Husband of US woman who vanished from boat in Bahamas arrested
Authorities in the Bahamas have arrested the husband of missing Michigan woman Lynette Hooker as part of the investigation into her disappearance at sea, following concerns raised by her daughter.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed that a 59-year-old man, believed to be Brian Hooker, was taken into custody Wednesday evening in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. He is being questioned in connection with Lynette’s disappearance from an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy while traveling toward Elbow Cay. Police have not yet released formal charges or confirmed his identity, though his age matches Brian Hooker’s.
The situation escalated after Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, spoke publicly about her fears regarding her mother and stepfather. She told Fox News she suspects “something might have happened” to Lynette during the boating trip Saturday night.
“There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard,” Aylesworth said. “So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.” She also said Brian did not inform her that her mother was missing until nearly a day after the incident.
Brian Hooker has denied the allegations. In a statement to the Daily Beast, he said, “I categorically deny the allegations made by Karli Aylesworth. At this time, I have retained local counsel, Terrel Butler, and I am acting on her strict advice not to provide further comment to the press, as there is currently an ongoing investigation.”
According to authorities, initial reports indicate that Lynette, 55, fell into the water and was carried away by strong currents while trying to reach their yacht, Soulmate, from the dinghy. She reportedly had the boat’s keys with her when she fell, causing the engine to stop.
Brian told police he lost sight of Lynette amid the rough waters and returned to shore by paddling the small boat. He arrived at Marsh Harbour Boat Yard around 4 a.m. Sunday, where he notified someone about the incident. That individual then contacted local police.
Since her disappearance, authorities have conducted extensive marine, land, and aerial searches in an effort to locate Lynette.
Just hours before his arrest, Brian posted on Facebook expressing his distress over the incident. “I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote. “Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her, and that is my sole focus.”
The couple, residents of Onsted, Michigan, had been married for more than 20 years. They shared their sailing adventures online for the past three years under the nickname “the Sailing Hookers.”
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