” he took a flight out the next day.
  • Brian has acquired a federal attorney after previously working with only state-level legal representation; name still unknown ([00:50]).
  • Ashleigh questions: “I don’t know why an innocent guy would do that…You would think he’d be spending time very openly with his family…and he'd be in the media saying, ‘Please help me find my wife’...Nothing, not since those interviews where he said ‘I’ll never leave the Bahamas without her.’ Boink, the next day.” ([03:28])
• Family Estrangement:
  • Brian has not contacted daughter Carly, whom he raised since age 3, in eight weeks ([07:38]).

2. Background and Personality of Brian Hooker

• Past Employment Issues:
  • Fired from AT&T for “manipulating the GPS on his work van, masking his location—sound familiar?” ([05:16])
• Personal Struggles:
  • Suffered from depression and was homeless on the beaches of Hawaii after leaving the Marines ([06:48], [33:05])
• Family Dynamics:
  • Past relationships described as tumultuous; son Jacob changed his last name to “Pellegri,” distancing himself from Brian ([02:11]).

3. Interview with Dan and Kathy Shepard (Lynette’s Parents) ([08:36]-[38:53])

Coping with Disappearance

• Prolonged Grief:
  • Kathy: “I call it delayed and prolonged grief…All of those things [funeral, closure] we don’t get. And we’re still sort of in denial…we have to remind ourselves that she’s not here. We don’t have anything tangible to prove that she’s not here.” ([09:45])
• Post-Coast Guard Search:
  • Dan: “I was hoping for a final answer…a conclusion…I know they worked very hard, and my hat’s off to them. Great job.” ([10:44])

The Investigation and Evidence

• Critical Evidence:
  • Coast Guard and Bahamian police have recovered “the dinghy” and unspecified “critical” evidence; remain tight-lipped to protect the investigation ([11:08]-[12:35]).
• Evidence Against Brian:
  • Kathy: “We just wish it wasn’t necessary. No parent should have to give DNA evidence. No parent should use cadaver dog in the same sentence with their child. None of that should happen.” ([13:35])

Reflections on Brian’s Conduct

• Communication Failures:
  • Dan: “If Brian was innocent, I think I would have heard from him more than the one time on Easter…His Facebook’s gone, his phone’s gone. You can’t contact him. And if he was totally innocent, he wouldn’t be acting this way.” ([15:44])

Motive and Domestic Issues

• Substance and Financial Stress:
  • Recollections that drinking fueled arguments in the marriage; financial dependence possibly a factor ([22:26]).
• Suspicion of Foul Play:
  • Kathy: “What many abused women do…she loved him and kept going back thinking she could make it better. And then he just threw her away…claims that she’s the love of his life. Well, I’d sure hate to see what he’d do to somebody that wasn’t the love of his life.” ([15:05])
• Discrepancies in Brian’s Stories:
  • Brian told conflicting accounts about Lynette’s disappearance, including direction she was swimming and whether he heard her calls for help ([24:06]).

Hopes for Resolution

• Message to Brian:
  • Dan: “If it was not intentional and things happened, step forward and face up...And if you had plans to do this, then may you rot in hell.” ([38:29]-[38:42])
• Awaiting Justice:
  • Both parents express hope for an imminent arrest or at least discovery of more conclusive evidence ([17:25]-[18:23]).

4. Continued Search and New Leads

• Ongoing Private Search:
  • Friends Marina and Nathan continue searching the Bahamas, passing on artifacts to the Coast Guard, although recent finds appear unrelated ([39:25]).
• Jurisdictional Updates:
  • The recovered dinghy is now in the custody of the Coast Guard in the Southern District of Florida—potentially significant for future prosecution ([40:15]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“You would think he’d be spending time very openly with his family…and he’d be in the media saying, ‘Please help me find my wife’…Nothing, not since those interviews where he said ‘I’ll never leave the Bahamas without her.’ Boink, the next day.”
— Ashleigh Banfield ([03:28])

“I call it delayed and prolonged grief…We don’t get [closure]. And we’re still sort of in denial…we have to remind ourselves that she’s not here.”
— Kathy Shepard ([09:45])

“No parent should have to give DNA evidence. No parent should use cadaver dog in the same sentence with their child. None of that should happen.”
— Kathy Shepard ([13:35])

“If Brian was innocent, I think I would have heard from him more than the one time on Easter…I think more as time goes by, it makes me feel he’s guilty.”
— Dan Shepard ([15:44])

“If it was not intentional and things happened, step forward and face up…And if you had plans to do this, then may you rot in hell.”
— Dan Shepard ([38:29])

“He told us that in [where] she went in was only 75 yards from shore and…only 30 yards from 2 foot of water…She was a good swimmer...This is not someone who wouldn’t be able to swim just 30 yards to 2ft of water…”
— Kathy and Dan Shepard ([25:00]–[25:29])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Beginning: Brian Hooker’s movements and legal situation (00:35–07:38)
• Brian’s background and personal history (05:16–07:38)
• Interview with Dan & Kathy Shepard:
  • Coping with loss and investigation (08:36–14:40)
  • Reflections on Brian’s conduct and discrepancies (14:40–24:45)
  • Lynette’s character and swim conditions (25:17–26:24)
  • Marital conflicts, substance abuse, and money (22:26–23:04, 35:40–36:57)
  • Hopes for accountability and emotional appeals (38:29–39:22)
• Ongoing private search & legal updates (39:25–40:15)
• Jurisdictional implications (40:15–41:47)

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Overall Tone & Approach

Ashleigh Banfield brings her signature irreverent yet empathetic style to this episode. She mixes journalistic skepticism of Brian Hooker’s conflicting accounts and evasive behavior with heartfelt concern for Lynette’s grieving family. The tone is serious, vigilant, and unflinchingly honest, shining light on both procedural nuances and the enduring pain of those left behind.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode provides a comprehensive update on the Lynette Hooker case—spotlighting the elusive, questionable actions of her husband Brian; amplifying the raw voices of Lynette’s family; and outlining the investigative challenges still at play. Through careful questioning and deeply personal testimony, Ashleigh Banfield peels back layers of mystery and brings listeners a clear sense of urgency, grounded evidence, and emotional truth in a case that is “drop dead serious.”

Transcript

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[C]

Hey everyone, I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead serious and welcome to Northern Exposure. Listen, guess what we saw. We saw Brian Hooker. And if you saw reports last week that said he'd fled the country or somebody was worried about it, all the garbage that we were trying to knock down last week, I can tell you right now, he's in Michigan. And the reason I can tell you he's in Michigan is because he was spotted at the Center Point Mall at the Sierra store with his daughter Rosie. Pretty specific, right? And that's significant because he's been there before. When he hired that first lawyer who had no federal experience, it seemed that she was only a state lawyer, which some people thought was kind of crazy. But he's changed. Apparently. Now he got himself a federal lawyer. Someone with DOJ experience. Former U.S. attorney. I'm still working on finding the name, but maybe that's why he was back in Michigan trying to find a lawyer who might be able to handle a federal case that could be coming down the pike. He's not charged with anything. He's not charged with anything yet. But the evidence sure is damning. And guess what else? Brian Hooker's been a busy guy. He's been logging the miles. Remember how he said he'd never leave the Bahamas without his wife, Lynette? It'd take a higher power to get him out of there. That higher power ended up being a plane the next day. Real high. Yeah, as it turns out. You know, he said I had to be with my ill mother and Sacramento, California. I guess not for long because he also went to Oregon. And our sources said he was spotted in Oregon as well. Confirmed sources in Oregon. And I thought, now what's happening in Oregon? What would take Brian Hooker to Oregon? So it did a little digging and a little bit of sleuthing, and I did find out why maybe Oregon might matter. And much like Michigan mattered, because he grew up there, he and Lynette Lived there, they worked there, he's got a daughter there, he's actually got two daughters there and the daughter was with. Today, Rosie is in Michigan, but much like that dynamic, he's got a son in Oregon, son is named Jacob. And that son shares the same mother as Rosie does, Elizabeth, who is no longer with us. Elizabeth hated Brian before she died of cancer. Told anybody who would listen, hated Brian so much and actually hated his last name a lot. And apparently his son Jacob also hated his last name, Hooker, and chose instead to change it. So Brian Hooker's own flesh and blood son, Jacob Hooker, decided to change his name and he is now known as Jacob Pellegri. Lives in Oregon, has a couple kids, stay at home. Dad, from what we're learning, and maybe that's why Brian was cooling his heels in Oregon. I guess he needs to sleep around, right? Because maybe he's trying to stay under the radar. I don't know why an innocent guy would do that, a guy who just lost his wife. I don't know why someone like that would just be skulking around the country. You would think he'd be spending time very openly with his family and he'd be in the, in the media saying, please help me find my wife. I, I can't, I, I am distraught. I'm beside myself. Nothing. Not since those interviews where he said I'll never leave the Bahamas without her. Boink the next day. Meanwhile, if you saw another episode before this, you probably heard me say he sat down for three interviews with NBC, CBS and abc, like hours after getting out of the lockup in the Bahamas because they didn't have enough evidence to keep him and he said he'd never leave. But simultaneously, while he was doing those interviews, literally while he's doing those interviews, he's getting an emergency passport to leave the country the next day on a flight. So the guy's full of lies. We know it. We know it. She bounced out of the dinghy in two to four foot seas. The sea was angry, my friend. The current, the tide, the waves, the weather, the darkness. None of that was true. Proved by science. Photographs, evidence, all the things that juries like to see. He's not charged with anything yet. Anyway, so Brian's been cool in his heels in Sacramento and now we're learning about Oregon and also in Michigan. Just spotted today, I'm recording this Monday, June 8, it was only about six, seven hours ago we got the report that he was at the Sierra store at the Center Point Mall in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Yeah, so yeah, that's where he is. He's certainly not seeing his daughter Carly, who he's raised since she was 3. Didn't tell Carly that he was in the city. Didn't say, sweetie, we should be together. This is such tough. Nope. Hasn't had a word to say to Carly in eight weeks. Eight weeks. That ain't trauma bonding, sweetheart. That just ain't so. Anyway, that's the big news today. And I'll tell you something else. The more I learn about this guy, the more I just cannot believe some of his history. Like, for instance, Brian was homeless once upon a time. Brian was depressed, suffering severe depression, medicated for it, because he was fired from his job at AT&T. You've all heard me tell that story. Fired because he was caught cheating, because he was caught manipulating the GPS on his work van, masking his location. Sound familiar? Masking his location, skulking around the country. So Brian apparently fell into depression and was medicated for it, but homeless on the beaches of Hawaii. You're about to hear a lot more of this, because I'm about to play for you an interview that I just did with Lynette's dad. Lynette's dad's name is Dan Shepard, and Dan married Kathy. And Dan and Kathy Shepard have been talking to me for the last eight weeks about lots of background details. And Dan Sheppard is a broken man. I mean, you just imagine what this would be like. If you're just wondering where your daughter is, you have no idea. The Coast Guard goes to find her, and you're hoping they're going to find her remains, even. Not even her, but her remains, and bring her home to you. And that doesn't happen. It's just unfathomable. Unless you've been in that boat. You just don't know what those shoes are like. And so I spoke with Dan Sheppard and his wife Kathy about how they're getting through all of this. And while we spoke of that, he also told me a lot about what Brian was like, not just with Lynette, not just with him, but also with his company, because it turns out Dan was the same kind of boss that Brian was supposed to be but could never be. And it turns out Dan knows a lot about what Brian was like before they ever met Brian, because Brian shared it all, like the homelessness and the depression, all of that stuff. So it's a fascinating interview because you'll learn a lot about the man that we're all wondering about. If you lied about all those things and then you just vanished from everybody's life. That looks like consciousness of guilt. Brian's not charged with anything, but it sure looks fishy. So I want you to hear from Dan and Kathy Shepherd. I had this interview with them, like I said, recorded on Monday, June 8th. Here's my conversation. Kathy and Dan, it is really good to check in with you. Obviously, there have been a lot of people following all the details within Lynette's family, but I have yet to speak with you on the podcast about what you're going through and how you're managing. Dan, I'll start with you. This is not a situation most people understand or navigate easily.

[D]

I understand.

[C]

How are you getting through these. These days of uncertainty?

[D]

I stay busy all day. I get up and I go out and work and stay busy.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

And, Kathy, you and I have been speaking a fair bit, just trying to put the pieces together, but this has been. I think people don't understand the ripple effect of what happens when a crime is committed against an innocent person.

[E]

Yeah. I call it delayed and prolonged grief. We were talking today, and I said, when a loved one dies, even if it's a surprise, you have their body, you have evidence, you put them, you have a funeral, you bury them, you get a chance to say your goodbyes. All of those things were. We don't get. And we're still sort of in denial because we, you know, have to remind ourselves that she's not here. We don't have anything, you know, tangible to prove that she's not here. So that makes it tough.

[C]

Dan, what was your reaction once the Coast Guard had wrapped up the four days in the Bahamas but were unable to find your daughter's remains?

[D]

I was really depressed. I was hoping for a final answer, a conclusion to what's going on. And I was very disappointed. But I know they worked very, very hard, and my hat's off to him. Great job.

[C]

That they did. But they did recover some very critical pieces of evidence. Number one being the dinghy, which has been a focal point of this investigation. And number two, other evidence that they retrieved from the Royal Bahamian police force. They haven't said what, but they said it was critical. Did that, Dan, did it feel at least hopeful?

[D]

Yes. We've been in contact a little bit with the Coast Guard, and they said, we do have confidence, we have evidence, but they don't want to give it out. And I don't blame them because you don't want information out. And all of a sudden, somebody's got a chance to work on DISPROVING what you said.

[C]

Yeah. And Kathy, you know, obviously, it's. It's extraordinarily disappointing that they came back without Lynette, but it doesn't mean they won't go back again. You know, that's the other piece of this. It doesn't mean it's over. Right. I mean, in so many of these investigations, one more piece of information or evidence could take them right back there. Are they. Are they helpful in helping you navigate through the process that you all are in?

[E]

The Coast Guard?

[C]

Yeah,

[E]

they've been very, very nice, but they, you know, they're very vague, which I understand, you know, that they need to be. But they've said enough that we feel like they. They don't feel like they're wasting their time. They feel like they're. They're working towards something, and we got our fingers crossed that we find something.

[C]

Yeah. And then just where the case stands as well. I mean, it's at a point now where without Lynette, it's still not a hopeless case. I mean, there's just so much information that, you know, little old me has been able to disprove, and I don't have the power of subpoena. I don't have the power of the federal government. So that's got to at least feel somewhat helpful to you that, you know, they've got a lot of evidence against Brian Hooker currently.

[E]

Yeah, it's. That's good. We just wish it wasn't. Wasn't necessary. No parent should have to give DNA evidence. No parent. No parent should have to give dental records. No parents should use cadaver dog in the same sentence with their child. None of that should happen.

[C]

You hit the nail on the head. And this is something that I think so many people need to know, that when something like this happens, the ripple effect of people who are affected and deeply, deeply traumatized is vast and often silent. You know, not everybody has met you. Not everybody knows the difficulties that you all are going through every single day. Is there a message that you would like to send to Brian Hooker if he is watching this?

[D]

I think about it often. I hope that if he did do this, that it was not premeditated and that if he will come forward, I would feel better about it.

[E]

I'm with Darlene when she says, Lynette loved him, she put up with a lot of crap from him, and she loved him and kept going back thinking she could make it better. That's what many abused women do. And then he just threw her away, you know, and claims that she's the love of his life. Well, I'd sure hate to see what he'd do to somebody that wasn't the love of his life.

[C]

I have to remark on how much grace both of you have. I don't think I could be as graceful in this moment.

[D]

Yeah. You know, if Brian was innocent, I think I would have heard from him more than the one time on Easter that he called to tell me what happened. And I've never heard another word from him since. His Facebook's gone, his phone's gone. You can't contact him. And if he was totally innocent, he wouldn't be acting this way. And I think more as time goes by, it makes me feel he's guilty.

[C]

I mean, his behavior certainly has not displayed any kind of mourning or trauma or family. It's just. You hit the nail on the head. Anybody who goes through this would be bonded with the family in a time of crisis. And yet even his own daughter, Carly, I mean, who's been his daughter since age 3, says she's heard nothing.

[D]

Nothing.

[C]

It's not typically the behavior of someone, like you said, who's guilty. And I will repeat, he's not charged with anything. He's innocent until proven guilty. And again, not charged yet. But, boy, oh, boy, it sure seems like they're getting close. What do you both hope is the next result of the investigation? So far?

[D]

My hope is that in the investigation, that they find her or they find evidence that she was there. And my hope is, if he is guilty, that they make sure he stands trial for it, and I'll be there to see it happen.

[C]

Yeah. And at this point, you know, I've covered a lot of these stories, and some people will say if there's not a body, there's not a case. And it's just Simply not true. 100% not true. Plenty of cases go right through to conviction without a body. And so if that is the case, are you hoping that there's an arrest that's imminent?

[D]

Oh, yeah. I think about it all the time.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Because his demeanor when he talked to us on Easter, the way he talked to us about it, and then as I started reading and listening to what was going on, it didn't make sense of a person whose heart's broken that someone's missing, and I. And I'm gonna do all I can to help them. It didn't come out that way.

[C]

What do you make of those TV interviews he gave in the Bahamas where he said it'll take a higher power to get Me out of the Bahamas. I'll never leave her without her. I'll never leave here without her. And he's on a plane the next day.

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

Yeah, we love that.

[D]

Well, Lynette and I were texting back and forth, and she said June 1st she was coming back because Brian had medical appointments with the VA because he didn't have health insurance, and so his health insurance was the VA and that she told me all about his mother. From what she said, I wouldn't say she was honored deathbed for him to fly out of the Bahamas and go there. She was not doing well. You know, she was sick, but she'd been that way for a while. And it wasn't like, oh, my God, I gotta go right now. And now he's in Michigan. I mean, if my mother was dying, I had to be there. Just like if his wife was in the water, he should have been there. He's a Marine. Nobody's left behind.

[C]

And yet it seemed like he couldn't get out of there fast enough. What do you make of the fact that he has not just been in Sacramento and Michigan, but also in Oregon? He's made his way to multiple locations everywhere but Bahamas.

[D]

I'm not surprised. I mean, that's his personality. Oh.

[E]

And I'm sure he's got multiple justifications for all of his actions. He's quite the talker. So. So, you know, Just wish that we could have convinced Lynette to stay away from him. The one time she came to stay with us when they had broken up a couple, three years ago, something like that. But we couldn't convince her not to go back. But that's champagne under the bridge, as my dad used to say.

[C]

And Dan, you know, that's. Another aspect of all of this, is that she had purchased a ticket home in March. Did you know she was coming home? Did it seem as though she was about to leave him?

[D]

I didn't know anything about it. The last time that I texted with her, she said that they had been scuba diving. And she sent me a couple videos taken under the water of the life under. Under the water. And she seemed to be totally happy. She didn't say, I'm not happy. I don't want to be here, because she was looking forward to going to the Bahamas. The last time I talked to her, we went over to the coast just before they went to the Bahamas, and they were excited. She was excited about getting to the Bahamas. Why?

[C]

Yeah, Carly said that they were together all the time and that it worked out fine. Until they'd been drinking, and then it got ugly. And I wondered if there was any part of you that thought that this might be financial, that this might be a situation whereby, as colleagues of Brian have said, he blew through his 401k. He was entirely reliant on your daughter Lynette for his financial future. Is there any part of you that thinks that what's happened to Lynette might be because of that?

[E]

As far as we both believe that they'd been drinking that day and that they made it back to the boat and they got arguing and things got out of hand. That's what. What we think happened. In fact, when he first told us that she'd fallen off the dinghy and taken the boat key, my first thought was, oh, they're fighting. She took the key and dove overboard to get away, and so he couldn't follow her. That was my thought process immediately, that. That this didn't sound right and that. That she was. Especially since she was swimming towards shore. I don't know about you, but if I fall out of a boat, I try to get back in the boat because it's the closest thing to me. So when he said, and last I saw her, she was swimming towards shore. And I'm thinking, what? You know. And I guess he's told other people she was swimming towards the boat, but he definitely told us. Sure.

[D]

Yes. Yeah. He said, sure, yeah.

[C]

Yeah. He's had multiple stories of what happened. And he had one story whereby he threw the floaty and couldn't see if she caught it. And that he called out to her and that she answered but couldn't. He couldn't make out what she said. But then to someone, he said, I couldn't ever hear anything from her at all. So two very strange stories.

[D]

He didn't tell us that. He told us he threw her the cushion. She was swimming towards shore, and that was the last time I saw her. And he didn't say anything about hearing any noise or her talking?

[C]

Yeah. And also, just so everyone's aware where they are in the dinghy, it's only. Only about two to four feet of water. It's something you could stand if you really wanted to, and if you swam in a little, you definitely stand.

[E]

He told us that in third, she was on where he says she went in was only 75 yards from shore and. And only 30 yards from 2 foot of water, so. And about 5, 7. So she.

[D]

And she's in a bathing suit.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

And Kathy, didn't you tell me that this is a girl who swam across the lake with Dan, which is a mile there and a mile back on a regular basis.

[D]

Yep. She was a good swimmer.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

And she was an athlete. I've got a video of her running in a track meet. And they had the boys go off and then the girls, she beat the boys to the finish line.

[C]

Yeah. This is not someone who wouldn't be able to swim just 30 yards to 2ft of water and a few more yards, you know, to shore. We've been there. You know, Lindsay and I have been there. We boated right through there. We've seen it all. And we've also seen the photographs and the video from those exact days at that exact time. And so we know that the water was calm. There weren't any waves, let alone two to four foot waves, which are big. There were no waves. We saw the actual time stamped video from that day and that time. And I can only imagine as a father, that's just got to be maddening.

[D]

Yeah. I told her I wanted to come to the Bahamas and visit her. And now I look back and it didn't fit into my schedule of things going on. And it runs through my mind, I didn't do it.

[C]

Listen, you cannot think that way. We all live life as though we're all going to live life. We don't live life for this incredibly rare occurrence. I've said this before and I'll say it again. You're a member of a club that no one wants to join and very few people belong to. And it's very, very difficult to be in that club. But certainly don't blame yourself for being in it. No one who's in your club is to blame for being in that club.

[E]

Thank you.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

I know it's hard to believe that, but it's true. I just have experience. It's what I do for a living. And so I just know that's where your mind goes, but it isn't where your mind should go. You are innocent. You are innocent victims of this period, you know, innocent victims of this. Nothing more. And you shouldn't. You shouldn't be searching for any direction

[E]

other than that what if?

[D]

What if?

[C]

Yeah. What did you think of Brian leading up into all of this? Like, what was your impression of Brian?

[D]

I was a union representative and I used to deal with management all the time. I did it for 15 years. His attitude towards management and the way he went about doing things, I can see nothing but trouble coming. And when he was told by the company, you need to Go back to work. Because he wasn't really an elected officer. He was an appointed person that worked with the union. And he told me that he hated management, that he always said bad things about anybody in management. And I told him, I says, if they want you to go back to work, my advice is, I've seen it happen many times in my career in the union. Go back to work and be quiet. I says, you'll get your chance to talk, but don't go there and start fighting right away because they have a lot more money and they have a lot more people and lawyers than you'll ever have. I said, my advice is be quiet and go to work. And he didn't take my advice.

[C]

I'll tell you what, your one of many people who have had the same description that he was a troublemaker, that he would go out of his way to make hell for the company. And often he would wind up people he was supposed to be representing into circumstances they didn't want to be in because he just basically wanted to stick it to the man. That was his whole M.O. according to those who worked with him, people I've spoken to who that's what he would say.

[E]

I had to remind him that I was a manager for the state of Michigan one time when he was in one of his rants. I'm like, Brian, you're wanting to stick sticks and places and bodies because they're managers and you know all these kind of things. He would say. And I'd say, brian, oh wow, you know, not you.

[D]

And Lynette told him the same thing that I had told him. And I heard her say it to him. She had told me because after he got let go, I don't know if you're aware of it, he was yours through serious depression and he was at almost at a point where he wanted to commit suicide. And he, Brian was. Yeah, yeah. They had him on medication and. And he was seeing therapist for depression. She couldn't get him. She'd go to work and she'd come home and he'd still be in his. Sitting on the couch because he was so depressed that management got him. Instead of looking back and saying, I put myself in this position, now I need to go back and find out where my mistake stake was and correct it. But that wasn't, that wasn't his demeanor.

[C]

So how many years ago was it that he fell into this depression?

[D]

It was right after he got let go the first time. Well, when, when they went to trial, it probably had to be 10, 12 years 15 years, something like that.

[C]

Do you think that changed him in any way or made him a different person?

[D]

Like I said, I think that he became more bitter towards management, more bitter towards people with authority. He never got over that. If you were the president of the United States, you don't know what you're talking about. If you're the principal at the high school, you don't know what you're talking about. It was just. You heard it from him an awful lot. And that frame of mind is not healthy. Not healthy.

[C]

It sounds like he had quite an ego.

[D]

I'm not sure if he had an ego or something happened to him in the past that made him that way. Maybe when he was in the Marine Corps, they put him through things that he didn't like and there gave him a chance. That's the man. He's got authority and I'm gonna get him. And when he got out of the Marine Corps because he used to live on the beach in Hawaii, he was homeless. He was homeless for a while.

[C]

He was homeless?

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. After he got out of the Marine

[E]

Corps, I mean, that's long before we ever was in our lives.

[C]

But tell me about that. Like, how long was he homeless?

[E]

I really don't know.

[D]

I don't know how long it was. We were telling him about us going to Hawaii for Kathy's birthday, and we went to a restaurant and they gave us so much food because we didn't realize that when you ordered your meal, they came all the stuff. So we got all done. We said, we need to go boxes. And we took the. To go boxes down to the beach and we gave it to the people at the beach and said, if anybody hasn't had dinner. Here you go. Here you go. Here you go. And he goes, I was one of those people. I used to live on the shore. I didn't know it. And he told us the whole story about him being homeless and living on the beach in Hawaii.

[C]

And what did he say about it?

[D]

He enjoyed it.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

He was away from the man.

[C]

Sounds like it. But what were the circumstances that he was living on a beach and homeless? And how long did that last?

[D]

I'm not sure how long it lasted. It was after he got out of the military. And how he ended up in Hawaii, I have no idea. He never.

[E]

We just didn't get the whole story.

[D]

Yeah, we didn't get the whole story. We got the basic. His idea of this is a good life and nobody tells me what to do. And I'm thinking it had to be Something that came from being in the military.

[C]

Any idea how long he lived like that?

[E]

No.

[D]

No.

[C]

I mean, I'm not going to lie. When the false reports were circulating that he had skipped the country last week, I knew that he hadn't. But my mind did go to a place where I imagined he's the kind of guy that would be fine living on a beach in a country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the

[D]

U.S. that's exactly what I thought he was going to do. I really did. I thought, he'll just slip across the border and he'll go live on down in the islands and somewhere. Somewhere. And work as a janitor at the bar.

[E]

Yeah, he'd be perfectly happy doing that.

[D]

Yeah. Because.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Well, they were having problems in their marriage in. They went to Michigan and Lynette went to my son's house and she was telling my son. And my son told me this information she never did because she never told me her personal life. But my son says to her, she told him that every time we drink, we drink heavy. And then Brian gets mean and wants to argue and he says, well then have you ever thought about not drinking? And so they came to visit us and she says, we've quit drinking. I said, really? I said, that's really good. So I got non alcoholic beer. And I said, if you want some beer, you know there's non alcoholic beer. And so they drank the non alcoholic beer. And then the next time they came, we went to see a band play and they were drinking and I said, I thought you quit drinking. She says, well, we've gone back to drinking again. And so I thought, oh, here's problems.

[C]

What was your relationship with Brian like?

[D]

Mine? Yeah, I got along fine with him. I. I didn't argue with him. I. We. We went through a hurricane together two years ago and we stayed at the same house and, and he went out and helped. The water was starting to come up to the door and he got sandbags and everything. He was great when he was. I never saw the other side of

[E]

him when he was with us. He was always very flattering, positively obsequious. You like that one? And that would be where he was with us. Very flattering about, you know, how I looked, how Dan looked. Well, you know, all those kind of things and. But to the point where I'm like, really? So I think he thought he was fooling us, that he was always that way. But that's abusive man too. When they're good, they're very good.

[C]

So when they're bad. They're horrid. And again, Brian's not charged with anything. Not now, not yet. I keep saying, but I know I asked before, but I'll ask again. What message do you have for him?

[D]

My message is, if it was not intentional and things happened, step forward and face up.

[E]

Man up.

[D]

And if you had plans to do this, then may you rot in hell.

[C]

Listen, I. I can't thank you both enough for taking the time to talk with me. I know this is just excruciating. This. This time that you're in the uncertainty. And I. I'm here for you. If I can help you navigate it all, if I can answer questions, we're here for you. I can only do as much as we can figure out. And when I do, you know, you're on my text chain. So let's stay close and let's keep the faith.

[E]

Right? Thank you, Ashley.

[C]

Thank you, guys. My great thanks to Dan and Kathy Shepard. Again, my heart just goes out to this family, this extended family that is all just in this. This awful limbo, right? All the while, there are others who didn't even know Lynette, who are still trying to solve her case. Marina and Nathan are continuing to search in the Bahamas. They went out after the Coast Guard left on Friday, and on Saturday, they went out, not only in their boat, going to various locations to double check locations and see other locations that the Coast Guard didn't visit. And Nathan jumped in the water with his free diving equipment, and they searched and searched for two more days. They did show me these photographs of artifacts that they discovered in their searching, and I passed that on to the Coast Guard as well. Significant because some of these artifacts were found at Snapper Point Marina. Do you remember Snapper Point Marina? I was so fascinated by that because it's just north of the boatyard, right? Brian washed up some, so to speak. That's his story. He's sticking to it. South of the boatyard, but Snapper Point Marina is just north of the boatyard. And it's also a place where Brian and Lynette paddle boarded and did an excursion and looked around and walked around and, you know, that would be fresh in Brian's mind. Places where, I don't know, might be able to hide a body. He's not charged with anything. So Nathan and Marina went to Snow Snapper Point Marina and they found these artifacts. They sent me photographs. I sent them to the Coast Guard, and sadly, the Coast Guard said, don't think this is related, sadly. And then also I was told the dinghy is now in the Southern District of Florida, in the custody of the Coast Guard there. Very interesting. Southern District of Florida, that the dinghy is in the custody there. Because I keep thinking about jurisdiction. If, if. If Brian is charged and arrested, they're gonna have to find a place to charge him and then try him, right? It's got to be jurisdiction. So interesting that that's where the dinghy is. But, you know, watch this face. We'll continue to try to report on everything that we find out, because. Tick tock, Brian Hooker. Thank you, everyone, for listening. Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already, because it's free.

[E]

Free.

[C]

And it's fun, and it just does me a solid. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.