Overboard: The Dinghy

Summary

Podcast Summary: “Overboard: The Dinghy”

That’s So Criminal | Host: The Daily Wire | June 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of That’s So Criminal explores the mysterious disappearance of Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old Michigan woman lost at sea for nearly two months. Investigative reporter Lynden Blake dives deep into the inconsistencies in her husband Brian Hooker’s accounts, the forensic investigation of their dinghy, and the heartbreak and suspicions of Lynette’s family. The episode also discusses how authorities are proceeding with the case as a “no-body” homicide investigation, highlighting both the evidence and the emotional toll on those left behind.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance and the Conflicting Stories

• Lynette Hooker vanished at sea; her husband Brian Hooker’s stories to investigators and media have changed multiple times.
• Blake notes the inconsistency:

  “It changes all the time. It seems like in one version he’s on the dinghy. In another he’s in the water with Lynette. It depends on who he’s talking to, what his story’s going to be.” — Lynden Blake (02:02)

• GPS data from the dinghy contradicts Brian's account:
  • Brian claimed Lynette bounced off the dinghy and he drifted to Marsh Harbor overnight.
  • Actual GPS route: The dinghy moved towards Lubbers Island from Elbow Key, then south down the coast of Lubbers, and returned to Marsh Harbor—contradicting Brian’s narrative.

2. Forensic Focus on the Dinghy

• Because of the GPS discrepancies, the Coast Guard has secured the dinghy for forensic analysis in the U.S.
• Investigators are looking for:
  • Trace evidence (blood, signs of cleaning/sanitizing)
  • Structural damage indicating a struggle
  • Additional digital data (navigation logs)
• Lynden highlights the stakes:

  “The GPS and the navigation records will either back up Brian Hooker’s version of events or blow it all apart.” — Lynden Blake (03:08)

3. Ongoing Investigation Without a Body

• Despite not finding Lynette’s body, authorities are continuing the case as a potential homicide.
• The Coast Guard spent four days searching using divers, underwater vehicles, drones, and even a cadaver dog.
• Reference to Ashley Banfield, host of Drop Dead Serious: her insider source bluntly stated:

  “Brian Hooker is effed.” — (Paraphrased by Lynden Blake, 04:46)

• Lynden addresses challenges of “no-body” homicide but points out:

  “Evidence can and does convict people. Even if a body is never recovered.” — Lynden Blake (05:22)

4. The Family’s Emotional Testimony

• Lynette’s mother, Darlene, and stepfather, Bill, are convinced Brian has answers.
• Bill’s statements reveal deep pain:

  “That was my baby. I mean, for 30 plus 38 years. For 38 years, she’s been a daughter to me... The last thing I told Brian Hooker... was take care of my baby.” — Bill (06:52)

• The family is resolute: they will not stop searching for Lynette, and they believe Brian is responsible.

5. Brian Hooker’s Whereabouts and Legal Uncertainty

• After being arrested and questioned in the Bahamas in April, Brian was released without charges and has since vanished from public view.
• Both the sailboat and the dinghy remain in possession of authorities.
• Potential outcomes suggested:
  • Brian could be compelled to speak
  • Possible charges or extradition

6. Call for Public Help and Ongoing Hope

• The Coast Guard investigation remains active; they appeal for information via their website and the CGIS Tips app.
• Darlene’s resolve is unwavering:

  “I’m not going to go away until I find my daughter, and they’re not going to go away until they put him in jail.” — Darlene (09:09)

• The family’s need for closure: Even as Darlene acknowledges a funeral may be inevitable, she wants truth above all.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brian’s shifting story:

  “Did he just black out or something and forget the details? Or is he deliberately feeding investigators the wrong story?” — Lynden Blake (02:07)

• On the importance of forensic evidence:

  “The GPS and the navigation records will either back up Brian Hooker’s version of events or blow it all apart.” — Lynden Blake (03:08)

• On the family’s heartbreak:

  “That was my baby. I mean, for 30 plus 38 years...” — Bill (06:52) “I’m not going to go away until I find my daughter, and they’re not going to go away until they put him in jail.” — Darlene (09:09)

• On pressing for the investigation:

  “They will not stop looking for Lynette until they find out what happened to their daughter.” — Lynden Blake (08:19)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:06 — News recap of Lynette’s disappearance and Brian’s early arrest/release
• 02:02 — Lynden breaks down the conflicting stories and GPS evidence
• 03:26 — Explanation of what investigators are searching for on the dinghy
• 04:13 — Coast Guard’s search efforts and the complications of a no-body case
• 05:33 — Legal strategy of prosecuting as a no-body homicide
• 05:55 — The Hooker family’s suspicions and heartbreak
• 06:50 — Emotional statements from Lynette’s stepfather
• 07:24 — Brian’s latest whereabouts and status of the vessels
• 08:19 — Family’s public plea and determination
• 09:09 — Darlene’s vow to continue searching and pursuit of justice

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Tone and Style

The episode balances journalistic investigation with empathetic coverage of the family’s pain. Lynden Blake’s narration is sharp, persistent, and unsparing in questioning Brian’s shifting narratives, while also giving space to the raw emotion of Lynette’s loved ones. The tone remains sympathetic to the victim’s family and committed to pursuit of the truth.

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Conclusion

“Overboard: The Dinghy” presents a tangled tale of suspicion and heartbreak. Despite no body and shifting alibis, authorities double down on forensic and digital evidence to uncover what happened to Lynette Hooker. The episode is an intimate, dogged look at cases where answers—and justice—remain agonizingly out of reach.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Tonight, new questions and the mysterious disappearance of Lynette Hooker, the 55 year old Michigan woman who's been lost at sea for nearly two months. Investigators say GPS data does not match the story her husband told investigators. The U.S. coast Guard will now send divers to new areas in the Bahamas in a renewed search. Her husband, Brian Hooker, was arrested but later released without charges.

[C]

The Coast Guard has stopped searching for Lynette Hooker's body. Lynette's husband Brian is MIA and it's been more than two months since her disappearance. Today we're breaking down the latest developments in this case and why some people think Brian Hooker's time as a free man is running out. I'm Lyndon Blake and you're listening to that's so Criminal.

[D]

That's so Criminal.

[C]

There's something just strange about Brian Hooker's story. It changes all the time. It seems like in one version he's on the dinghy. In another he's in the water with Lynette. It depends on who he's talking to, what his story's going to be. Did he just black out or something and forget the details? Or is he deliberately feeding investigators the wrong story? Here's what we do know. What Brian told investigators does not match the data recovered from his devices on the boats. According to his gps, the dinghy went toward Lubbers island from Elbow Key. Then it turned south and went down the coast of Lubbers. Then the dinghy went back to Marsh Harbor. Remember Brian's original story? Lynette bounces off the dinghy and then he just floats all night to Marsh Harbor. Yeah, the GPS says something different. The route that is on the GPS is not what he told authorities. And that discrepancy is exactly why the Coast Guard went back to the Bahamas and secured the dinghy. The dinghy is now being held in U.S. custody for a full forensics analysis.

[E]

Brian Hooker's narrative that was quickly put out to the media just raised a million and one red flags.

[C]

So what exactly are investigators looking for on this dinghy? Well, there's a few key things. There's trace evidence, you're talking blood, dried blood, or there's any sign that someone tried to clean it or sanitize the boat. They're also looking for structural damage that could point to some type of struggle on board. And then there's this new digital data, which may be the most damning of it all. The GPS and the navigation records will either back up Brian Hooker's version of events or blow it all apart.

[D]

That's so criminal.

[C]

After the break, the Coast Guard searches over. But the investigation is far from finished. Why investigators believe this case can still move forward without a body. And why one source says Brian Hooker is F'd. At this point, there's no body that's been recovered. They have not found Lynette Hooker. But that doesn't mean the investigation is at a dead end here. The Coast Guard, they spent four days in the Bahamas searching for Lynette. They released video footage of them using divers, underwater vehicles, drones. They even had a cadaver dog. Ashley Banfield. She's been to the Bahamas. She's been back. She's been all over this case. She hosts Drop Dead Serious. And. And she said one of her sources told her Brian Hooker is effed. Now, again, this is officially a homicide investigation. And without Lynette's body, it gets a little more complicated. Especially if a criminal trial occurs. A body tells investigators so much about what happened in the final moments, but the absence of a body doesn't close the case necessarily. Evidence can and does convict people. Even if a body is never recovered,

[E]

this could be treated as nobody homicide case. So the hope would be that answers can be generated from whatever evidence is collected from Soulmate after the Coast Guard seizure of the vessel.

[D]

That's so criminal.

[C]

Coming up next, Lynette Hooker's family speaks out. Her mother and stepfather share the emotional toll of her disappearance. Why they believe Brian has answers and the message they want him to hear. Brian Hooker was part of this family for 25 years. Years. And now, in the family's darkest hour, he's gone not talking to anybody. Lynette's mother, Darlene, and Lynette's stepfather, Bill, believe Brian did have something to do with Lynette's disappearance. And Bill said, I mean, he's hurt. You can hear it in his voice. He said, it's not just Lynette's life he's ruined, but Brian Hooker has ruined the entire family's life.

[D]

That was my baby. I mean, for 30 plus 38 years. For 38 years, she's been a daughter to me. She's never missed a birthday or Father's Day. She called me and sang. I mean, that was my baby. The last thing I told Brian Hooker, when we were in Fort Pierce, I told him just before we left them, take care of my baby. And every time he's ever been around us, and they left. That's the last thing I've ever told him was take care of my baby.

[C]

And where is Brian? Well, after he was arrested in The Bahamas on April 8, questioned by police down there, held for five days, ultimately released without charges, Brian simply disappeared. The sailboat remains in Coast Guard possession as of today as well. The dinghy now being examined, too.

[E]

And.

[C]

And whether or not the forensics actually turn up something new, Brian Hooker still has a lot of questions to answer.

[E]

I would think that some of this could be used to try to elicit a confession as well. You know, it'll be interesting to see in the coming weeks. Is Brian Hooker compelled to speak with cgis? Is he charged in the US in some capacity? Is he extradited back to the Bahamas? You know, there's a lot on the table that could go down here.

[C]

You can tell this family is broken. And despite the pain they're going through, they told Ashley Banfield that they will not stop looking for Lynette until they find out what happened to their daughter. Watch your back.

[D]

That's how I feel.

[C]

Now, the Coast Guard investigation remains open, and they are asking if you have any information about Lynette Hooker's disappearance or any other crime, honestly, that the Coast Guard is investigating, go to their website. You can submit a tip through the CGIS Tips app. Again, you can go to their website as well and see what other cases they're following, but this is a big one, and they're. They're treating it as a criminal investigation and they want your help.

[D]

I'm not going to go away until I find my daughter, and they're not going to go away until they put him in jail. That's so criminal.

[C]

While discussing the case of her daughter on drop. Dead serious. Darlene couldn't even bring herself to say the word funeral. She knows a funeral is coming for Lynette, but she wants the truth first. The Coast Guard, they're now investigating that dinghy. So we will keep you updated as more develops. In the case of Lynette Hooker, I'm Lyndon Blake, and you've been listening to that's so Criminal.