The husband of an American woman who disappeared during a boat trip in the Bahamas last weekend has been arrested, according to local police.
Lynette Hooker, 55, was reported missing after her husband, Brian Hooker, 59, said she had fallen out of a dinghy during what was meant to be a short ride in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas on Saturday evening. Brian Hooker was arrested on Wednesday in connection with her disappearance, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.
“Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing,” his lawyer, Terrel Butler, said in a statement following his arrest.
The U.S. Coast Guard has also reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the case.
Here’s what we know about Lynette Hooker’s disappearance and the developments that preceded her husband’s arrest.
How Lynette Hooker’s disappearance unfolded
Michigan natives Brian and Lynette Hooker, avid sailors who chronicled their travels on social media, departed from the small village of Hope Town at around 7:30 p.m. local time in an 8-foot dinghy, according to Bahamian police. Brian told authorities that Lynette fell overboard along with the boat’s keys, which caused the boat’s engine to turn off.
“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” authorities initially reported on Sunday.
Brian Hooker told authorities he then paddled the dinghy for several hours before arriving at a boat yard on a separate island, where he reported his wife’s disappearance. Local authorities mounted a widespread search and rescue effort. After days of searching without finding Lynette Hooker, the effort shifted from an active search to a recovery mission.
In a message posted to Facebook on Wednesday morning, Brian Hooker wrote that he was “heartbroken” over his wife’s disappearance.
“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.”
The Royal Bahamas Police Force initially said that Brian Hooker was “being questioned” in connection with the incident, but a police official later confirmed to Reuters that he is considered a suspect.
Daughter says mom was an experienced mariner who wouldn’t ‘just fall’ into the water
Police haven’t discussed any potential evidence that led them to consider Brian Hooker as a suspect, but two members of Lynette’s family have publicly expressed doubts about his account of the incident.
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told NBC News on Tuesday that it was unlikely for her mother, an experienced mariner, to “just fall” into the water.
She said that the couple had a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.” In an interview with a local NBC affiliate, Aylesworth said her mother and stepfather had been married for 25 years but described their relationship as “rocky at best.”
Aylesworth also said that Brian Hooker sounded “monotone and relaxed” during a voicemail that he left her on Sunday, in which he told her that authorities had located a flotation device he had thrown to Lynette before her disappearance.
In the statement on Wednesday, Brian Hooker’s attorney specifically denied “the allegations recently made by Karli Aylesworth” and said Brian “has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.”
Lynette’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that she was “glad to hear” about Brian’s arrest but declined to comment any further on the case.
Hamlett echoed Aylesworth’s comments about Lynette’s experience on the sea.
“Our family grew up on water, and so Lynette her whole life has been near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming,” she said. “It would be a miracle if [she’s rescued], but I’m still counting on one.”
