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Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Anyways, get a quote@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.
Ashley Banfield
Hey, everyone. I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead Serious. And welcome to the Northern Bureau in Canada. Big, big news to bring you. In fact, big video that I want to show you. I got my hands on some exclusive Coast Guard video. You know, that whole FOIA thing. When you ask the government for stuff, the government will often give it to you unless there's a reason not to. But I wanted to know, what did it look like 40 miles off the coast of Florida when the Coast Guard went racing out there with all its assets and grabbed Soulmate and seized that vessel from the commercial captains that were bringing it back from the Bahamas, presumably because Brian Hooker wanted his boat back. I've been so dying to see. You know, it's basically like cops on the water where you have a Coast Guard vessel with the siren going and the loudspeaker pull over. You know, I could just see it all in my head like a movie. And now I don't have to see it in my head like a movie because I have it for you. This is the moment that the Coast Guard Investigative Service, along with Coast Guard members from Florida, came upon two unsuspecting commercial transfer captains. Right? These guys were just delivery captains who had been, you know, paid to bring the boat from the Bahamas to Florida. It happens all the time. And they had no idea that they had been surveilled electronically from the air and from the water. And not just by me, of course, by the Coast Guard. And so when it was time for that interdiction, this is what it looked like. June's Journey is sponsoring today's episode and I gotta tell you, this one is right in our wheelhouse because it's a hidden object mystery game set in the 1920s, and you play as June Parker, a woman trying to solve her sister's murder while uncovering all kinds of family secrets along the way. So, yes, there is a murder. There are clues, there are suspects, there is drama. And every scene has you scared, scanning for the tiniest little detail that might just move the story forward. And that's the part I really love, because after a long day of real cases, sometimes I just want a mystery that lets me play detective without all the actual crime scene tape. June's Journey is free to download on iOS and Android and your PC. And it is super easy. You just download it right from the link in the description, or you can scan the QR code on your screen again, click, click the link below or scan the QR code and start playing June's Journey today.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Captain, how many people on board? How many people on board? Okay, any weapons on board? Okay, do not reach for them. All right, Nobody down below.
Ashley Banfield
No weapons.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
All right.
Ashley Banfield
You guys headed to St. Augustine?
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
No, we're heading up to Fernandina Beach. Okay. For the owner?
Ashley Banfield
Yeah.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Is he gonna meet you there? I don't think so. Okay, so right now the boat's being seized.
Ashley Banfield
Oh, did you catch that last line? Oh, shit.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
So right now the boat's being seized?
Ashley Banfield
Oh, yeah. All right, I want to drill down a little on that for a moment because I think a lot of people jumped on this part of the story and really believed that these, you know, commercial delivery captain and crew were, like, complicit in some ugly business. Right. For Brian Hooker, I'm getting the impression from my sources, I talk to people in the Bahamas all the time. I talk to law enforcement. I talk to folks in America, I talk to law enforcement in America, and I talk to the Coast Guard. And I am getting the distinct impression that is not what these guys were. Yes, it is true that we had sources in the Bahamas who told us many weeks ago, in fact, we're at around week six and a half right now, like four and a half weeks ago, that Brian Hooker was out shopping around for delivery captain and crew that would bring that boat back to the US and that most people had been denying and refusing the job. These delivery captains, they knew that there was some lore. They knew there was some weirdness with the boat, but they didn't. They didn't, from my sources, really believe that this was anything more than just a paid job, like they do every Day, and boats go back and forth every day. And captains bring boats back and forth for owners all the time. And so when you heard them say, oh shit, I wish that we could see their faces because I'm sure it was kind of like that, you know, probably very, very concerned that they were doing something wrong when all they were doing was a job. It literally was just a job. But what a moment, right? I just love that part. And then at that point, you don't see it on video, but that's when they hook that baby up and they do a towing 40 miles back to the shores of Florida. Here's what I can tell you. That night the sea was angry, my friend. It was brutal. The weather was horrendous. I am told it was the worst storm some of those Coast Guard members had ever been through. And let's remember, these are Coast Guard members. So they've been out in the worst of the worst. There was brutal, brutal weather that night. And it really waylaid a lot of what their efforts were. There's also like a lot of protocol that comes into towing vessels. So some of that had to be established as well. You can't just like hook up a boat and take it. We've got a Fourth Amendment right. You have an amendment, you've got a freedom and a right against unreasonable search and seizure in the U.S. constitution. And so that also plays into what, what the Coast Guard can do when they seize a vessel and they, you know, hook it up and tow it. So the Coast Guard cutter Winslow Greaser was out there and was doing the big job of towing that, you know, 46 foot sloop into shore. And then as it got closer to Fort Pierce and had to come into the marina, a smaller Coast Guard vessel actually ended up coming alongside of Soulmate and tying it up. And we got this exclusive video that if you were watching a few episodes ago, you saw when the Coast Guard could basically haul that thing in right up against its own vessel and brought it through the narrow opening into Fort Pierce and into the Coast Guard station, Fort Pierce, where it stayed parked for several weeks until just recently, we also got more exclusive video of the vessel having been moved to the Coast Guard station in Fort Lauderdale. So the boat is moving around a lot. There's nothing untowards about that. This is a crime scene because the crime scene tape officially went up when it was parked at the dock at Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce. We showed you those pictures. We showed you the agents going on and off that boat, carrying things off, bagging evidence on the Shore. I mean, that. That, to me, was just so telling right there. Crime scene tape around your sailboat that you live aboard that apparently you were nowhere near when your crazy story about Lynette going bouncing off the back of your dinghy. Then why is Soulmate a crime scene? And why are the agents going on and off, carrying things off and bagging them up in evidence bags on a special table they set out at Coast Guard Station, Fort Pierce? It's because they believe you did something on that boat. Brian Hooker. Now, I'm not saying Brian Hooker did something. He's not charged yet. He's not charged with any crime yet. But so much movement on board that boat. And then, of course, if you were watching yesterday, you heard that, boy, oh, boy, have they ever nailed down some really important digital forensic evidence, and that is the GPS locations of Brian Hooker and the stupidity of Brian Hooker. And obviously, like, he's real, like, what's the word? Dumb. But also cheap. Wouldn't get rid of the watch that he allegedly was out maybe finding a good place to dump something. I don't know what. But if he were trying to get rid of a body, it sure looked like he was out circling two different locations late at night on an anchor instead of floating with the wind over to Marsh harbor like he said he was. Right. Again, I'm not saying that he did any of this. I'm not saying he's charged with any of this. I'm saying that if he were trying to get rid of a body, some of this new forensic evidence would make sense. And then keeping that watch, you know, you put your stunt watch on to go do these dastardly things, and then you swap it out for your big white watch that shows, look, I didn't do anything at all. But then you keep that green watch with the dastardly evidence on it. You keep it, dolt. I said it before. I'll say it again. That's Bryan Coburger. Shit. You took your own car to the crime scene and you took your phone and just turned it off and back on when you came home, like you didn't think that would be important. I'm not saying that this Brian. Brian Hooker did anything. He's not charged yet. But, oh, my God, if that's the case. Right? What an idiot. So super interesting that we're seeing a lot of the backstory behind what the Coast Guard knew, when they knew it, and when they decided get that boat while it was parked in Marsh harbor in the Bahamas. That is not their territory. And yes, I know. They have jurisdiction all over the world. I know, I know, I know. However, it's different when the Coast Guard investigative Service wants to do an investigation. You can't just invade a country and do it. You really do have to do things at the behest of the locals. Right. And since the locals maybe weren't doing some of the forensic stuff that the Americans wanted to do, it stands to reason that it would be a better strategy to just let that boat come to America on its own. Its own. Where they could do that interdiction that you just saw where they could seize that boat and give it a full reaming. Evident reaming. Right. Which is what they did, you know, and continue to do. They're still doing it. They're still going on board that boat. The bulk of it has been finished, but they will revisit as needed. Right. The bulk of the evidentiary work has been done. But man, oh, man, let's talk about a few other things that might have gone on the same night that. That this little dinghy was seen circling, you know, with digital data in two different areas that are sort of deep. I'm told maybe around 15ft, maybe less. There's another media outlet reporting 25, and I've been told not at all. It's not 25. My sources said that's just not true. But 15ft. Wow. Wonder what he was doing. Because if you're dumping a body, what are you keeping it weighted down with? If you watched my episode before, it said there were some things missing from Soulmate, like the spare engine, the torqeedo. Where is that? Brian, where's your spare engine that you just had a few years ago and replaced it with the NT300? I think we all want to know number two, where's Lynette's pink weight belt? She had a pink weight belt, and the investigators don't have it.
Veterans Service Announcer
Navigating post military challenges can be tough. Regardless of when you served, you are not alone. Connect with fellow Oregon veterans and find activities, navigate resources, and join a community to help support your journey or challenges after military service. From mental health support to veteran community groups and activities, discover what's possible for you at BeyondTheMilitaryUniform.com that's BeyondTheMilitaryUniform.com
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Hey, everyone, Check out this guy and his bird. What is this Your first date?
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Anyways, get a've@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.
Veterans Service Announcer
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Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Find out your welcome offer after you apply, which could be as high as 175,000 points. Learn more and find out your offer at americanexpress.comexplorer-platinum Terms apply. And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date?
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
Anyways, get a quote@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Co-Spokesperson
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.
Ashley Banfield
The bcd. Her buoyancy compensation device. That's also potentially weighted. And it's got little pink, you know, edges on it. We've seen that in pictures. Be interesting to find out if that's missing as well. But it will be interesting to find out if where. The data shows this dinghy was circling around as though the anchor had been dropped. And it was, like, swinging around looking for the deepest part, perhaps, and then another spot. It will be interesting to find out if there is a body down there. If Lynette Hooker is down there, what's keeping her down there? What kind of weight was used to keep her down there? Because you don't bounce off the dinghy wearing your weight belt or maybe being tied to a spare engine or perhaps wearing your bcd. That's not what his story told us, right? We knew that was bullshit, but that can't happen. One other thing we need to talk about, and this is a big one other thing I know now, that the boat, the dinghy landed on Marsh harbor that night, right? From April 4 to April 5, from Saturday night to eastern Easter Sunday, it landed. But it didn't land in the same place where he told everybody, I just landed here. It landed in a different spot. So I guess you could say it landed twice. What's that about? Because if you were marooned and you had no propulsion and you were just floating with the breeze, you know, and the current and the tides, how does that happen twice? Or is that Just another lie that Brian Hooker has told everyone. You, me, the police, the investigators, the Hopetown Volunteer Fire and Rescue, people who were searching for Lynette. Just another piece of that he told them. Here's where I washed up. Help me. Help me. Apparently not. He landed in a different spot. I don't know what spot yet, but I'm theorizing a few things, okay. Based on things that Brian has said. Remember how Brian told Jim Todd with Hopetown Volunteer Fire and Rescue, please give generously. They are a volunteer. Remember when he told Jim Todd in a text how incredible it was that the green floaty that he had sworn he tossed to Lynette in an effort to save her, but doesn't know if she grabbed it, and it floated all the way across the Sea of Abaco to the same spot in Marsh Arbor where he washed up? Remember when he texted these words to Jim Todd? Incredible to think we floated all that way, a hundred yards apart. Remember when he did that? I remember thinking like, yeah, that's a weird thing to say in the midst of, like, where's my fucking wife? Let's look for her. Can I come out and help? No. Incredible to think we floated all that way, 100 yards apart. Well, okay. Let's game this out, shall we? Now that we know that Brian actually landed twice on Marsh harbor, and now that I know from sources that he was actually in the subdivision, because I said, no way. He can't get there. He can't land where he landed and go through the thicket, because I was told by people who are way smarter than me, like Jim Todd, who lives there, who's Fire and Rescue, who knows the terrain on the ground. No way is he gonna machete his way through this incredible thicket and black sludge and ravines and waterways to get from where his boat washed up to the subdivision where he swears he knocked on two doors. No way is he gonna make that. Okay, well, now that we know he washed up twice, maybe he washed up, I don't know, like 100 yards away, like 100 yards south. Like maybe where the green thing washed up, maybe you can get to the subdivision from there a little easier. And maybe the whole idea was to send the green thing, the floaty, across the Sea of Abaco to see where it ends up and then mimic that. Maybe. Maybe. And I'm just saying, because Brian's not charged with anything. I'm just trying to figure out if Brian's lying about all these things, how did all these other things happen? And here's an idea. Maybe Brian took his white watch and tied it to the green floaty and sent it off in the breeze to see where it would end up. And then used his really good mariner's watch, the black watch, the stunt watch, you know, maybe he used that one to track it and see where it ended up. And then he took his very quiet electric engine and drove there. Here's where the dinghy ended up. Take the watch off and then go up and knock on some doors and, I don't know, maybe get rid of a dry bag that nobody can find. Lynette's dry bag. You know, with the keys, the spare keys to the dinghy and the passports and the. Oh, no, I've got no propulsion. Because the keys went out with Lynette. She pulled one out with her, and the other one was in the dry bag, and no one can find the dry bag. I wonder if maybe Brian took the watch off the green floaty thing, marched up to the subdivision, knocked on a few stunt doors, boop, boop, boop. Hoping no one would answer. And then doink had the outdoor garbage cans. Maybe that dry bag went into a garbage can. Maybe it was tied in a garbage bag, too, so no one would ever know. Maybe it's sitting in the dump right now in the Bahamas. And I know that in the islands, they burn a lot of trash. I don't know if they do on Marsh harbor, but sure would make sense all of a sudden. And then he came back down to the dinghy and then went off and around again to a more convenient place, right? Maybe that would make a little bit more sense now, given these facts that I'm acquiring from all my different sources. Bahamas, America, friends, law enforcement all over the place. It's not good news for Brian. It. You know, the devil's in the details. Brian Hooker. Just ask Brian Kohberger. And you kind of seem as dumb as him, is all I'm gonna say, thinking that your green watch, you know, wouldn't be found. You were wearing your big, fat, ugly white watch. You know, you sporting it in front of everybody, coming out of the jail, holding it in your hands, hoping everyone will think, here's my watch. See? Nothing on it. Because everything's on the green watch. But you dumb. I guess you didn't anticipate the dogged pursuit of CJIs, Coast Guard investigative Service. And when I say service, I mean serves you right, Brian Hooker, that these guys were on the job. Because I think the noose is tightening around you, fella. And I think your Bullshit lies are being discovered one by one. You left a popcorn trail, you stupid fuck. And you know who else found that? AT&T? They busted you for doing it, too. You just think you're smarter than everybody. Oh, and of course you're not charged with anything, Brian Hooker. No, you're not charged with anything yet. But TikTok. Tick tock. But I will say this. In all the ugly behavior and the lies and, I don't know, whatever else you did, Brian Hooker, there's one thing you probably didn't anticipate other than the dogged pursuit of CJIs of the coast Guard Investigative Service. You probably didn't anticipate that you would bring Lynette's family together. I want to show you a picture that happened just this week because the Coast Guard went to collect DNA from Lynette's mom, Lynette's dad, and Lynette's daughter. And then they all got together with their spouses and Carly Ailsworth, Lynette's daughter, and they took a selfie together. And so that group got together to help solve this crime. Let's just call it what it is. It wasn't an accident. Lynette didn't bounce out of the back of your fucking dinghy. No, I think personally you did this, Brian Hooker. And everybody, me, my little tiny podcast and the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Bahamian police, who I know are on board and are going to let the Coast Guard come and search and dive in the areas where your little boat was circling around weirdly, because you're supposed to be just floating gently with the breeze and no propulsion. And you weren't. Not according to your digital data, dumbass watch. All of us were in on this. We are all going for the devil in the details. And I believe that devil is you, Brian Hooker. This family got together and they gave DNA. Carly, Lynette's daughter, Darlene, Lynette's mom, and Dan, Lynette's dad. And if they find Lynette at the bottom of the Sea of Abaco, in those places where you were circling weirdly at night, then they'll have that DNA to make a positive identification. And I suggest that you'll be in cuffs, I don't know, shortly thereafter. And then it's on TikTok. Thank you, everyone, so much for listening. Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe. It is a big help to this little teeny podcast. I really do mean it, and also join our membership. It would be wonderful to see you as part of the group. Thanks again everyone. I'm Ashley Banfield. This is drop dead serious. Because the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.
Veterans Service Announcer
Navigating post military challenges can be tough. Regardless of when you served, you are not alone. Connect with fellow Oregon veterans and find activities, navigate resources and join a community to help support your journey or challenges after military service. From mental health support to veteran community groups and activities, discover what's possible for you at beyondthemilitaryuniform. Com. That's beyondthemilitaryuniform. Com.
Episode Title: Caught on Camera: Coast Guard Intercepts Soulmate at Sea & New Trouble for Brian Hooker
Date: May 29, 2026
In this gripping episode, veteran crime reporter Ashleigh Banfield takes listeners deep into the high-seas investigation surrounding Brian Hooker, whose sailboat "Soulmate" was seized by the Coast Guard 40 miles off the coast of Florida. Using exclusive, just-released Coast Guard footage obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Ashleigh reconstructs the dramatic boat seizure, analyzes the mounting forensic evidence, and uncovers new, compelling inconsistencies in Hooker's account of his wife's disappearance. With her signature irreverent and relentless style, Ashleigh also explores the emotional aftermath for the victim's family as the case closes in on a potential breakthrough.
[01:04–04:15]
Ashleigh sets the scene, debuting exclusive footage: the Coast Guard approaching "Soulmate" mid-ocean, intercepting the commercial captains hired to bring the boat back from the Bahamas.
“It’s basically like cops on the water... now I don’t have to see it in my head like a movie because I have it for you.” (Ashleigh Banfield, 01:21)
The audio captures the real-time tension as officers question the captains about weapons and their destination.
Ashleigh’s Analysis: She stresses the captains were likely innocent, caught unaware and merely doing a job, despite widespread speculation they might be “complicit in some ugly business.” (04:28)
Dramatic weather compounded the operation—Ashleigh notes that night was one of the worst storms local Coast Guard members had ever faced, highlighting the peril and complexity of the mission.
[06:00–10:20]
[10:20–12:28]
[11:30–14:13]
[14:14–17:30]
[17:31–22:30]
On the Coast Guard Interdiction:
On Forensic Blunders:
On Family Resilience:
On Brian Hooker’s Suspected Guilt:
Ashleigh mixes deep investigative rigor with unfiltered, at times darkly humorous commentary. She doesn’t shy from strong language or from making her suspicions about Brian Hooker clear, while always noting he is not yet charged. Her tone is urgent, skeptical, and deeply compassionate toward the victim and her family.
This episode showcases Ashleigh Banfield’s dogged pursuit of the truth in a complex, international disappearance case, using exclusive Coast Guard footage and inside sources to shed light on the questionable actions of Brian Hooker. From the dramatic off-shore chase to the forensic unraveling of alibis and motives, Ashleigh’s reporting highlights crucial unresolved evidence, the role of digital forensics, and the growing resolve of Lynette’s family. It’s a compelling update on a case fraught with mystery, suspense, and a hunt for justice—true to the podcast’s name: "drop dead serious."