US investigators to reopen search for missing American woman in Bahamas
The U.S. Coast Guard is relaunching its search for an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas after new GPS data appears to contradict her husband’s account of where he was on the night she disappeared.
Brian Hooker told authorities his wife, Lynette, fell overboard from an eight-foot dinghy while on the Sea of Abaco on April 4. However, investigators now say he gave them incorrect information about the location, leading them to search in the wrong area.
The Coast Guard is requesting permission from Bahamian authorities to allow American divers to search the sea again.
The Coast Guard also asked Lynette Hooker’s family to provide DNA to help in the investigation. Her daughter told NBC News she provided a sample on Wednesday.
The FBI is still examining evidence from the case, but GPS information obtained from one of Brian Hooker’s electronic devices has pointed them to an unsearched area that could lead to additional evidence.
‘Soulmate’
Brian Hooker, 58, told Bahamian authorities that his 55-year-old wife fell out of their dinghy as they traveled back to their yacht, the “Soulmate,” on the evening of April 4 in the area of Aunt Pat’s Bay near Hope Town to Elbow Cay.
He said she had the key to the dinghy with her when she was swept away by strong currents and high winds, forcing him to paddle back to shore, landing at about 4 a.m. on April 5.
Officials shifted from an active search to a recovery mission three days after Lynette Hooker was reported missing. Her body has not yet been found.
Bahamian police detained Brian Hooker on April 8 for questioning, but released him five days later without filing charges.
He told news outlets on April 14 that he still believed his wife was alive and he would keep looking for her. The next day, he returned to the U.S. to visit his sick mother, according to his attorney.
Brian Hooker has denied any wrongdoing and it is not clear if he has returned to the Bahamas.
On Wednesday, he wrote on Facebook that he is “heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy.”
“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.”
A tumultuous history
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has expressed skepticism over Brian Hooker’s account of what happened. She has said her mother is an experienced sailor and strong swimmer and was not likely to be swept away by strong currents.
Aylesworth told NBC News that Lynette and Brian Hooker had “a history of not getting along, especially when they drink.” In a separate interview on Fox News, Aylesworth claimed she has seen Brian Hooker become physically violent with one of his children.
“I’ve seen him choke out one of his daughters before and we had to go to court for that,” Aylesworth said. “So, he’s just repeating patterns.”
In 2015, Lynette Hooker was arrested on assault charges in Michigan. A police report said she and her husband accused each other of assault. She was not prosecuted because police found there was “insufficient evidence as to who started the assault.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
