Husband arrested after wife falls overboard near Elbow Cay, Bahamas
Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested Wednesday after his wife Lynette, 55, went overboard from a dinghy near the Abaco Islands. The search remains ongoing.
Michigan man held as wife's disappearance off Abaco Islands triggers criminal probe
Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested Wednesday evening after his wife, Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, was reported missing following an overboard incident near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas, the Royal Bahamas Police Force announced. The search for Lynette Hooker remains ongoing, according to abc11.com.
The couple had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands by dinghy at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, bound for their yacht, Soulmate. Brian Hooker told authorities that bad weather caused his wife to fall overboard during the crossing. Strong currents, he said, carried her out to sea before he could reach her.
Lynette Hooker was holding the boat key when she went overboard, which caused the engine of the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy to shut off automatically, police noted. Her husband subsequently paddled back to shore, arriving at a marina at around 4 a.m. Sunday, where he reported his wife missing to an individual who then alerted the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Multiple sources had told ABC News that a criminal investigation had been opened into whether any wrongdoing occurred in the case. The U.S. Coast Guard will lead the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
In a statement posted to social media on Wednesday — his first public remarks — Brian Hooker described himself as "heartbroken over the recent boat accident." He said "unpredictable seas and high winds" caused his "beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy" near Elbow Cay. "Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart," he wrote. "We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus."
Hooker thanked the multiple agencies involved in the search and rescue operation, which has been conducted by land, sea and air and includes the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a "full and complete investigation" into her mother's disappearance. She told ABC News her mother is fit and a strong swimmer. Aylesworth described what her stepfather told her: "He said that my mom's missing and that she fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn't know if she got it or not."
"I just hope we find her," she added.
The U.S. State Department said Monday it is "aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay" and is "working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance." The Hookers had documented their sailing travels on social media under the name "The Sailing Hookers."
The investigation and search efforts are ongoing, police said.
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