HOPE TOWN, Bahamas — Bahamian police are searching for missing American Lynette Hooker five days after her husband says she fell out of a dinghy and was swept away by a strong current near Elbow Cay in the Caribbean country.
Her husband, Brian Hooker, has been arrested in her disappearance, according to the attorney representing him.
Here’s everything we know about the disappearance.
HUSBAND ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH DISAPPEARANCE OF AMERICAN WOMAN IN THE BAHAMAS
Lynette, 55, and Brian, 58, documented their experience buying and cleaning up their boat in Rockport, Texas, in a video posted on YouTube on Jan. 10, 2023 on their account called “The Sailing Hookers.”
She said the couple had spent years looking for a sailboat to buy before finding a Morgan 461 sailboat in Texas, a 1980 charter boat from the Virgin Islands.
She said it was “a little rough on the edges.”
“But we knew we were up for the task,” she added in the video, which showed photos and footage of the couple repairing the boat.
The Hookers posted a video on their YouTube channel showing them sailing from the Industrial Canal Lock and navigating the Mississippi River toward Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans.
Lynette and Brian shared a video of their first attempt at crossing the Gulf of America. Gale force winds forced them to stop in Morgan City, Louisiana.
The couple posted a video of Walmart supplies being delivered to them while they were in New Orleans.
The next video on the Hookers’ YouTube channel was more than two years later, when they said they were in Fernandina Beach, Florida.
The couple posted a 13-second video from a bridge over a creek in Coloma, California.
Lynette and Brian shared a video of them paddleboarding in Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas.
Local authorities say the couple left Hope Town’s Abaco Inn on a dinghy headed towards their anchored yacht. According to Brian, Lynette fell overboard from the small boat and into the water. He said Lynette had the ignition key to the dinghy when she fell, causing it to shut off, and that despite attempts to save her, she was swept away.
Brian then paddled to the shore in Marsh Harbour.
Brian reported Lynette missing.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) announced that investigation into Lynette’s fall was underway.
That U.S. Coast Guard briefly participated in the search on Sunday.
HUSBAND TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN CONNECTION WITH MISSING AMERICAN WOMAN LAST SEEN IN BAHAMAS
“The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) is the lead agency for this search,” the agency told Fox News Digital. “On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard provided support for approximately one hour using an HC-144 aircraft, but the search yielded no results. Since then, the RBDF has not requested additional assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard.”
WATCH: Lynette Hooker, husband document boating life
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, called for a thorough investigation in a statement to Fox News Digital. Aylesworth is not Brian’s biological daughter.
“There have been prior issues brought to my attention, which may be important for any thorough investigation. If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it,” Aylesworth said. “However, there needs to be an intensive review of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident before that can be determined.”
She said she has been “privy to very little information,” adding her “sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance.”
Richard Cook, a team leader of Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, told PEOPLE that officials “don’t suspect foul play at the moment.”
“It was just a lot of bad decisions,” he added. “Night time, very windy, no moon out yet so it was pitch dark and very rough conditions for the small boat they were in.”
He also told the magazine that search efforts have transitioned to a recovery effort.
WATCH: Lynette and Brian Hooker share scenes from boating life
RBDF releases a second statement informing the public that “search operations and investigative efforts remain active.”
The law enforcement entity said that it, along with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Local Fire & Rescue Teams, and the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association are investigating.
The U.S. State Department also confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is working with the Bahamian government.
HUSBAND OF AMERICAN WOMAN MISSING IN THE BAHAMAS SPEAKS OUT FOR FIRST TIME, SAYS HE IS ‘HEARTBROKEN’
Aylesworth joined Griff Jenkins on “Fox & Friends” and said that she has seen Brian become physically violent towards one of his own children.
“I’ve seen him choke out one of his daughters before. And we had to go to court for that,” Aylesworth said. “So he’s just repeating patterns.”
She 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.
Aylesworth also said that Brian Hooker left a voicemail message telling her authorities found Lynette’s flotation device.
“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,” Brian Hooker said in the voicemail, according to CBS News.
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10:04 a.m.: Brian spoke out for the first time since 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. 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,” Brian Hooker said in a Facebook post.
“Our family is deeply grateful for the Bahamian people’s assistance, especially that of the Hopetown Volunteer Fire & Rescue team, Royal Bahamas police force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and the U.S. Coast Guard, who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us. Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time,” he added.
WATCH: Private investigator TJ Ward reacts to Brian Hooker’s arrest
A vessel operated by the Royal Bahamas Police Force approached Brian’s yacht, which was positioned between two landmasses, to inspect it.
Two officers appeared to secure an item, possibly a rope, to the side of the boat, according to ground source AJ Skuy. One officer was also seen looking through a window before the crew departed the vessel minutes later.
No further activity was observed around the yacht.
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The U.S. Coast Guard launched an investigation into Lynette’s case, as confirmed by Fox News Digital.
WATCH: Donna Rotunno breaks down Brian Hooker’s arrest
The RBPF announced on Facebook that a 59-year old man had been arrested in Marsh Harbour in connection with the incident. The police force did not name the suspect, but said he was being questioned.
Attorney Terrel Butler confirmed to Fox News Digital that Brian Hooker was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the disappearance of his wife. He has not been charged with any crime.
Butler said Brian has been cooperating with relevant authorities and “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing” in Lynette’s disappearance, specifically allegations of his potential involvement made by her daughter, Aylesworth.
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Lynette’s mother said she wants to hear what her son-in-law has to say after his arrest in connection with her daughter’s disappearance in the Bahamas, according to The Associated Press.
Darlene Hamlett told the AP she would “be interested in what he says,” adding that she had not heard from him in almost two days.
“I’m going to be interested in what he says, because I haven’t heard from him in almost two days,” Hamlett said.
Hamlett, who was driving home from the Bahamian Consulate in Miami after securing a passport to travel to the islands, also told the AP that her daughter was experienced on the water, having grown up around lakes, boats, sailing and swimming.
“Our family grew up on water and so Lynette her whole life has been near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming,” Hamlett said. “It would be a miracle if (she’s rescued), but I’m still counting on one.”
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Aylesworth said that her stepfather’s arrest appears to be bringing the case “the attention it deserves” as investigators work to determine what happened in the Bahamas.
She was interviewed for about two hours Wednesday by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Detroit sector, her attorney, Ron Marienfeld, confirmed to CNN.
In a statement after Brian’s arrest, Marienfeld told Fox News Digital that the family’s goal had been to get answers after they were “not hearing anything in the beginning.”
“After learning of the arrest last night, it appears this matter is getting the attention it deserves,” Marienfeld said.
He said Aylesworth’s efforts, along with those of Lynette’s mother, helped intensify scrutiny on the case by drawing media attention. Marienfeld added that the family felt better once it learned the U.S. Coast Guard was involved in the investigation.
“The events as initially reported just did not seem to add up,” he said.
Marienfeld called the case “nothing short of a tragedy” and said the family is now waiting to see where the evidence leads. He also thanked the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Coast Guard, the media and others who have worked on the case.
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Aylesworth told the TODAY Show that Brian gave her the same account he later shared with authorities during a brief phone call Sunday, after Lynette vanished during a dinghy ride from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, according to local authorities.
She said her stepfather sounded “monotone and relaxed” when he told her what allegedly happened the night her mother disappeared in the Bahamas.
Aylesworth said she was “in shock” by both the news and his tone.
“I was in shock,” she said. “I was like, my mom’s missing? Like, what?”
Since the incident, Fox News Digital has spoken with two people who said the Hookers retired and began traveling in their boat full time.
John Waters, who is friends with the couple, told Fox News Digital he met Lynette at an oyster bar in Panama City Beach, Florida in 2023. He said the couple was on a journey around the Gulf of America.
“Their new lifestyle was this boat that they picked up in Texas. They spent a year working on it,” Waters said.
One of Lynette’s former neighbors in Kentwood, Michigan, told Fox News Digital the same, and described Lynette as “just so freaking nice.”
“She was just a sweetheart, she was always the nicest lady,” the former neighbor told Fox News Digital. “She was — I don’t want to say she was like a hippie — but she kind of gave off this free spirit vibe, this ‘let’s go with the flow’ vibe.”
He described Lynette as outgoing, and said she would wave whenever she saw him. He also socialized with Lynette and Brian, recalling memories of drinking alcohol with them by the pool when the weather was nice. He told Fox News Digital that she gave him motherly advice, adding that she spoke simply but that her words had a big impact, like when she gave him advice about choosing the right partner before he got engaged.
Property records indicate that Brian and Lynette sold their home in the town of Kentwood, Michigan in 2020. Fox News Digital was not able to verify any further property records related to the Hookers.
The U.S. State Department has issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas. Americans are urged to “exercise increased caution” due to crime, beach safety, as well as jet ski and boating dangers.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Brian multiple times for comment, but has not heard back.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
