Investigators have relaunched their search for the body of Lynette Hooker, of Onsted, who was reported missing by her husband in the Bahamas in early April — according to reporting from CBS News.
An “official familiar with the (case)” told CBS newly obtained GPS data contradicts Brian Hooker’s account of where his wife went missing. Those involved are seeking permission to send a dive team to “search new areas in the Sea of Abaco.”
Hooker reported his wife’s disappearance early April 5, claiming he’d paddled alone for hours after she went overboard the couple’s eight-foot dinghy near Elbow Cay in the northern Bahamas.
Hooker said the couple left Hope Town around 7:30 p.m. April 4 to return to their anchored yacht, and his wife fell overboard amid rough conditions, according to reporting from WTOL 11.
Hooker, according to authorities, said his wife was holding the boat keys when she went overboard, causing the engine to shut off. He reportedly said strong currents carried her away and he lost sight of her in the darkness; then began paddling toward safety.
Search efforts involving the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Royal Bahamas Police Force and the U.S. Coast Guard continued for several days before being downgraded from a rescue mission to a recovery operation. Officials said only a flotation device was located during shoreline searches.
Hooker was detained April 8 by the Royal Bahamas Police Force but released April 13 after prosecutors declined to file charges within the timeframe allowed under local law, according to reporting from CBS.
After returning home, Hooker hired Grand Rapids-based attorney Crystal Marie Hauser to represent him. During an interview with ABC News, Hauser asked the public to treat Hooker with the same consideration they’d expect if they found themselves in his position.
Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has publicly questioned her stepfather’s account. In interviews with NBC News, she described her mother as an experienced swimmer and sailor and said she didn’t believe her mother would have accidentally fallen overboard or been in possession of the boat keys.
She alleged to Fox News that her mother and stepfather had a volatile relationship.
“There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard,” she told the outlet. “So, the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”
The couple maintained a channel on YouTube called “The Sailing Hookers,” where they documented their travels. According to reporting from The New York Post, the couple’s final video before Lynette’s disappearance joked about “getting sick of each other.”
— Cassandra Lybrink is the local editor of The Daily Telegram. Contact her at clybrink@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Onsted woman’s body could be elsewhere, according to data via GPS
Reporting by Cassandra Lybrink, The Daily Telegram / The Daily Telegram
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