Husband of US woman who vanished from boat in the Bahamas is arrested by police amid daughter's plea for full investigation
A husband has been arrested by police in the Bahamas after his wife vanished while sailing aboard a boat near the archipelago.
Brian Hooker, 59, was detained on the Abaco islands on Wednesday, five days after he returned from a sailing expedition without his wife Lynette Hooker, 55, and claimed she fell overboard.
The Royal Bahamas police said Brian questioned 'on probable cause' and was taken into custody as a suspect in connection with his wife's disappearance, but he has not been formally charged.
Officials said the couple were experienced sailors who had been traveling together for more than a decade, often documenting their life at sea on social media.
On Saturday evening, they took out an eight-foot motorboat from Hope Town in the Bahamas, but only Brian returned.
He told authorities that his wife fell overboard with the boat keys as they were returning to their yacht 'Soulmate', causing the engine to shut off and forcing him to paddle to the shore.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Brian Hooker said he is 'heartbroken' by his wife's disappearance, describing the incident as a 'boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds.'
'Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,' Brian said. 'We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.'
Lynette Hooker was said to have fallen from a dinghy as she and her husband Brian were making their way back to their sailboat, Soulmate
Brian Hooker said he last saw his wife fell overboard in strong currents and he 'lost sight of her'
Search-and-rescue teams announced the mission to find Lynette had become a recovery operation on Tuesday
Brian's attorney Terrel Butler said his client 'categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing' in his wife’s disappearance, saying he 'has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.'
The couple's distraught daughter called for a full investigation into the tragedy after she said her parents went through 'prior issues' before her mother's disappearance.
Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, said following Brian's arrest late Wednesday that she was 'glad to hear' about the arrest, but declined further comment, saying she was seeking more information.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hamlett said she wants to hear more from her son-in-law about how Lynette vanished.
The couple had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan.
Online records gave Brian Hooker’s age as 58, and the reason for the discrepancy wasn’t immediately clear.
'I’m going to be interested in what he says, because I haven’t heard from him in almost two days,' Hamlett said.
'Our family grew up on water and so Lynette her whole life has been near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming.
'It would be a miracle if [she’s rescued], but I’m still counting on one,' Hamlett added.
Brian broke his silence four days after she was swept away, speaking out amid claims that he failed to notify his wife's daughter of the tragedy for 24 hours.
The couple had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan
Authorities said Brian paddled to shore and alerted someone about the incident early Sunday
On Tuesday, Lynette's daughter Karli Aynesworth called for a full investigation into the events leading up to her mother’s fall.
'There have been prior issues brought to my attention, which may be important for any thorough investigation,' she told Fox News Digital.
'If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it,' she added.
'However, there needs to be an intensive review of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident before that can be determined.'
Aylesworth also told CBS that her mother is a seasoned sailor and swimmer, with over a decade of experience on the water.
She is unable to wrap her mind around how Lynette fell overboard and vanished.
A source close to the family has told the Daily Mail that Brian only called his stepdaughter a full day after Lynette went missing.
’So more than 24 hours later. We don’t know why. We don't know if he was busy looking,' said the source. 'We just don’t know.
‘Karli has not really been back in contact since because she finds the circumstances a little suspicious.
Lynette Hooker's daughter, 28-year-old Karli Aylesworth called for a full investigation into the events leading up to her mother’s fatal fall and says her stepfather didn't tell her of the tragedy for 24 hours
Aylesworth, now 28, pictured on mother's lap in undated photo
Aylesworth says is unable to wrap her mind around how Lynette fell overboard and vanished
Aylesworth previously shared harrowing details about her mother and stepfather's relationship
'They were a couple literally living on the bigger boat for four years and it would be hard for them to misjudge the chop if it was bad. They would have said, hey, maybe we shouldn’t do this.’
The source said local officials did not contact Aylesworth about the tragedy and there has been no contact with them since the news was broken to her.
On the hint referring to her ‘prior issues’ comment, the source said: ‘I’ve tried to tell her all relationships have disagreements. Her mom did tell her some stuff, but she doesn’t want to reveal anything more.
‘Karli was down in the Bahamas with them both at the end of February, beginning of March and she was actually on the boat at a slightly different place.’
Aylesworth previously revealed harrowing details about her mother and stepfather's relationship to Fox News.
'There is a history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So, the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there's more to the story,' she told the outlet.
'There has also been a history of domestic violence in that relationship, so I do believe something might have happened to her.'
Aylesworth also shared a voicemail Brian sent her with CBS News, in which he spoke about throwing a flotation device to Lynette after she fell.
Aynesworth said of her mother's disappearance: 'If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it'
The couple had been making their way back to their sailboat Soulmate in an 8ft dinghy when Lynette fell overboard
Brian told police his wife slipped and fell due to poor weather while traveling on a dinghy to get to their yacht
'Hello, honey, it's Dad. I just got a call from Hope Town Search and Rescue, and they found the flotation device that I threw to Mom when she fell overboard,' he told his stepdaughter.
A US State Department spokesman previously said it was 'aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay,' adding that they were 'working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance.'
The investigation remains ongoing as the search for Lynette continues.
The Bahamas currently has a level two travel advisory, warning visitors to exercise increased caution due to increased crime and swimming-related risks.
In summary, the advisory cited violent crimes, such as armed robberies, burglaries, and sexual assaults, as well as the lack of regulation around boating, which has led to injury and death.
Daily Mail reached out to The Royal Bahamas Defence Force for comment.
