Secret Messages, Missing Passports, and Brian Hooker’s Proven Lies | Lynette Hooker Missing

Summary

Podcast Summary: Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: Secret Messages, Missing Passports, and Brian Hooker’s Proven Lies | Lynette Hooker Missing
Date: July 9, 2026
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Main Guest: Blaine Stevenson

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Overview of the Episode

This episode of "Drop Dead Serious" dives deep into the unraveling investigation of the disappearance of Lynette Hooker. Ashleigh Banfield focuses on a crucial turning point in the case: evidence now confirms that Lynette did return to the couple's boat "Soulmate," debunking Brian Hooker’s original account and revealing hidden layers of lies and possible foul play. The episode features direct communications between Brian and Lynette’s friends, exposes a series of Brian's falsehoods, and explores the implications for the ongoing federal investigation. Banfield is joined by close friend and fellow sailor Blaine Stevenson, who shares personal insights, reflections on new evidence, and frustration at Brian's manipulation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Major Developments: Evidence of Foul Play

• Ashleigh recaps the bombshell update (01:05–02:56):
  • Evidence obtained shows Lynette made it back to "Soulmate."
  • Contrary to Brian Hooker’s narrative, there was no dinghy accident or unintentional overboard incident.
  • Signs of a struggle and foul play were found on board; evidence suggests Lynette died on the boat.
  • Banfield emphasizes:

    “Everything Brian said was a lie and there's evidence that Lynette was dead on board Soulmate.” (01:34)

2. Exposing Brian Hooker's Lies

• Revealing Brian's deceptive communications (02:57–11:00):
  • Ashleigh shares Facebook messages where Brian lied to Lynette’s friend Kelly and other supporters in the immediate aftermath.
  • Brian falsely claimed Lynette’s family was with him on the island searching; this was easily disproven.
  • He claimed to be hiring search teams when in reality, he was observed drinking at the Conch Inn, not searching.

    “You weren't out searching. You were sitting on the porch near the dock of the Conch Inn, drinking. That's from witnesses.” (08:14)

  • Banfield repeatedly questions Brian’s motivations and calls out the “pathological lies.”

3. Federal Investigation Process & Delayed Indictment

• Banfield explains why charges are pending (02:57–04:30):
  • In federal cases (as opposed to state), investigations are front-loaded. Arrests happen only when prosecution is nearly ready.
  • Banfield reassures listeners:

    “The ink is drying on a possible indictment. I think it's within weeks.” (04:10)

4. Conversation with Blaine Stevenson (15:29–56:27)

• Blaine Stevenson reacts to new evidence (15:29–18:41):
  • Blaine expresses a mix of sadness, hope that expanded search areas may yield results, and anger at Brian’s manipulation.
  • He urges those who interacted with Brian over the past 90 days to share any communications—they could be crucial evidence.
  • Memorable quote:

    “He hasn't had any verbal or public supporters. If you're supporting Brian right now... how much of an unwitting patsy or accomplice has Brian made you over the last 90 days?” (16:34)

• Timeline and new search strategies (19:51–25:44):
  • Blaine and Ashleigh dissect which parts of Brian’s story can now be completely dismissed.
  • They analyze unusual moves Brian made after April 4, including suspiciously needing help to move "Soulmate" and the timeline of the boat’s Automated Identification System (AIS) going offline.
  • Discussion expands on why Brian involved his sister and her husband, and what these actions may signify for the case.
• Talking about physical evidence and digital data (25:44–27:57):
  • Video from boats trained on "Soulmate" in Marsh Harbour may provide more clues.
  • Raises possibility that Lynette’s body may have been hidden on board for longer than first thought.
• On Brian's implausible account of the dinghy and search efforts (27:57–31:07):
  • Blaine and Ashleigh mock Brian’s explanation of his failed escape and emphasize the impossibility of details about the dinghy ride and anchor.
  • Banfield:

    “I find that absolute horseshit…you couldn't get to Lubbers even though you're in, like, a couple of feet of water… I could have and I'm half the size of that asshole.” (30:05)

• Legal outlook and expectations (31:33–35:19):
  • Blaine (a lawyer) and Banfield discuss their confidence in an imminent federal indictment.
  • Both emphasize the doggedness of the Coast Guard investigators and the signs that charges are near:

    “The last thing you ever want to do is face the federal government… his boat is still 60 days later sitting in Fort Lauderdale, just stripped… That does not show me they're getting ready to hand Brian his boat back.” (31:46, 32:07)

• Maggie the cadaver dog and ongoing forensics (32:50–33:22):
  • Updates given about continued forensic investigation; Maggie, the Broward County cadaver dog, has recently returned to "Soulmate."

5. Motives, Missing Passports, and Control

• Discussion about passports and potential motive for disappearance (40:31–45:46):
  • Strong suspicion that Brian may have disposed of both passports to prevent Lynette from leaving.
  • Both Blaine and Ashleigh, experienced sailors, agree it would be highly unusual to carry passports in a dinghy or dry bag.
  • Banfield:

    “I never, ever had my passport in my dry bag when I was a sailor. Ever. Never. You keep them safe on board and you lock your doors on board, you know, from pirates.” (45:35)

  • They speculate Lynette’s inability to board her previously booked flight home may have been linked to missing documentation.

6. Pattern of Manipulation & Isolation

• Isolation by lies (46:49–53:40):
  • Brian used messaging to keep concerned friends and Lynette’s family away with layers of deception.
  • Blaine shares that without direct refuting by family and friends, many would have believed Brian's version of events.
  • Ashleigh:

    “He went out of his way to lie to people to keep the people who cared the most away.” (52:15)

  • Brian's social media behavior during Lynette's disappearance is analyzed—his profile reflected anger at authority, not grief or search for Lynette.

7. Closing Thoughts and Emotional Tone

• Reflections on anger, justice, and persistence (53:44–56:27):
  • Both Ashleigh and Blaine express anger, disappointment, and determination to continue the search for truth and Lynette.
  • Blaine:

    “He is just that stupid. So I have faith that with this new information, there might be a new chance to find some closure.” (53:56)

  • Blaine also thanks Ashleigh for raising public awareness about the case and missing persons in general.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Oh God, he's a moron. He's a total dope, as it turns out.”
  — Ashleigh Banfield (02:57)
• “Everything he said was a lie and there's evidence that Lynette was dead on board Soulmate.”
  — Ashleigh Banfield (01:34)
• “He went out of his way to lie to people to keep the people who cared the most away.”
  — Blaine Stevenson (52:15)
• “If lying to your friend was a crime, Brian would be sentenced to a hundred counts at this point.”
  — Blaine Stevenson (52:15)
• “Brian is clever. Brian is not smart. Brian is a dope.”
  — Ashleigh Banfield (35:19)
• "The rookie's never going to beat the season vet."
  — Blaine Stevenson (35:49)
• “I never, ever had my passport in my dry bag when I was a sailor. Ever. Never. You keep them safe on board and you lock your doors on board, you know, from pirates.”
  — Ashleigh Banfield (45:35)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:05: Banfield recaps new evidence—Lynette made it back to the boat, with proof of foul play.
• 02:57: Unpacking Brian’s lies; detailed review of Facebook message manipulations.
• 15:29: Start of detailed interview with Blaine Stevenson.
• 16:34: Blaine urges anyone contacted by Brian to come forward with information.
• 25:44: Analysis of new search areas and possible video evidence from harbor boats.
• 31:33: Discussion of legal timeline and likely impending indictment.
• 32:50: Forensic update—cadaver dog Maggie returns to the boat for further investigation.
• 40:31: Examining the issue of the missing passports and Lynette’s attempted escape.
• 46:49: Reading and analyzing key Facebook messages exchanged with Brian.
• 52:15: Revealing the purpose behind Brian's deception—keeping supporters and family away.
• 56:14: Blaine thanks Ashleigh for coverage and advocacy.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a powerful, emotionally raw look at a true crime case at a critical stage, featuring trenchant analysis, insider details, and authentic outrage. Ashleigh Banfield’s seasoned commentary, combined with Blaine Stevenson’s personal insight and legal perspective, lays bare a portrait of manipulation, control, and escalating evidence against Brian Hooker. The conversation underscores the importance of persistence in seeking justice and finding missing persons, while promising further revelations in upcoming episodes—specifically regarding Lynette’s Apple Watch and final timeline clues.

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Up Next:
Ashleigh hints at future episodes focusing on new clues from Lynette's Apple Watch and refined timelines of her disappearance.

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For listeners:
If you have communicated with Brian Hooker or hold any information, contact authorities or the podcast—your story could be vital to solving the case.

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Podcast Tone:
Irreverent, urgent, investigative, empathetic—true crime with a personal connection and relentless pursuit of truth.

Transcript

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[Blaine Stevenson]

Foreign.

[Ashley Banfield]

Hey everyone, this is drop dead serious and I'm Ashley Banfield. Thank you so much for being here. Big news again today in the Lynette Hooker story. If you watched yesterday's episode, you know that we had some pretty big news. A bombshell in that case. I think it's the death knell, honestly. I think it's the information that proves this guy's going to get arrested. I think there's an indictment that's probably being crafted and drying as we speak. But the big news yesterday involved news that Lynette did make it back to Soulmate. We've spoken with family members of Lynette who are in regular communication with the Coast Guard. And the evidence shows onboard Soulmate that Lynette made it back to the big boat. She made it back to Soulmate. There was no accident with a dinghy. She didn't bounce off the back of the dinghy with the dry bag and the keys to the dinghy, dinghy and the passports rendering Brian helpless, floating four miles to Marsh Harbor. It didn't happen. No. Instead the evidence showed. And again, I'm just recapping because I got bigger news today as well that there was evidence of a fight and foul play on board Soulmate. So there everything Brian said was a lie and there's evidence that Lynette was dead on board. So Soulmate, big news and a lot of people affected by that. I did the episode yesterday on the Hopetown Volunteer Fire and Rescue and their reaction to this because they got wound up in the search and rescue efforts for days and days and days based on Brian Hooker's lie. But there's just so much more now, right? Like, you go back over everything and realize. Wait, hold it. He lied there, too. He lied to that person. He lied to those people.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Wow.

[Ashley Banfield]

Epic. And today, humdinger, I've got Facebook messages from Brian Hooker. Turns out Lynette had a really good childhood friend who reached out to Brian Hooker in the immediate days following the accident. Right? And of course, everyone believed Brian. Why wouldn't you? He was telling us he was in such a tragedy. He himself a victim of being marooned. Right. I got the Facebook messages in which he spins yet another lie to her. And it's such a provable one. Looking back, so provable. We are now learning the depths of how dumb Brian Hooker really is. Here. Here I was all this time thinking he was so clever and, you know, he'd probably been crafty and figured out the ultimate plan. Oh, God, he's a moron. He's a total dope, as it turns out. And you're wondering, well, it sure is taking a long time. We're at day 95 since Lynette went missing. You got the full force of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard investigative service working this. Why isn't he arrested? Because for very good reason. It's a federal case, and the feds do things differently. They front load their investigation, arrest, and go to trial quickly. Usually in the state cases, you see, oh, they get to probable cause arrest, and then they continue the investigation and the cases in a couple years. So the feds, all the quiet stuff happens before the arrest, then the arrest, and then the prosecution. They sometimes are like a month or two out from prosecution by the time they arrest. So have faith, don't have despair. I sense right now, say it again, that the ink is drying on a possible indictment. I think it's within weeks then. I've done this game for a long time. All I do is cover bad guys. And Brian Hooker is not charged with anything yet. Yet Brian Hooker's not charged with anything. He's not guilty of anything until a jury of his peers finds him thus in. If he's charged, I think he's going to be charged, and I think it's coming really soon, and he should be scared. And if you're watching this, Brian, I hope you enjoyed last autumn because I think it's the last one you'll ever see. So let me get to some of the messages that I have. Brian Hooker texting a good Friend. A childhood friend of Lynette's. First of all, she reaches out to Brian Hooker. I'm just going to show you this. This is his profile picture on his Facebook page. Boots are for feet, not for eat. Okay. Yeah. All right. Kind of jives with just what a jackass he is, Right? He's very anti establishment. Hates bosses, hates the man. Always out to get the big guy. Anyway, kind of jibes. So Kelly is Lynette's friend, and she reaches out to Brian within three days of Lynette going missing. And this is what Kelly says to Brian. Lynette is one of my childhood dearest friends. Prayers, prayer emoji. The news is crushing my soul. And Brian answers. Good morning, Kelly. Lynette speaks of you often in the same way. Keep praying. I am trying to keep the faith and doing what I can. Well, he's an atheist. Search and rescue is out again this morning to conduct another search before some weather comes in tomorrow. Some of her family and some of my family have arrived on the island. We're just trying to hold on and get her back. I'll try to keep you posted. Yeah. It's not true. No. You're fucking lying. None of her family came to you. None of Lynette's family came to you. When you wrote this, this was a lie. It would still be a couple days until the stepdaughter, who's kind of like your daughter, would show up, but you were already flying out. So this was just a lie. Easily provable. Some of her family is here. We're just trying to hold on. It continues. Thank you for responding. Kelly says, because I know you're going through hell right now. I am in prayer because she is religious, and I'm talking to her to help us find her. Please try to take care of yourself through this heart and prayer emoji. I like this Kelly. She's sweet. Brian's response. Thank you, Kelly. I had to deactivate my Facebook page, but I think we can still Facebook message. I'm going out tomorrow with some people I'm hiring to continue searching. Thank you for the prayers. I think they help. Bullshit. You do not. You're an atheist. Shut up. Shut the fuck up. And by the way, that whole business about I'm going out tomorrow with some people I'm hiring to continue searching. No, you're not. You asked Jim Todd of Hopetown Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Please give generously. You asked him for the names of some captains and boats for hire, and he gave you those names. And then he Checked up on you because, you know, we all smelled a rat and those people said you never called them. So really, you wanted to go out and search for Lynette. You hired some people and planned to go out tomorrow in this message. Really? Because other witnesses at the conk in where you had your mooring ball. Yeah, they watched you sitting on your ass for every day after the news broke that Lynette had disappeared. You weren't out searching. You were sitting on the porch near the dock of the Conch Inn, drinking. That's from witnesses who work there. So you're just spinning another one. The messages go on. Kelly says, keep in touch as you can. I'm sorry the media is being brutal on you because of course Kelly believes, like, why wouldn't we? You know, we. We want to give people the benefit of the doubt. Godspeed, my friend. Godspeed. She's so frustrated with this right now, looking back, because there she is giving him support and love in his time of trauma and need. Tragedy. No, she's being wound up like the rest of us. She's just caring and loving. Then little later on, Kelly texts back via Facebook to Brian and says, has any family got there yet? You need family heart emoji. And here's Brian. Ready? Pour a drink. Trust me. Make it strong. Here's Brian. Lynette's parents are here. Really? Lynette's parents are here? No, they weren't. Not only were they not there on April 7, they never were there while you were there. They've not been there since Lynette went missing. What is with you, you pathological fuck? It is provable that that's a lie. Why you. You could have kept your bullshit going without that, but you just couldn't help yourself, Brian. You just couldn't help yourself. Let me continue. Lynette's parents are here, and my sister and husband are here. And you are right, Kelly, 100%. They are helping keep me focused and not despairing. Really? There's foul play on board soulmate, Brian. There's evidence Lynette was dead. On board soulmate. A fight, foul play, Evidence. You got back to soulmate. So what's all this about? You despairing? Just curious. Asking for a friend. Then Kelly says, I don't mean to intrude, but I love that girl. Thank you for sharing. Brian hearts that and says she feels the same way about you, Kelly. So that should make you vomit in your mouth just a little bit. Yeah, as well as all the other lies that he has told, including to Blaine Stevenson. Again. Blaine and his wife Marnie, very close with Brian and Lynette. Great friends, also live aboards. They also sail permanently. They are on board their boat. I caught up with them in St. Lucia and I talked to Blaine about this. Number one, the big breaking news right from my episode yesterday that yeah, Lynette got bored, got back to soulmate, she was on board. Soulmate. The whole thing's a lie. The evidence shows she got back on Cellmate. There was evidence foul play in a fight and there's evidence that Lynette was dead on board. All of these things are new to blame. We all suspected it, but now the evidence we know shows it, right? But also these text messages that Kelly got from Brian Hooker because Blaine got some of the same shit sent to him. Here's my conversation with Blaine Stevenson do

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[Ashley Banfield]

Evening Buyer's Remorse Buy a new car.

[Blaine Stevenson]

I'll be moving in.

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[Ashley Banfield]

Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana.

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[Ashley Banfield]

So there's no.

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[Blaine Stevenson]

Congratulations. I mean it.

[Ashley Banfield]

Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven day return [e-mail] Blaine, thank you so much for being on the podcast again. It's good to see you again. And I feel like there's been progress in this case, even though we're at what, 95 days and I'm recording this on July 8th. So before I get to the messages that Brian Hooker sent amidst the tragedy, I wanted to get your reaction to what we reported yesterday. And that was that it's all a lie. It's officially proven. Lynette did make it back to Soulmate. There is evidence of it. There is evidence of a fight and foul play on board and there is evidence that Lynette was dead on board. Soulmate. I wanted to get your reaction to this.

[Blaine Stevenson]

It's new to me. The. The reaction for me is that it. It's sad. Also gives me hope on a. On more recovery efforts because we can now expand our search. I know Darlene has worked her tail off to get search and that's. That's her. Her thing. And I don't want to go into that too much, but I know nobody's giving up on finding her daughter. And so now that we can just eliminate everything from Brian's pie hole. Yeah, we can now look at everything from the days afterwards too, that he. He did not have a nine hour window anymore. He had from. I would say what 7:45 is when you had left the Abaco in. On. On Saturday to.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, I don't know. I'm. I've got that.

[Dave Farenthal]

Whatever.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Whenever he left Abaco in to when he got arrested by the police. Right, right. I also think for Brian, he hasn't had any verbal or public supporters.

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But if.

[Blaine Stevenson]

If you're. If you're out there and you're supporting Brian right now and the United States Coast Guard has come out and said these things. How much of an unwitting patsy or unwitting accomplice has Brian made you over the last 90 days? I know he tried with me with the phone call. I know he tried with Dan with the text messages. You might know something and you might help if you've talked with him in the last 90 days. And you now realize, okay, he lied to me. Like we found out, like we now know he's lied, that everything in that 45 minute phone call was garbage. We were used. Who else is being used that might have key, crucial information that can come forward now knowing what he did?

[Ashley Banfield]

And, and I want to be really clear. Our source is family. Darlene was, was kind enough to share this information, we with us. I certainly am not getting it from the Coast Guard. They've been pretty, pretty mum about a lot of this stuff and pretty careful about protecting their investigation as well. But I'll tell you something. You know, I talked to Jim Todd, who was one of the first people in Fire and rescue to welcome Brian Hooker on board that fire and rescue boat to go and search for Lynette the morning of the. This emergency. And you know, he was so incredibly gracious. But I'm not. I'm angry. I hate liars, thieves, and I specifically hate murderers. He's not yet. He's not charged with murder yet. I think he will be. I believe an indictment will be shortly following given the fact that his entire tale has been proven false with this, this evidence, and you're a lawyer, I can only imagine you feel that an indictment is probably imminent.

[Blaine Stevenson]

It's also why it's probably the last podcast I do, because I don't want to ever say anything that's going to help his defense. Our goal is to find Lynette. And thank you for all the work and hard effort you've put in. But at this point, with this new evidence, with this new fact, this guy has failed in everything he's done in life. He's not going to beat the U.S. coast Guard. You know, the, the people and you and I, and we want to know what happened and we're piecing it together. And I know that you hold on to a lot of information you can't release, and I know that we have figured out some things that we can't release. But all of that is to make sure that when his day comes in court, that it's lock stop. I'm angry. I'm angry. Sorry that this news is angering me, but it doesn't stop us from remission and final in that it doesn't. It just allows us a bigger search area, allows us a, a bigger window to how his mind works and where to look.

[Ashley Banfield]

And I'm going to go over some of these extraordinary lies that he sent to a friend named Kelly, Lynette's friend, just winding her up with the dirtiest, ugliest bullshit. Not unlike what he did to you. I'm going to go to that in a second. But before I do, I want to just sort of go over the what this means in terms of timeline, in terms of new places to consider for searching now that we know this whole story is how does it change the way the attack now is planned to find Lynette's remains

[Blaine Stevenson]

based on what they have? I mean, it's United States Coast Guard, they're going to have it all wrapped up. But you look at where he went after the fourth, you look at why he. Why he was so hell bent on getting out of Ampats Bay on the TMZ video that he needed somebody to help him raise the anchor. You look at the track he took.

[Ashley Banfield]

You look at any time, stop right there. He co opted Pete from the volunteer from the Hopetown Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Please give generously. They're volunteering. They got suckered into this too. But he co opted Pete to help him get that anchor up and get his precious Soulmate back.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Because when he separated for Lynette for two months, he moved that boat perfectly fine on his own. What was he doing on the front end of his boat that he wanted somebody on the back end?

[Ashley Banfield]

Tell me what you think.

[Blaine Stevenson]

I think there's a reason why he brought up to me that he couldn't move the boat on his own. I believe there's a reason he told the TMZ stranger he couldn't move the boat on his own and needed help. And there's a reason why he told Search and Rescue he wanted somebody there either as an alibi or because he wanted to mess around with the front end of that boat and not. And not not make a mistake. The moving of the boat made no sense in the story. It made no sense when he described it when he talked about hooking up a switch at his helm because he's now a solo solo. Everything in his story to me made no sense about moving that boat. And now we got to figure out why. And now if we know that something happened on Soulmate, we know he moved his boat for reason. Where'd he move it to? When did the AIs go offline after that? Remember? Because I do remember looking at the AIs data, which I don't have in front of me, but I do believe it was brought up that his AIs went offline the next night as well.

[Ashley Banfield]

Really?

[Blaine Stevenson]

Yes. So. And that was actually being used in his defense briefly on. On one podcast. Well, His AIs went off the next night too. Well, now we're in a whole new area of looking for conc and video, aren't we? Now we're in a world of what we thought was a nine hour window of time that he had to do what he did again, we have from Saturday until he was arrested on Wednesday. And who was there to help him? We now know that his wife did not go overboard on a dinghy according to these reports. So then you look at who's the first person he called and who he reached out to for help and you ask why. Why was this person, the person that flew to the Bahamas, what were they providing him?

[Ashley Banfield]

Right. His sister and his sister's husband, which has always been very interesting to me. Now he could plausibly say, oh, I've just lost my wife. I need my sister as a moral support. I would do the same. I would call a sibling if I lost my husband, of course. So he could, you know, we now

[Blaine Stevenson]

know he didn't lose her. So now we have to look at it through the lens of why is that the person he called?

[Ashley Banfield]

Right.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Unwittingly or wittingly? These people need to now start looking at it through a lens of my brother wasn't honest or my. My friend wasn't honest. You know, and it took me a while to come around. My first couple interviews were, hey, I'm putting this stuff out there because Brian can't. But when you come around and you realize you've been lied to, share those lies, they will help the investigation.

[Ashley Banfield]

It'll be interesting to see what the reaction of his sister and his brother in law is now that we know. Oh, no, no, no. No evidence of foul play on board Soulmate. Now, why did you race to the Bahamas? Did you do it unwittingly? Were you there unwittingly the whole time? And if so, you should be livid.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Exactly. And I. I'm not accusing anybody of anything. But now we have to look at every piece of things that we've been looking at for 90 days and say, okay, now why did he make that choice? If we know that something happened on Soulmate and that's what ended Lynette, it. You have to then go back and look at all the choices through that lens, not through the I lost my wife overboard. See, we can. We could stop that conversation now and we could say, why did he do this? Well, why did he take this nine hour trek over to Marsh Harbor? Why did he choose Marsh Harbor? Why did he choose the float over there? There's. We can now dissect his choices to break down his timeline and figure out when and where he was. That can be viable options. And I think that the AIs and the NFL tracks are going to be crucial in that. I, I believe in my heart that the Coast Guard probably already knows all this and we're just talking to talk. But, you know, the number one thing is finding Lynette. And that's what we're still here to help Darlene.

[Ashley Banfield]

Do you know there are boats that had video trained on Soulmate while it was sitting there in Marsh harbor, and they reached out to us, they reached out to this podcast. So that will be very valuable because I, I had never contemplated the possibility that maybe Lynette was still on board the next morning. Maybe she was in one of those compartments, hidden away from the Bahamian police officer who went down below with Brian and spent an hour down there. Maybe, maybe if he killed her, and we don't know that, and he's not charged with that yet, maybe getting rid of her did not happen during that nine hour float or during that bullshit story. Maybe it happened the next day after he was brought back to his boat and he had some time. Maybe there was something completely different that happened. And his range of motion was not limited to a little dinghy, but now a 38 foot yacht.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Correct. And multiple days or multiple nights, which opens up your range quite, quite extensively.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah,

[Blaine Stevenson]

but if, if the reported details that you reported yesterday, you know, I believe them because I believe the source, but they turn out to be true. You have to start over. Everything in the, in our world as far as, okay, why, when, where, how was he, like, hour by hour, I, I remember talking, I believe it was to Lindsay two months ago that I was building a timeline because it wasn't making sense to me. And I said I wasn't going to put that out because I don't want to help. I don't, I don't want to provide a defense. Right. I don't want, I don't want him sitting somewhere and thinking, how do I defend myself? And given answers early. But the Coast Guard, you know, has done that. The Coast Guard, these guys are badass. And I'm kind of pissed off that Brian is making an army guy defend the Coast Guard and talk so highly of him. But in talking with them the past three months, these guys do their job. They do it right, and I have complete faith in them.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, you're all part of the greater services, and so you're all laudable in Your work. Let me ask you this. Remember that bullshit piece and in his story that I flew, I floated all the way over to the north part Lubbers, threw down an anchor and shot off some flares. Why that?

[Blaine Stevenson]

I'm curious if he was doing a mental inventory of what was in his boat to say, I tried this, I tried this, I tried this. I just tried it.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Announcer]

Too late.

[Blaine Stevenson]

You know, he let slip that they weren't wearing PFDs and let slip that there was two personal flotation devices on the dinghy. That's huge. I personally have been on your show bashing him for this, like, dude, you put on the life like that. You had the two the Coast Guard required is how he said it to me. And it was the moment. Sorry, big fish. It was the moment that things started turning in my head. By the third or fourth time I heard it, you had every necessary piece of equipment. And I think he's. I think there was some cya going on in his head of trying to say why he did that.

[Ashley Banfield]

I'm trying to figure it out, though. I'm trying to. Game. What? Why would you add that quirk to the story? Couldn't you have shot off flares as you were floating? Why did you throw down anchor north of Lovers? What was the purpose? By the way, we all know by now that it's so shallow north of Lovers, you could have just stepped out and held onto your brick.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well, he even tells us that in the audio. He says, I can't believe I didn't run aground the whole time.

[Ashley Banfield]

Unbelievable.

[Blaine Stevenson]

His own words in the recording. So he knew it was shallow there. How did he know it was that shallow at night paddling? And if he knew it was that shallow, get out and run to shore. Yeah, he knows everything, but just conveniently doesn't know it at the time. He knows it, right?

[Ashley Banfield]

No, Exactly. And by the way, just so everybody watching knows, when you're in shallow water and it's coral or even sand, and you've got one paddle, you can absolutely make it to shore because you're jamming it and pulling. You're not now paddling against waves. You are actually physically grabbing the bottom and you can get yourself into shore. I find that absolute horseshit that he would make, that he would make up a story and think that we would all believe you. You couldn't get to Lubbers even though you're in, like, a couple of feet of water. First of all, you can't stand out there in your slides because it wasn't Bare feet. We know that. And you couldn't use your paddle to just jam your way along. I could have, and I'm half the size of that asshole.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well. And that's part of when we first talked about the dinghy not having a seat. See, now, if he's rowing, your oars are on the top of the water. But if you're in the front, you're paddling, you're going deeper and digging. So he's going to hit the bottom somewhere there. North of lovers.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yep. Now, the whole thing is. Now, I mean, look, we. We have gamed this whole plane. You and I and others. We've gamed it and gamed it and gamed it, and we've always come to the conclusion that all of it is a lie. But now we have the proof. And now it's just. It's just the kind of thing where you realize, I'm. I'm relieved that we're not crazy. And I'm relieved that it means he's going down. He's got to be going down. I cannot see. And you're a lawyer again.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer 2]

I.

[Ashley Banfield]

With my history in covering true crime for decades, I cannot see this not resulting in an indictment. And soon.

[Blaine Stevenson]

I trust them to dot their T's and cross their eyes. You know how the federal government works. The last thing you ever want to do is face the federal government. The speed in which indictment to conviction happens is amazing. The speed between investigation and indictment is. It's.

[Lowe's Announcer]

It's.

[Blaine Stevenson]

It's so expansive. But the fact that information is still coming out, the fact that his boat is still 60 days later, sitting in Fort Lauderdale, just stripped, or Fort Pierce or Fort something, Florida.

[Ashley Banfield]

It's in Lauderdale.

[Blaine Stevenson]

It is in Lauderdale. Okay. Aerial photo I saw the other day of it. I mean, they've taken the sails off. They have. That. That does not show me. They're getting ready to hand Brian his boat back and say, I'm sorry we wasted your time. They've had it for two months, and they're only ramping up. Anybody can see this. And so.

[Ashley Banfield]

And they were just on it the other day with Maggie again, just in the last five days. Maggie, The.

[Dave Farenthal]

The.

[Ashley Banfield]

I should tell. For. For those who didn't see a prior episode, Maggie is the cadaver dog from Broward county that has been on loan.

[Blaine Stevenson]

They brought her back.

[Ashley Banfield]

You betcha they did. And she's been on loan to CJIs, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, in order to continue this investigation. But for the last 95 days.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well, then my only message is, is Negotiate early, pal. Because, I mean, you didn't win against AT&T. Your ex wife is coming back from the grave and just burying you. Your. Your secrets have all failed to every person you have talked to since this incident has started, right? How many people are you taking down with you that are close to you? Just stop. Stop it. You know, this has been, what, almost 90 days now? You know, if you'd filed for divorce.

[Ashley Banfield]

95.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Yeah.

[Blaine Stevenson]

You'd be single by now and might even have a boat. Think about it. Could have just picked up a pen. You could have just picked up a pen.

[Ashley Banfield]

Such a good point. And again, Brian is not charged with anything at this point. He is innocent until proven guilty. But I say yet, yet, yet, yet, yet. Because I truly believe that an indictment is. Is around the corner. And you know, he probably, my guess, won't be seeing fall, autumn. You know, the season autumn. I hope he enjoyed his last one.

[Blaine Stevenson]

I just know that the Coast Guard will do the right job. And that might take time, and that might frustrate the individual who's watching, but the more information the Coast Guard can get, the more we have a chance of finding Lynette.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, that's a good point.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Because this guy has tried his whole life to be sneaky. He has tried his whole life to be devious. The he. He thinks he's smart, but we're obviously showing he is not. And I agree with you. He's not guilty of anything yet. There's 12 people who will make him guilty one day. If they do, and that's on them, that will never be on me. But we also can now take away all of his words and just watch his actions that he took for three days and figure out where Lynette could be.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, Brian is clever. Brian is not smart. Brian is a dope. Being clever is different. Having a bigger picture and understanding just what you're up against to try to beat the full force of the United States government and the Coast Guard, that's where he's just dumb. And the mistakes that he clearly has made, like the criminals that we cover all the time, you know, dumb, dumb, dumb. And they always think they're so much smarter than the rest of us.

[Blaine Stevenson]

I heard one detective state it, and I don't remember which one it was, so I. Sorry, I'm not quoting you, but every detective, every siegeist, every officer out there investigating a homicide has investigated homicides for a year. Every time a person commits their first murder, they're doing it for the first time. And they're a Rookie. And so they're. The rookie's never going to beat the season vet.

[Ashley Banfield]

The vetters veterans. Yep.

[Blaine Stevenson]

So I don't know if he did that. I'm taking you at the reporting that you've gotten on this particular topic, but I just hope it allows us another chance at another search in more viable locations for Darlene and Carly.

[Ashley Banfield]

I agree. They deserve, they deserve all the help they can get from everyone. Which brings me to my next point. And again, I am going to get to Kelly's Facebook messages because they just make my skin crawl. The Royal Bahamian Police Force, they have been, you know, operating a parallel investigation, but the Coast Guard Investigative Service sieges, they're at the helm of this. Right. They have not yet received the police files from the rbpf, the Royal Bahamian Police Force. And in those police files are multiple interviews with Brian Hooker. I am told that they're in the process of getting those files over to cgis. I hope that that process is wrapping up any minute now, as it should, but I find it pretty shocking. Again, day 95, they don't have the statements from Brian Hooker. Multiple statements. I mean, this is pretty alarming.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well, two things to that. One, you know, if you need help, Royal Bahamian Police Force, you know, I'll fly there, I'll courier than ourselves. We could, we, we, we can find some. We can find a delivery method to help you out. I do love you as an island and I'm sorry we came over there and we made this mess in your lawn. But if you could help us clean up, we'll try and not do it again. But Brian's free to come in and give those statements to the Coast Guard anytime he wants. He doesn't have to wait for the Royal Bohemians. You know, he's choosing to be silent. So again, everything we've heard from him from the day this happened, everybody he has communicated with has been an outright lie. Do I think that what the Royal Bahamian Police Force has is anything but more lies? I don't.

[Ashley Banfield]

But you know how it works, right?

[Blaine Stevenson]

Yeah, I know, I know they need it.

[Ashley Banfield]

The lies often aren't the same and the inconsistencies are what fucks with you when you think you're smarter than everyone else.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Yeah, I was at my friend Dan's house and then, you know, there's a picture of Dan online who wasn't even at Dan's house. Yeah, he's going to, he's going to trip himself. He already has tripped himself up. I mean, him telling me when I Offered to come up there and help him. And he's like, no, my. My sister and brother are flying in tomorrow. The in laws are already here. Like I said, hold your family. Get them close, get them together. You know, we're renting boats. Not a boat was rented. There were no in laws on the island. There was no. The brother and sister didn't seem to do anything when they were there but run from cameras. Everything was a stall and everything was alive from opening statement to end.

[Ashley Banfield]

You know, the business I'm in, the number of missing persons cases I've covered. The families get to the mic. They are desperate for the megaphone. They want everyone to help them. Come one, come all. Help me find my loved one. Helped me find my wife, my husband, my child. Ed Smart was on that megaphone every day, no matter what barbs were being thrown at him. He didn't care. I want Elizabeth. I'm trying to find Elizabeth. Help us find Elizabeth. And that is what real victims do. They don't run from the camera like you said. I mean, it was just. And then when you did see Brian Hooker in front of the camera crying and saying, it's going to take a higher power. Well, he's an atheist, so what higher power are you talking about, you atheist? You know, like, come on. And now we know that the story was a full lie. It's going to take a higher power to get me out of the Bahamas. Meanwhile, he's, you know, wrapping up his diplomatic emergency passport because he's on.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Why did he need an emergency passport

[Ashley Banfield]

on a plane the next day for the higher power altitude?

[Blaine Stevenson]

Why did he need one? Where was his passport?

[Ashley Banfield]

This is another point I want to ask you. And again, I am getting to these text messages from. From Kelly. He. I have not been able to figure out why. He said there was a dry bag with passports. I get it. The keys were in the dry bag. I had to float. Still a crazy story, but why the passports? I'm still very curious. Maybe it just made it look so much more impossible that he'd throw away his own passport.

[Dave Farenthal]

Normally in these ads, you'd expect someone like me to ask you to buy something, but I want to ask you to do something different. I'm Dave Farenthal and I'm a reporter for the New York Times. I'm an investigative reporter, which means that I follow the money inside of government and outside of government. The point of my job is to find things people are trying to hide. It involves talking to lots of people. It involves looking through lots and Lots of documents. And if there weren't folks like me to go beyond the surface to understand who is really shaping what the government does, the public will be left in the dark about what the government's doing with your tax money, what the government's doing to you through regulations and spending. If you're like me and you think this kind of journalism is important, seek out a news source that does firsthand fact based reporting. If that's the New York Times. Thank you. If that's your local paper, that's great too, because where you get your information matters.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well, the passport didn't miraculously appear like, oh, I found him on the boat. I didn't know Lynette kept him here for him to get out of town. He legitimately needed to get an emergency passport. He didn't just magically go clean his boat and find them. So I do believe the passports are missing. But when did they go missing? Did they go missing in the dry bag? Because we never carry our passports on us. When we check into a country. I, since I've met you, we are on country like number seven. We have a safe. We open the safe. We take out our notebook of paperwork for the boat. It's all in a Ziploc bag inside a binder. We go in, we check in, we show our passports. It goes back in the Ziploc bag, goes back in the binder, goes back in the day. And our passports don't see the light of day again. Because if you're carrying a dry bag and you're videoing your whole Life with a360 camera, as we've seen her do, and you're raising it up in the air and you're dipping it down the water to see the dolphins and see the fish. Are you really wanting to put that in the same bag as your passport? That doesn't make logical sense in this lifestyle that the passports would be in the dry bag. Now, if you told me that they had just got to the Bahamas, maybe that's one thing. But they'd been in the Bahamas for months.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah.

[Blaine Stevenson]

There's nobody asking them for their passports. We never get asked for our passports out here. That's not a thing. So I go back to, and it's my speculation, and it's something that I. I can only say I'm guessing at. We have had reported that she had a plane ticket. We have had reported that she didn't get on the plane ticket. What would have stopped her from getting on the plane ticket? Not having a passport.

[Ashley Banfield]

What do you Think he got rid

[Blaine Stevenson]

of it when they were. Obviously they had to promote. There was arguments going on. She was leaving. That's on record. She had a one way ticket to Florida.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah.

[Blaine Stevenson]

And she didn't get on that plane. One of the things that would have stopped her from getting on the plane is getting rid of the passports early.

[Ashley Banfield]

That's a very good point. But she never said that to Darlene. She. She bought the ticket presumably on the 10th for departure on the 11th and didn't get on the plane on the 11th and did not say to Darlene, I can't find my passport. What she said to Darlene was, we're working things out.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Still want to know where the passports are.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, and I think if.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Announcer]

Words,

[Ashley Banfield]

you know, if Brian did something so controlling in their domestic, you know, abusive relationship. If Brian did something so controlling as to get rid of her passport. Look, it's well known that Lynette was humiliated by being with this guy and, and seeking cover and returning and seeking cover and, and feeling like this was a third failed marriage. I could see her not divulging that information to Darlene. That this husband of mine that I'm trying to leave, he's. He's gotten rid of my passport. So I can't leave because I could see how they'd say, we're coming to get you. You know, I could see how that could amp it up. And a lot of abused women, they don't give the details because they don't want anyone showing up to medal and cause even more problems for them. That's a lot of times how they think.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well, and I understand everybody lives differently. So since this happened, every boater I've encountered, every boater I've talked to has. I've asked. I'm like, do you guys carry your passports on you? I have not met one. Everybody does it. I mean, and we're traveling in a flotilla now, so when we go into customs, we all go in together.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right.

[Blaine Stevenson]

And it's. Everybody has the same binder.

[Ashley Banfield]

I never, ever had my passport in my dry bag when I was a sailor. Ever. Never. You keep them safe on board and you lock your doors on board, you know, from pirates.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Yes. They shouldn't be in the dry bag. That's all I know. Right. I'm not saying I, I can't say he threw it away. I'm saying I have not met a boater out here yet in the 90 days. And I've talked to quite a few. Because it's my initial question now, because I want to know there's been things I've been wrong on that people do that I didn't know people do while they're out here. You know, I did see a couple wearing a life vest on a dinghy the other day, but I just. I can't find a couple that carries their passport with them in their dry bag.

[Ashley Banfield]

No, I'm with you. I never did either. Now, I am one of those voters that doesn't always wear a life vest either. And I've never gone overboard, thank God. Let me switch gears to another topic. The Facebook messages that Brian received from a friend of Lynette's named Kelly. She's been kind enough to share them with us. First of all, before I get to them, I just want you to see the Facebook page that she sent them to. This would be Brian's and this is what his images if you.

[Dave Farenthal]

Is.

[Ashley Banfield]

I don't know if it's backwards or if you can read it.

[Blaine Stevenson]

No, I can read it. I've seen. I've seen it plenty.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, how charming is that? Boots are for feet, not for eat. It sure does jibe with the description that I've gotten about Brian being so anti establishment. Just stick it to the man hates authority. This kind of makes sense, seeing, you know, this. This logo that he uses as a profile picture. Let me read for you the communication

[Blaine Stevenson]

profile picture he has while his wife is missing. It's not a picture of his wife. It's not a picture of sadness or grief or heaven or angels or whatever you believe in.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right. And by the way, this is three days, right? She went overboard. His story was on April 4th, and that would be the. The very early, early morning of really the night before. So April 3rd. So these messages went out on April 7th, just three days after Lynette went missing. And this is what Kelly says to Brian. Clearly reaching out to Brian in a supportive way. She says, lynette is one of my childhood dearest friends. Prayers. Prayer emoji. The news is crushing my soul. And Brian responds to Kelly this way. Good morning, Kelly. Lynette speaks of you often in the same way. Keep praying. Brian is an atheist, so keep praying. Okay. I am trying to keep the faith and doing what I can. Again, keep the faith. Maybe it's just a matter of speaking, but search and rescue is out again this morning to conduct another search before some weather comes in tomorrow. Some of her family and some of my family have arrived on the island. That is an absolute lie. His sister and brother in law may have arrived by then, but Carly Was not there by then. So that's the only family that ever showed up and didn't show up for him. And he was killed flying as Carly was coming in. So this is a lie. Some of her family and some of my family. Well, it's just not true. And it goes on. It says we are just trying to hold on and get her back. I'll try to keep you posted. And Kelly says, thank you for responding because I know you're going through hell right now. I'm in prayer and I'm talking to her to help us find her. Please try to take care of yourself through this. And Brian responds, thank you, Kelly. I had to deactivate my Facebook page, but I think we can still Facebook message. I'm going out tomorrow with some people that I'm hiring to continue searching. Thank you for the prayers. I think they help. She says, keep in touch as you can. I'm sorry the media is being brutal on you. She feels differently now. Godspeed, my friend. Godspeed. Then this is what kills me. She asks, has any family got there yet? You need family heart emoji. And this is Brian's response. Ready? Lynette's parents are here and my sister and husband are here. And you are right, Kelly, 100%. They are helping keep me focused and not despairing. I mean, I'm not even a part of these messages and I want to throw up. You got similar overtures from him about Lynette's family and his friends supporting him. Remind me of that.

[Blaine Stevenson]

He said his in laws were in town already and his brother and sister were flying in. That was Monday night. He said that to me. That was before he was harassed by the news. On Tuesday he lied to me about his in laws being there. When I offered my help to come up there and he was, he, he told me, he said, you know, I think they're going to call off the search tomorrow because weather's coming in, but that his in laws were in town and that his brother and his sister and brother in law were flying in. And I said, keep your family close. Get your girls together. And then he went into this a little bit about how the, the two 28 year olds were together in Michigan and working through it. He fabricated this whole story that the family was all connected and if it wasn't for Carly speaking up, I, I swear, like Lynette just screamed through Carly's mouth, we would have all just bought that.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, you know what's shocking is that again, he is that stupid. Ultimately he really is. That Stupid to suggest that Darlene and Dan and their spouses might have actually been there. He didn't think someone at some point is going to discover, oh, oh, no, no, no. They did not go. They are not there. I just cannot imagine why someone would fabricate something like that.

[Blaine Stevenson]

If lying to your friend was a crime, Brian would be sentenced to a hundred counts at this point. Consciousness of guilt, Just. Just throw another pebble in that bucket. There's no reason for him to have lied to Dan Danforth. There's no reason for him to have lied to this lady. There's no reason for him to have spent 45 minutes lying to me. He went out of his way to lie to people to keep the people who cared the most away.

[Ashley Banfield]

I think that's it. I mean, I just. I am marveling at his stupidity in the lies he chose, because that wasn't even necessary. He could have said anything else. Could have, but he chose lies that were easily provable.

[Blaine Stevenson]

If you actually piece together his interviews that he did with the, you know, the national media circuit, you know, and you go question by question, you'll realize that every single one of them was an absolute lie or a deviated lie. Like, you know, I have never hurt my wife. You know, you could have said the truth. There are court records. Right. You could have said, me and my wife have had troubles in the past, but things have been great lately. You know, it's the absolutes he goes to in his lies that are just so damning.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, they'll come back to bite him. Right?

[Blaine Stevenson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

I mean, that's. That's where we're at, is that it's. It feels. It feels conflicting. Right. Like I'm angry, but I knew it, and I'm satisfied.

[Blaine Stevenson]

I'm not. Because I think when I knew it, I knew it and I felt it. And again, it. He is not smart, as you said, which means there's a chance to still find Lynette. There is. I know people are. I. I can hear your comment section right now. But he could have just been dumb enough to do something that was preservational, too. He. He is just that stupid. So I have faith that with this new information, there might be a new chance to find some closure.

[Ashley Banfield]

So I hope you're right. I. I hope you're right, Blaine. And, you know, I know that we. We meet semi regularly to discuss these developments. I think this is probably the most significant one, and I'm very, very thankful for your guidance and also for your wisdom and your dedication to proving that his story is false. We're not over yet. So we'll meet again, my friend.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Well, and. And the thank you goes back. I didn't want to do this interview much because I don't want to say anything that could be hurt, an investigation, like, you know. But you have kept Lynette alive publicly. I mean, you don't understand how my algorithm has now changed. I see every missing person in the United States. They're not getting the coverage that you are giving my friend. And so I wanted to say thank you. Just. I understand it's your job, and I understand that you do your job excellently, but you have decided to make my friend your personal goal, and I do appreciate that. And so what you've done for us is something that 63,000 other Americans that go missing a year are not going to get. And so as much as, like I say, coming on here and trying to keep my mouth shut and not let any information out that could help the, you know, help Brian or hurt the investigation, man, without you, a lot of us would be in the dark on a lot of things. So we appreciate you.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well. And you know what? The fact that you said your algorithms changed means that more people who are watching this are going to be seeing other missing cases as well. So thank you for letting me know that. I appreciate it.

[Blaine Stevenson]

You have a wonderful day.

[Ashley Banfield]

You too, Blaine. Thank you. My great thanks to Blaine Stevenson and Marnie. The two of them have been amazing. They have done so much in the aftermath of Lynette going missing to dispel the garbage that Brian has been shoveling.

[Blaine Stevenson]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

And I think. But for a lot of the things that Blaine was, you know, helping me understand as well, I might not have gotten to some of the solutions that. That I found as well. And I think he's been very helpful to the Coast Guard as well. So, again, you know, keep the faith, Gu. I honestly believe it. I've been at this game a long time. I think an indictment is imminent. And in the next couple of episodes, I have other big news for you, including news about Lynette's Apple Watch. You know, the one that we saw in the photograph, the last photograph we think we have of Lynette. She's taking a selfie, and you can clearly see that powder pink band. Got some news about that Apple Watch. Also have some news about the timeline and when Lynette likely died. That's all coming tomorrow. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for watching. And remember, truth isn't just serious. It's drop dead. Seriously.