Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

The 39-year-old Lexington, South Carolina personal trainer vanished after being seen at Planet Fitness and was later found dead in a wooded area near a bridge. Now, the autopsy results are in, but instead of answering the biggest question, how did Elena die, they’ve left the case wide open. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the strange timeline before Elena disappeared, the bizarre Ring camera video from days earlier, the possible EMS dispatch involving a disoriented woman, and the new autopsy update showing no obvious trauma, no clear cause of death, and no final manner of death. Forensic criminologist and death investigator Dr. Laura Pettler joins Ashleigh to explain why investigators are now turning to toxicology, medical records, and histological testing of Elena’s organs to figure out what happened in those final days.

Chilling New Details: A body has been found in the search for missing Lexington, South Carolina woman Elena Moore, but the coroner says there was “nothing obvious” at first glance. We've also learned that Elena Moore’s husband spent 14 years as a local deputy before becoming a private investigator. Police said early in the investigation that he was not a person of interest. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield is joined by Sergeant Vicki Rains, who was featured in Netflix’s hit true crime docuseries, Missing: Dead or Alive? Rains served for more than 20 years in law enforcement, including with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s Victims Services Unit. She weighs in on the unusual timeline, the strange Ring camera video showing Moore disoriented days before she disappeared, the husband’s law enforcement background, and the questions investigators still need to answer. Previous Video: https://youtu.be/aZ6UHHD29FUElena Katherine Moore, 39, was last seen on June 11 after signing in at Planet Fitness in Lexington. Surveillance later showed her walking near Publix on Old Cherokee Road wearing the same olive-green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants she had on earlier that night. Days later, police said they found a body wearing similar clothing, but official identification and cause of death were still pending.

Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home more than 135 days ago, and investigators have released almost nothing about what happened to the 84-year-old grandmother. But now, a new cybersecurity report on so-called “wrench attacks” and “proxy target attacks” has raised a disturbing possibility in the case: was Nancy taken not because of what she had, but because of who she was connected to? In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the new report, the brutal rise of crypto-related kidnappings and torture-for-password crimes, and why Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says the task force is aware of the report and has flagged it to investigators. Ashleigh also speaks with security expert Spencer Coursen, a former U.S. Army Ranger and former special deputy U.S. Marshal, about how these attacks work, why criminals are moving from hacking to physical violence, and what families can do to protect themselves from ransom, extortion, and proxy targeting.

A damning new photo shows the water near Soulmate looking eerily calm at the very time Brian Hooker claims his wife, Lynette Hooker, “bounced” out of their dinghy in rough seas and vanished into the Sea of Abaco. In this episode, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the image that may blow a hole straight through Brian’s “angry seas” story, along with the new questions surrounding the dinghy, the electric motor, the missing battery telemetry, the FLIR camera on Soulmate, and the latest search areas in the Bahamas. Brian Hooker has not been charged with a crime and is presumed innocent.👒🔍Download June’s Journey for free now using my link https://liftpage.media/mb/ashleighbanfieldxdropdeadserious-junesjourney-may26

Haunting New Clues: Brian Hooker says Lynette Hooker vanished on April 4, 2026, after “bouncing” off the back of their dinghy in the Sea of Abaco. But the clues aboard Soulmate, the 46-foot sailboat anchored near Aunt Pat’s Bay, may raise much darker questions. This episode digs into cameras aboard Soulmate, possible Blink camera footage, Apple Watch and Starlink questions, power logs, apps, engine data, scuba tanks, dive weights, dumbbells, and what the Coast Guard Investigative Service may be looking for after the CGIS raid at Fort Pierce. As the search for answers in Lynette Hooker’s disappearance continues, the biggest question remains: Did Brian Hooker make it back to Soulmate that night?Try Wildgrain: Get $30 off your first box and free Croissants for life when you visit https://Wildgrain.com/BANFIELD, or use promo code BANFIELD at checkout.

Federal agents just turned Brian Hooker’s floating home into a crime scene. Exclusive photos and videos show Soulmate, the 46-foot sailboat Brian and Lynette Hooker lived on, taped off at Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce as federal agents boarded the vessel, searched below deck for hours, and removed evidence in bags. Brian says Lynette “bounced” off the back of their dinghy and vanished in the Sea of Abaco, Bahamas. But if this happened in the dinghy, why is Soulmate now being processed like a crime scene? In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down the Coast Guard Investigative Service search, the evidence removed from Soulmate, and the new holes in Brian Hooker’s story. Plus, Lynette’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, reveals what Brian told her, what still doesn’t add up, and why the family is desperate to bring Lynette home.Go to http://cozyearth.com and use my code BANFIELD for up to 20% off!

A major new development in the disappearance of Lynette Hooker: the U.S. Coast Guard has seized Soulmate, the 46-foot sailboat Lynette shared with her husband, Brian Hooker, after it reportedly left the Bahamas and was intercepted offshore on its way back to the United States. Exclusive photos and video show the boat being towed into the Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida, where it is now in U.S. custody as part of a criminal investigation. In this episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield breaks down how Soulmate left Marsh Harbour after weeks on a mooring ball, how the boat was tracked across the water, why the Coast Guard Investigative Service may now have the biggest piece of evidence in the case, and what investigators could be looking for onboard, including forensic evidence, digital data, electronics, clothing, and anything that could challenge Brian Hooker’s account of Lynette allegedly going overboard from the dinghy. https://www.gofundme.com/f/Lynette-Hooker-Missing-in-Bahamas