GPS data appears to contradict Brian Hooker's account of wife's disappearance

Newly obtained GPS data in the case of Lynette Hooker's disappearance in the Bahamas has prompted U.S. investigators to relaunch a search for the body of the missing Michigan woman, a U.S. official familiar with the investigation told CBS News.

After the forensic evidence appeared to contradict her husband's account of where he was the night she disappeared, U.S. investigators are asking the Bahamas for permission to send a dive team to search new areas in the Sea of Abaco for the body of Lynette Hooker.

The U.S. official told CBS News that GPS data derived from one of Brian Hooker's electronic devices showed a track of the device's movements that does not align with what he told investigators. The newly obtained data shows the device was out on the water, stopping in the Sea of Abaco before returning, the official said, granting investigators a more precise location to search.

Coast Guard investigators have also asked family members of Lynette Hooker to provide their DNA to assist in their investigation, family members told CBS News.

The rest of the evidence from the case is still being processed by the FBI in Quantico, but investigators believe GPS information extracted from at least one electronic device has identified previously unsearched areas where divers should now look for additional evidence, including Lynette Hooker's body.

Because the search would take place in Bahamian territorial waters, U.S. authorities have to seek permission from the Bahamas, even though the vessel involved is U.S.-flagged.

The latest development marks one of the most significant turns yet in the investigation into Lynette Hooker's disappearance, raising new questions about Brian Hooker's account of what happened on April 4, the night his wife vanished. Brian Hooker told authorities that his wife fell from an 8-foot dinghy during a nighttime ride in the Abacos and was swept away with the boat keys, leaving him unable to restart the engine and forcing him to paddle for hours before reaching shore, CBS News previously reported.

Lynette Hooker was last seen near Aunt Pat's Bay, near Elbow Cay and Hope Town, Brian Hooker reported to local authorities. 

Brian Hooker has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. He was detained by Bahamian authorities for questioning and released without charges after five days. After being released from custody, he traveled to the U.S. to see his ailing mother, according to his Bahamian attorney. His current whereabouts are not known.

CBS News has also reported that Brian Hooker shared maps he said showed the dinghy's route and the location where Lynette Hooker went overboard.

But investigators now believe they have independent forensic data that undercuts that version of events, pointing them instead to a different search area.

The planned dive search comes amid an expanding U.S. criminal investigation. The Coast Guard Investigative Service seized the couple's sailboat, the "Soulmate", earlier this month as part of the probe, CBS News previously reported. Investigators have also been examining whether technology aboard the vessel, including an infrared camera, may hold evidence relevant to the case.

While it is not known if Brian Hooker used the camera, it is currently being processed as part of the ongoing probe, according to sources.