What We Know About US Woman Missing at Sea

The American woman missing in the Bahamas after reportedly falling overboard while boating with her husband has been identified. Lynette Hooker, 55, was riding in a dinghy with Brian Hooker, 58, trying to reach their yacht, the Soulmate, when bad weather caused Lynette to fall into the water late Saturday, authorities tell ABC News. Brian Hooker reported that his wife was carried away by currents; it’s unclear if she was wearing a life jacket. The last post on the couple’s “sailing Hookers” Instagram account, shared shortly before Saturday’s outing, shows a small boat tied to a jetty, reports the New York Post. The US State Department says it’s assisting Bahamian authorities in the investigation.

Apr 6, 2026 11:43 AM CDT

An American man who returned to shore after a boating trip in the Bahamas early Sunday reported that he’d watched helplessly as his wife fell overboard and was carried away by currents. As the man reported, the unidentified woman, also American, fell from the vessel traveling between Hope Town and Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands around 7:30pm Saturday, taking the ignition key with her, thereby cutting the engine, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said, per Fox News. It’s unclear exactly how that happened. The husband, also unidentified, reportedly resorted to paddling the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy, finally reaching Marsh Harbour, on a separate island, around 4am Sunday, per Fox and People.

Authorities were then notified and a search launched. The RBPF, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and Hope Town Fire & Rescue are now involved in the investigation. Police are asking members of the public with relevant information to reach out. The incident follows a March 2025 US State Department advisory warning that “boating is not well regulated” in the Bahamas and “injuries and deaths have occurred.”

https://www.newser.com/story/386794/us-man-says-he-watched-sea-carry-away-his-wife.html