Husband of Missing U.S. Woman in Bahamas Questioned Over Possible Murder Charge
Brian Hooker, 58, was questioned for over three hours by Bahamian police about his wife Lynette's disappearance. His attorney says authorities may be pursuing a murder charge.
Bahamas Police Question Husband of Missing American Woman on Possible Murder Charge
Brian Hooker, 58, was questioned by Royal Bahamas Police for more than three hours on Friday over the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, 55, NBC News reports. His attorney, Terrel A. Butler, said the line of questioning suggests authorities are exploring a possible murder charge.
At Central Police Station in Grand Bahama, officers asked Brian Hooker about the couple's relationship and personal life, and questioned him "in relation to causing harm which resulted in her death," Butler said. Hooker has not been charged and has denied any wrongdoing.
Butler noted that no body has been recovered and that, as of Friday, there is no physical evidence linked to Lynette Hooker's death. "He definitely denies causing her death, and he still asked about her and is hopeful that she will be recovered," Butler said.
Arrest Follows Wife's Disappearance During Night Boat Ride
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested Brian Hooker on Wednesday, several days after police say he told authorities that Lynette fell overboard Saturday night near Elbow Cay. According to police, Hooker said she went overboard with the keys to their dinghy, forcing him to paddle for hours before reaching Marsh Harbour Boat Yard early Sunday, where he alerted someone who then contacted police.
In audio posted to YouTube by friends of the couple — Blaine and Marnette Stevenson, who said they spoke with Hooker by phone on Monday — a voice purportedly belonging to Hooker describes the events of that night. Butler has not yet confirmed whether the voice in the recording is Hooker's. NBC News has not independently verified whether the audio has been edited.
In the recording, the speaker says the couple had been anchored at the south end of Aunt Pat's Bay on Elbow Cay near Tahiti Beach when they took their dinghy out Saturday night. Lynette Hooker "basically just bounced off the dinghy" amid winds around 20 mph, he says.
"We weren't wearing life jackets. It was sundown, and the sun set like basically 10 minutes after she fell over," he says in the audio.
The speaker describes the wind rapidly separating them and says he believed Lynette tried to swim back to their sailboat, approximately 1,000 yards away, in three-foot waves. What followed, he said, was a "cascade of failures" — a broken oar pin, anchoring issues, and flares that drew no response. He said he yelled for his wife, threw a flotation cushion toward her, but could not tell whether she grabbed it.
By the time he set anchor, he said, he was a quarter to half a mile from her. Tidal drift eventually carried him to marshland roughly four miles away. He said he alerted police and the search began around 4:30 a.m. — by which point Lynette had been in the water for approximately eight hours.
Blaine Stevenson told NBC News he posted the audio so people could continue to search for Lynette and so Hooker's account could be made public while he remains in detention. The Stevensons met the Hookers in late 2023 while anchored near each other in Bradenton, Florida, and had previously sailed with the couple.
Detention Extended, Charge Deadline Approaching
During the police interview on Friday, Brian Hooker was "pretty upset and emotional, at one point even broke down into tears," Butler said. "He kept reiterating that 'I need to know what's happening,' what is happening with the search of his wife," she added.
Butler said Hooker's detention has been extended until 7:20 p.m. local time on Monday. Under Bahamian law, his detention cannot be extended again after that point; he must be formally charged to be held past the deadline. It remains unclear when a court date might be scheduled.
In a statement issued earlier Friday, Butler said Hooker's "primary concern and source of intense frustration is his inability to continue the search for his wife of 25 years." The statement described him as being "in an extremely fragile state" due to the trauma of her disappearance combined with his detention as a suspect.
Butler also disclosed that Brian Hooker fell overboard himself on the night of his arrest, amid rough waters, sustaining a knee injury that has caused a limp and an abrasion. The incident occurred after he was escorted by police boat to the couple's sailboat, the Soul Mate, so officers could conduct a search of the vessel during his arrest.
Search Continues With Drones and Vessels
Royal Bahamas Defense Force Commander Origin Deleveaux told NBC News on Friday that the search for Lynette Hooker remains ongoing. Authorities are using their own vessel along with drone surveillance both from the air and underwater. Deleveaux acknowledged that "serious bad weather" had complicated the operation, and that search resources had previously been divided across multiple areas. One of those searches has since concluded, allowing efforts to be consolidated.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which had opened a criminal investigation in the case, is no longer assisting with the active search. A U.S. law enforcement source said Thursday that the Royal Bahamas Police Force had officially requested U.S. assistance.
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