Brian and Lynette Hooker documented their boating travels, including through Florida, on social media, but now the once wanderlust couple is centered on a criminal investigation with one in custody and the other missing.
Brian Hooker, 59, was arrested April 8, four days after he reported his wife fell off a small dinghy they were taking back to their yacht.
Advardo Dames, assistant commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police, identified Brian Hooker as “a suspect” in a phone interview with Reuters. A U.S. Coast Guard Official told USA TODAY earlier Wednesday that the agency also is conducting a criminal investigation into Hooker’s disappearance.
Here’s what we know so far.
What happened to Lynette Hooker?
Brian Hooker reported his wife fell off an 8-foot dinghy about 7:30 p.m. April 4 on the way to their yacht. Brian Hooker said his wife was carrying the boat’s key when she fell off in rough waters, which caused the boat’s engine to stop. The “strong currents subsequently carried her away,” and he lost sight of her, police said.
Brian Hooker made it to shore early the following morning and reported his wife missing. The U.S. Coast Guard has assisted in the search with divers and drones.
Richard Cook, team leader with the Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue, told NBC News it’s now considered a “recovery operation.”
The Royal Bahamas Police Department is asking members of the public who may have information that could help the investigation to contact them by dialing 911 or 919, or anonymously by calling 328-8477.
What is Brian Hooker, Lynette Hooker’s family saying about her disappearance?
“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,” Brian Hooker wrote on Facebook about 12 hours before his arrest. “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.”
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told multiple news outlets it doesn’t make sense her mother would fall off the dinghy, saying that she was a fit and experienced mariner. She also described the couple’s relationship as volatile and said it involved domestic violence.
“Their relationship has been a lot of fighting and drinking lately,” she told CBS. “So I’m just kind of questioning what actually went on in that dinghy.”
She told the outlet that it didn’t make sense for her mom to have the key to the boat because her stepdad always drives. “He’s basically in charge of the key,” said Aylesworth, who has started a GoFundMe to help in her mother’s search efforts.
Brian and Lynette Hooker’s social media presence
The couple used the moniker “The Sailing Hookers” to document their travels aboard their yacht, “Soulmate.”
Their posts include grinning selfies, adventures like snorkeling and scuba diving, and humble brags about enjoying the weather in the Bahamas while their loved ones back in their home state of Michigan freeze.
In early March she posted a short clip of the clear waters in Key West and captioned it “paddleboarding today.” Also that month, they documented trouble they had anchoring in Fort Pierce.
“We sailed away from BS. A married couple living their best life,” the couple’s TikTok bio said.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Husband arrested after wife goes missing on boating trip in Bahamas
Reporting by Michelle Spitzer and Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
