The US Coast Guard has requested Bahamian officers for permission to send divers to new places in its search for Lynette Hooker after investigators discovered inconsistencies between her husband’s location knowledge and his statements to investigators about the place to search for his spouse, a US official accustomed to the investigation informed NCS.
Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old American mother and sailor, went missing in early April. Her husband of 25 years, Brian Hooker, told authorities she fell from an 8‑foot dinghy in the tough waters close to the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands because the couple was touring again to their yacht one night, in accordance to police.
But location knowledge recovered from Brian Hooker’s digital units contradicts his early statements to investigators advising them the place to look for his spouse, the official stated.
The husband reported his spouse missing April 5, telling investigators she fell overboard the night prior as they have been using again to their yacht by means of uneven seas.
Authorities say Brian Hooker informed them the dinghy misplaced energy as a result of she had the engine security key when she fell. Lynette Hooker’s daughter says he later left her a voicemail saying he threw a flotation machine after his spouse.
Within days of the disappearance, the Coast Guard stated it had opened a legal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance. The company declined to remark Wednesday on the continuing investigation.
Brian Hooker’s lawyer, Terrel Butler, declined to remark Wednesday on the new search request, additionally citing the continuing investigation.
Brian Hooker has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection along with his missing spouse. He was arrested and questioned repeatedly by Bahamian police in the week after her disappearance and he was launched with out being charged.
NCS has sought extra data from Bahamian police.
The Michigan couple, each US nationals, had been crusing collectively for more than a decade, documenting their life at sea on social media. They have been navigating the Bahamas on their yacht, Soulmate, when the incident occurred.
The report of Lynette Hooker’s disappearance triggered an pressing search as her mom and daughter pleaded for updates from authorities. Three days after she was reported missing, officers shifted from an energetic search to a restoration mission. Her physique has not been discovered.
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, initially expressed skepticism over her stepfather’s account of what occurred, saying her mom is an skilled sailor and robust swimmer who was unlikely to be swept away by robust waters.
But Brian Hooker’s lawyer has refuted Aylesworth’s accusations. Butler informed NCS that investigators haven’t offered her with any proof the husband could have dedicated wrongdoing.
Brian Hooker informed a number of information shops on April 14 he nonetheless believed his spouse was alive and vowed to proceed looking out for her.
“I believe I’ve been told that people have lasted in the Bahamas after falling overboard for days and even weeks,” he informed CBS on April 14. He stated he’s “not really capable of just turning away from this.”
The subsequent day, 10 days after he reported his spouse missing, Brian Hooker returned to the United States to go to his mom, who his lawyer stated was unwell. It is unclear whether or not he has returned to the Bahamas.
This story has been up to date.