The Royal Bahamas Police Department released Brian Hooker five days after his arrest and after conducting multiple interviews regarding the circumstances surrounding his wife’s disappearance over a week ago.
Michigan woman missing in Bahamas
A 56-year-old Michigan woman is missing at sea after she went missing at sea while traveling near Hopetown, Bahamas.
Police in the Bahamas have released a Michigan man without charge in connection with the disappearance of his wife, who went out on a boat with the couple at sea more than a week ago.
Royal Bahamas Police released Brian Hooker, 59, late Monday, April 13. Authorities held him for five days and interviewed him multiple times about what happened to his wife, Lynette Hooker, 55.
Police said the release came after local prosecutors recommended that no charges be filed pending further investigation. Royal Bahamas Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles told NBC News that he remains a suspect in the disappearance of Lynette Hooker on the night of April 4.
Brian Hooker’s attorney did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Tuesday, but she vehemently denied that her client had anything to do with Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.
“Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing,” attorney Terrell Butler said in a statement to USA TODAY last week. “He is cooperating with relevant authorities as part of the ongoing investigation.”
Meanwhile, Brian Hooker told CBS News he will continue to search for his wife indefinitely.
“I think I’ve heard that there are people in the Bahamas who have survived falling into the ocean for days, even weeks,” he told CBS News. “There are so many islands, so many sandbars, little atolls, and stretches of land,” he continued. “Of course I’ll think of alternatives, but I can’t turn a blind eye to this.”
Here’s what you need to know about this:
What happened to Lynette Hooker?
On Saturday, April 4, Brian Hooker, 59, reported that his wife fell overboard from his 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy during an overnight trip from Hope Town to Elbow Bay off Great Abaco Island, according to a news release from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Brian Hooker said his wife had the keys to the boat and the engine stopped when she fell. The man then lost sight of her after “a strong current then swept her away,” police said.
Brian Hooker then rowed his dinghy several hours to shore, arriving around 4 a.m. on Sunday, April 5, the agency said.
Royal Bahamas Police Deputy Commissioner Advaldo Dames identified Brian Hooker as a “suspect” in an interview with Reuters. And a U.S. Coast Guard official told USA TODAY that the Coast Guard is also conducting a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.
Lynette Hooker’s massive search and rescue operation involved professional divers, drone technology, and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. The operation is currently considered a recovery operation.
What did Brian Hooker say after his wife disappeared?
Brian Hooker posted a short Facebook post about his wife’s disappearance on Wednesday, April 8, about 12 hours before his arrest.
“I am heartbroken by the recent boating accident in which my beloved Lynette fell from a small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas in unpredictable seas and strong winds,” he said. “Despite our desperate attempts to get closer to her, the wind and currents have pushed us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my only focus.”
He also left a voicemail for his stepdaughter the day after her mother disappeared.
“Hello, Honey, I got a call from Hopetown Search and Rescue saying they found the flotation device I threw when my mother fell into the water,” Brian Hooker said in a voicemail shared by Carly Aylesworth with multiple media outlets. “They haven’t found her yet, but from now on they can focus all their efforts on a smaller area.”
Hooker remains in custody for post-arrest questioning, but his attorney told USA TODAY his client was in an emotional state.
“Brian appears to be completely heartbroken and deeply distressed,” Butler said. “His greatest concern and source of intense frustration is his inability to continue the search for his wife of 25 years. The trauma of her disappearance, combined with his current detention as a suspect, leaves him in an extremely vulnerable state.”
More about Brian and Lynette Hooker’s relationship
Lynette and Brian Hooker have been documenting their sailing adventures on social media for years, and after “sailing away from BS,” they describe themselves on TikTok as a “couple living their best lives.” They have sailed to New Orleans, Miami Beach, Key West, Lake Michigan, and most recently all over the Bahamas.
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Carly Aylesworth, said in interviews with NBC News, CBS News, and Fox News that her mother and stepfather, Brian, had a rocky and unstable relationship.
“Recently, there has been a lot of fighting and drinking in our relationship,” she told CBS. “So I’m kind of wondering what actually happened in that dinghy.
“It makes no sense at all,” she told Fox News. “There’s a history of him strangling her and threatening to throw her overboard. So given the fact that something like this is happening, I believe there’s more to this story.”
During a 2015 police interview during a fight between the couple, Lynette Hooker, who was “highly intoxicated,” said Brian Hooker choked her and punched her, according to a report obtained from Kentwood police.
Officers found Brian Hooker bleeding from his nose and intoxicated. He told police Lynette Hooker punched him in the face up to five times, the report said.
“He stated that he had not received such a blow in a long time,” the police officer wrote. “He started crying and became emotional.”
Lynette Hooker was arrested because Brian Hooker had a swollen and bleeding nose and Lynette Hooker had no visible injuries, the report said.
USA TODAY was unable to find any records showing Brian Hooker was ever convicted of domestic violence.
What is happening now?
For now, it appears Brian Hooker plans to remain in the Bahamas in search of a wife.
Bahamian police and the U.S. Coast Guard continue to investigate what happened to Lynette Hooker. Brian Hooker remains under the police microscope as police still consider her husband a suspect.
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter covering breaking news, cold case investigations and the death penalty for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.
