Michigan man arrested after wife vanishes from Bahamas boat, GPS contradicts story
Brian Hooker was arrested after his wife Lynette disappeared overboard in the Bahamas in April. GPS data contradicts his account, prompting a new Coast Guard search.
Coast Guard to reopen search after GPS data contradicts husband's account
The U.S. Coast Guard is set to resume its search for Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old woman from Michigan who has been missing since April, after GPS data from the boat she shared with her husband appears to contradict his version of events the night she disappeared. NBC News reports that a U.S. official familiar with the investigation confirmed the development.
According to the official, Brian Hooker's account led investigators to search "in the wrong area" of the Sea of Abaco. The Coast Guard is now requesting permission from Bahamian authorities to allow divers to re-search the waters. The FBI is processing evidence related to the case at its facility in Quantico, Virginia.
Hooker told Bahamian authorities that Lynette fell out of their 8-foot dinghy on the evening of April 4 as they traveled from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, and that she had the engine key on her when she went overboard. He said he paddled the vessel to shore, arriving around 4 a.m. on April 5 at Marsh Harbour Boat Yard, where he informed someone of what had happened. That person then contacted police.
Hooker was arrested in connection with his wife's disappearance on April 8 and released five days later without charges. Royal Bahamas Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said at the time that he would remain a suspect. He has since returned to the United States.
"I've never harmed Lynette, and I would never harm Lynette, and I want to find Lynette," Hooker told NBC News last month.
His Bahamas-based attorney, Terrel A. Butler, declined to comment on Wednesday, citing the ongoing investigation. Butler has previously stated that her client denies any wrongdoing related to his wife's disappearance.
The Coast Guard took possession of the couple's boat, named the Soulmate, this month. Lynette's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told NBC News that she provided a DNA sample to the Coast Guard on Wednesday to assist the investigation. Aylesworth had previously said her mother and Hooker had "a history of not getting along, especially when they drink."
Lynette's mother, Darlene Hamlett, said authorities have not kept her informed about the progress of the investigation and that she has had no contact with Brian Hooker. She declined to comment further.
Court records show that in 2015, Lynette was arrested on charges of assault and battery. A Michigan police report from that night indicated that she and her husband had accused each other of assault. The warrant was ultimately denied for insufficient evidence as to who initiated the confrontation.
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