HOPE TOWN, Bahamas — The American woman who went missing in the Bahamas after her husband said she fell off a small boat had been living out her retirement dream of sailing when tragedy struck, according to a friend. Along the way, the couple had been building a social media following and forging connections across the country.
Lynette Hooker, 55 and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, left Hope Town’s Abaco Inn at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, four minutes after the sunset that night on a small boat headed to their yacht in Elbow Cay, according to Bahamian officials.
Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that while the couple were on the smaller boat, known as a dinghy, Lynette fell into the water with the ignition key, causing the engine to shut off. The current carried her away, according to Brian, who paddled back to a marina at Marsh Harbor. He reported Lynette missing at around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.
John Waters, who is friends with the couple, told Fox News Digital he met Lynette and at an oyster bar in Panama City Beach, Florida in 2023. He said the couple was on a journey around the Gulf of America.
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“Their new lifestyle was this boat that they picked up in Texas. They spent a year working on it,” Waters said.
He described the couple as both really nice and said they were going for their retirement dream of sailing. He said the couple “weren’t that experienced” in boating.
Three days into the search for Lynette, authorities have provided few answers.
Richard Cook, team leader with Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, told PEOPLE foul play isn’t suspected.
“It was just a lot of bad decisions,” Cook said. “Night time, very windy, no moon out yet so it was pitch dark and very rough conditions for the small boat they were in.”
Cook also told CNN that the search for Lynette Hooker has shifted to a recovery operation.
Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker’s daughter, who isn’t related to Brian, told Fox News’ Griff Jenkins that Brian Hooker has a history of being violent towards her mother. She did several interviews with media outlets on Tuesday, including with Fox News’ Griff Jenkins.
“I do believe something might have happened to her,” she said. “There’s history of them 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.”
Aylesworth said that Brian Hooker told her authorities found Lynette Hookers’ flotation device.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Brian Hooker several times but has not received a response. He has not been charged with a crime.
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Aylesworth told Fox News Digital that Brian Hooker’s behavior would shift when drinking alcohol.
“He starts to act more smart-a—y and more picking at you and like ‘I know this will irritate you so I’m gonna do that'” type of attitude.
Aylesworth described her mother as a “very fit person” who wouldn’t lose her balance on a boat.
“I’m confused why she has the keys because she never drove the dinghy. It was always Brian. So the story just doesn’t add up right now,” Aylesworth said.
CBS News found Brian Hooker in the Bahamas, but he didn’t give them a comment.
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Criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno told Fox News Digital that she would advise Brian Hooker to stay silent if he was her client.
“Based on what she said, I think she’s asking for the investigation to not be a rush to judgment, and to look deeper into it,” Rotunno said.
Geoff Fahringer, former dive team member for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, told Fox News Digital that he doesn’t suspect foul play.
“Sadly, what I’ve seen in my experience is that this is unfortunately a somewhat common occurrence that seeing the circumstances of this entire accident, it’s something I’ve seen before,” Fahringer said.
Authorities haven’t said if Lynette Hooker was wearing a life jacket at the time she fell off the small boat.
The couple is very active on social media, largely showcasing their yacht. Their most recent Instagram post on Friday afternoon showed Lynette on a boat with the caption, “Not going anywhere for a while?!”
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The Royal Bahamas Police Force is investigating the woman’s disappearance along with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and Hope Town Fire & Rescue.
The U.S. State Department currently says the Bahamas issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, is under a level 2 travel advisory and urges Americans to “exercise increased caution” due to crime, beach safety, as well as jet skis and boating dangers.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital the agency is aware of reports regarding the missing American and is working with Bahamian authorities.
Boating in the Bahamas isn’t well regulated, and the State Department has said that “injuries and deaths have occurred.”
Fox News’ Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
