It has been almost every week since she vanished at sea, and Lynette Hooker’s husband of 25 years has spent the previous a number of days in custody in the Bahamas, the place he’s been questioned in reference to her disappearance.
From the starting, Brian Hooker has remained devoted to his authentic account: that his spouse fell from a small dinghy as the couple traveled again to their sailboat by tough situations in the Bahamas, and that sturdy currents pulled her out of his attain.
Authorities detained him Wednesday for questioning based mostly on possible trigger, Royal Bahamas Police Force Assistant Commissioner Advardo Dames advised Reuters. He was taken into custody as a suspect, Dames mentioned, although no fees have been introduced.
“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,” he mentioned in an announcement earlier than his arrest, describing what he characterised as a tragic accident. “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.”
By Friday, he was interviewed once more, this time about the couple’s private life, in line with his legal professional, who mentioned investigators didn’t concentrate on potential bodily proof from the couple’s boat or gadgets.
“He was overwhelmed, he was upset, and he kept reiterating that ‘I need to know what’s happening with the search of my wife,’” his legal professional, Terrel Butler, mentioned Friday, saying earlier that her consumer “appears completely heartbroken and deeply distressed,” and the trauma of his spouse’s disappearance and detention as a suspect has left him in an “extremely fragile state.”
Brian Hooker’s detention interval was prolonged by Monday night after being questioned once more Friday, his legal professional mentioned. Police haven’t mentioned why they requested the extension.
A Justice of the Peace authorized the extension below Bahamian regulation, which permits authorities to carry somebody for an extra 72 hours when an investigation is incomplete, in line with Butler.
The legal professional has pushed again on rising public hypothesis, arguing that with out discovering Lynette, conclusions about foul play are untimely.
The couple had spent the previous decade crusing collectively, charting a life throughout open water — studying to scuba dive, chasing marine life and discovering which means in the quiet, in-between moments at sea. The pair had been navigating the Bahamas on their yacht, “Soulmate,” when Lynette Hooker disappeared.
But with Lynette Hooker still missing — and her heartbroken daughter now elevating questions and issues about the relationship behind that life — the story has grown heavier.
In the days after her stepfather was taken into custody, Lynette Hooker’s daughter described her mom’s marriage as “rocky,” saying while they cared for each other, their relationship typically turned unstable.
“I just want to know the truth. I don’t want him to be in trouble. I just hope this was a freak accident, but I don’t want it to just be swept under the rug,” Karli Aylesworth advised NCS on Thursday.
The 28-year-old mentioned her mom had beforehand confided that Brian Hooker choked her — an allegation NCS has not independently confirmed with regulation enforcement. His legal professional has mentioned he denies the claims.
During police questioning Friday, Brian Hooker “was confronted with the allegations from his stepdaughter,” however he continues to dispute her account, Butler mentioned.
In 2015, Lynette Hooker was positioned in custody in Michigan on suspicion of “assault & battery/simple assault,” in line with a Kentwood police report.
Brian Hooker advised an officer he had been assaulted by his spouse, who struck him a number of instances, in line with the report, which mentioned he was discovered with a swollen, bloody nostril.
Lynette Hooker, who an officer mentioned was “highly intoxicated,” advised police she had been “struck in the forehead by her husband Brian” as effectively, although no seen accidents on her had been documented.
A prosecutor reviewed the case and decided there was “insufficient evidence as to who started the assault,” the police report mentioned. The case was dismissed with out fees being introduced.
NCS has tried to achieve out to Brian Hooker’s household and associates for extra details about the couple.
Alongside these claims, there exists one other model of the couple’s life — one Lynette documented in affectionate element.
On her Instagram account, the two seem inseparable, shifting collectively throughout the sea, sharing dwelling–cooked meals and sunlit moments. There are smiles, adventures and rituals.
To these watching from the outdoors, it regarded like a love constructed on easy joys and shared journey.
As the investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance continues, Aylesworth says she is additionally struggling to grasp her stepfather’s account of what occurred on the water.
“If my significant other fell into the water, I’d be freaking out and going after him, I wouldn’t just ‘bye,’” Aylesworth mentioned. “I’d be out in the middle of the ocean with you, at least we’ll be, you know, alive and together.”
Brian Hooker has advised authorities the dinghy misplaced energy after Lynette fell overboard as a result of she was carrying the engine’s security lanyard. He mentioned he tried to paddle, final seeing her swimming towards shore as the boat drifted away. He ultimately made it to land close to Marsh Harbour hours later, in line with native rescue officers.
The day earlier than he was arrested, Brian Hooker advised Aylesworth in a voicemail he had thrown a floatation system to his spouse in the water and authorities had discovered it.
Despite days of looking out by Bahamian authorities and native rescue crew, no hint of Lynette Hooker has been discovered. By Tuesday, officers mentioned the effort had shifted from rescue to restoration.
NCS’s Martin Goillandeau, Elizabeth Wolfe, Dianne Gallagher and Meridith Edwards contributed to this report.