It’s been almost a week since Brian Hooker said his wife fell from a dinghy in the Bahamas. Now that he is a suspect, more details are emerging about his past.
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.
The attorney for a Michigan man arrested in connection with the disappearance of his wife on a boat in the Bahamas says he is “deeply troubled” and frustrated that he cannot help find her. Meanwhile, a new police report obtained by USA TODAY says he once violently strangled his own daughter after losing his temper over a school textbook.
Brian Hooker, 59, has been in police custody since Wednesday, April 8, and is considered a suspect in the disappearance of his wife of 25 years, Lynette Hooker. He has not been charged.
His attorney, Terrell Butler, said in a statement to USA TODAY that Hooker “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing” in the disappearance and is cooperating with the investigation.
“Brian appears to be completely heartbroken and deeply distressed,” Butler told USA TODAY on Friday, April 10. “His main 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.”
Here’s the latest information on the case, including details from two police reports obtained by USA TODAY. Hooker was previously accused of strangling a loved one twice.
What happened to Lynette Hooker?
According to a news release from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, on Saturday, April 4, Brian Hooker reported that his wife fell overboard from their 8-foot solid-bottom dinghy during an overnight trip from Hope Town to Elbow Bay off Great Abaco Island. 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 told Reuters that Brian Hooker was a “suspect”. A U.S. Coast Guard official told USA TODAY that the Coast Guard is also conducting a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.
The massive search and rescue effort for Lynette Hooker, 55, included professional divers, drone technology and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. The operation has been significantly scaled back and is now considered a recovery operation.
What do Brian Hooker and his lawyers say?
Brian Hooker’s attorney told USA TODAY that as of Friday morning, Hooker was at a police station in Grand Bahama and was scheduled to be interviewed again.
She said Hooker was seeking medical treatment for injuries he allegedly sustained during his arrest.
“During heavy rain and strong winds, he was taken by boat to the Soulmate for a police search,” she said. “Despite the rough and dangerous sea conditions, he was handcuffed. As he tried to move sideways across the wet and unstable floor of the boat to maintain his balance, holding a bundle of clothing in each hand, he tripped and fell overboard.”
She said the man was rescued by police after he was “immersed in cold water and inhaled a significant amount of seawater before surfacing with a life jacket.”
“As a result of this fall, Brian sustained a knee injury, a limp, and visible abrasions,” she said.
About 12 hours before his arrest, Brian Hooker wrote a short Facebook post about what happened to his wife.
“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.”
Police report details of suffocation charge against Brian Hooker
Brian Hooker was charged in 2005 with child abuse charges stemming from allegations involving one of his daughters, according to a Kentwood Police Department report obtained by USA TODAY on Friday, April 10. A jury later acquitted him.
Hooker’s daughter, whose age is not disclosed in the police report, reported that her father became furious that her school textbook premised creationism over evolution, and called him a “bastard” during an ensuing argument.
She said her father jumped up from where he was sitting and ran away. According to the police report, the man caught up with her and “grabbed her by the neck, lifted her up, slammed her against the wall, and began strangling her.”
“He held her above his head,” the report said, and included a photo of a red mark on the girl’s neck.
The girl’s sister and sister-in-law witnessed the attack and told police they were “scared,” the report said.
Hooker’s attorney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on the allegations.
A separate Kentwood police report obtained by USA TODAY details a bloody altercation between Lynette and Brian Hooker at their Michigan home in 2015.
The report said the couple were each intoxicated and accused the other of assault. Police were unable to determine who caused the incident, but because Brian Hooker’s only visible injury was a nosebleed, Lynette Hooker was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery and spent the night in county jail, a Kentwood police report said.
Lynette Hooker, who was “very intoxicated”, reportedly said Brian Hooker had choked her and punched her. According to the report, Brian Hooker told police that Lynette Hooker punched him in the face up to five times.
“He stated that he had not received such a blow in a long time,” the police officer wrote. “He started crying and became emotional.”
What else do you know about Lynette and Brian Hooker?
Brian and Lynette Hooker look like golden age adventurers making their dreams come true on social media. They described themselves on TikTok as a “couple living their best life” after “sailing from the BS.”
The couple also documented their trip on Instagram as “The Sailing Hookers.” Their posts include grinning selfies, adventures like snorkeling and scuba diving, and humble brags about enjoying the Bahamian weather while their loved ones back in Michigan face winter weather.
However, Lynette Hooker’s daughter Carly Aylesworth said in interviews with CBS News, NBC News and Fox News that her mother and stepfather had a rocky relationship and said there was a history of domestic violence.
“There is a history of him strangling her and threatening to throw her overboard,” she told Fox News.
Brian Hooker denies Aylesworth’s claims, according to a statement from his attorney. USA TODAY could not find any records showing he was ever convicted of domestic violence.
Mr Aylesworth said in multiple interviews that it made no sense for his mother to fall from the dinghy, adding that her mother was a healthy and experienced sailor. She told CBS News that it also didn’t make sense for her mother to have the keys to the boat because her stepfather was always driving.
“It makes no sense at all,” she told Fox News.
Contributor: James Powell, USA TODAY
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.
