GREAT ABACO ISLAND, Bahamas – Bahamian authorities released Brian Hooker, the husband of missing Michigan boater Lynette Hooker, after a Monday evening deadline to charge him or let him go in connection with her disappearance, his attorney said.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force said the decision followed consultation with the Department of Public Prosecutions, which recommended that Hooker be released pending the outcome of further investigations.
Hooker had been held in custody since he was arrested on Wednesday, April 8, as investigators examined the circumstances surrounding his wife’s disappearance near Elbow Cay earlier this month.
Hooker’s immediate next steps remained unclear Monday night. His attorney, Terrel Butler, told Fox News Digital she did not know whether he still has his passport and said she would need to “discuss that further with him and the police” when asked if he is free to leave the Bahamas.
Butler said both she and Hooker were exhausted following the ordeal and that she chose to “give him space” after his release, allowing him to return to his hotel. She said they plan to reconvene in the morning.
LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST
She added that around 7:50 p.m. that authorities did not file charges before the 7:20 p.m. deadline, requiring his release under Bahamian law. Hooker walked out of the police station shortly afterward.
Butler had earlier criticized the delay, saying she had not received an update from police after the cutoff and calling the situation “totally unacceptable and disrespectful.”
Earlier in the day, Butler said Hooker feels “a bit drained and tired from this whole ordeal,” and that he’s “just hoping to have closure to be released so that he can continue to search to find out what has happened to his wife.”
Body language expert Susan Constantine told Fox News Digital that Brian Hooker’s demeanor following his release stood out as notably restrained, with little visible emotion.
“He doesn’t show a lot of expression in his body movement. There’s not a lot of movement — he’s not gesturing,” Constantine said. “If you didn’t know the situation, you might think he was walking into a business meeting.”
Constantine said Hooker appeared “very matter of fact” and “collected,” adding that there was “no sense of urgency,” which she described as unusual given the circumstances.
“He’s looking relaxed — creating that presence that he doesn’t have a care in the world,” she said. “That can be someone who is trying to project, ‘I’m innocent,’ and perform that way.”
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, who bought a boat in Texas and fixed it up before beginning their sailing trips in 2023, according to videos they shared on their YouTube account, “The Sailing Hookers.”
Police continue searching for Lynette by air, land and sea, though the effort has shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.
Lynette Hooker was last seen the night of April 4 after the couple left the Abaco Inn on a dinghy headed back to their anchored yacht.
Fox News Digital previously retraced the route — a short trip through waters local experts say are typically shallow, clear and heavily trafficked.
According to Brian Hooker’s account, Lynette fell overboard in worsening weather and strong winds. He has said the couple was not wearing life jackets and that the dinghy lost power after the ignition key went into the water.
In a recorded phone call obtained by CBS, Hooker described the incident as a series of mistakes, saying Lynette “basically just bounced off the dinghy” before he lost sight of her in the dark.
He has said he later paddled for help after searching for her.
WATCH: Volunteer fire and rescue team searches for missing Lynette Hooker
In an interview on Ashleigh Banfield’s “Drop Dead Serious” podcast, Lynette’s mother described a volatile relationship and said her daughter had left her husband multiple times in the past.
“They had a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” she said. “When there were bad times, they were bad times.”
She alleged Brian Hooker could become “mean” and “hateful” when drinking and said there had been instances where he became physical, adding she had long feared for her daughter’s safety.
Lynette had been planning to leave the marriage, her mother said in the interview.
FRIEND OF BRIAN HOOKER SPEAKS OUT, QUESTIONS DISAPPEARANCE OF WOMAN IN BAHAMAS MYSTERY
Separately, Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has questioned Brian Hooker’s version of events, saying the circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance “don’t add up.”
In a previous appearance on “Fox & Friends,” she also alleged he had been physically violent in the past.
“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.”
Brian Hooker has denied wrongdoing and has spoken publicly about the incident, saying in a Facebook post that he is “heartbroken.”
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
Hooker’s attorney said his client wants “closure” to find out what happened to his wife.
“He denied the allegations and he maintained his innocence,” Terrel Butler said, adding that a decision on whether to charge him would likely come before the deadline.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
The attorney also said the case would ultimately be handled by prosecutors, not just investigating officers, and that Hooker is “drained and tired” as he awaits a decision.
If he is not charged by the deadline, authorities would be required to release him, though re-arrest remains a possibility under Bahamian law.
A flotation device believed to have been thrown to Lynette was recovered, according to multiple reports, but authorities have not announced that they have found her body.
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commander Origin Deleveaux told NBC News that authorities were continuing to search for Lynette, and that early efforts were complicated by severe weather.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
Fox News Digital has also reported that local boaters say it would be unusual for someone to disappear without a trace in the area due to the water clarity and proximity to land.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
The Hookers had documented their boating lifestyle online after buying and restoring a sailboat in Texas, eventually making their way to the Bahamas.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
It remains unclear whether authorities could pursue charges at a later time as the case develops.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
