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In a developing story from the Bahamas, law enforcement authorities have taken into custody the husband of a U.S. woman who mysteriously disappeared while on a boat near the island chain. The arrest was made late Wednesday, and while officials have confirmed the detention of the 59-year-old man, they have opted to keep his identity under wraps for the time being.
According to the police, the man was apprehended in Abaco and is currently undergoing questioning. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance have prompted the involvement of the U.S. Coast Guard, which has launched a criminal investigation into the case, as confirmed by a spokesperson to The Associated Press.
As of now, details about potential charges remain undisclosed, and it is uncertain if the man has legal representation. The case centers around Lynette Hooker, aged 55, who was last seen aboard an 8-foot motorboat traveling from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on a Saturday night.
Her husband, identified as 58-year-old Brian Hooker, reported to authorities that Lynette fell overboard, taking the boat keys with her, which resulted in the engine shutting down. The incident has raised numerous questions and is under thorough investigation by both Bahamian police and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Officials have said Lynette Hooker, 55, was traveling in an 8-foot motorboat from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on Saturday night, and that her husband, 58-year-old Brian Hooker, told authorities she fell overboard with the boat keys, causing the engine to turn off.
Authorities said Brian Hooker then paddled to shore and alerted someone about the incident early Sunday.
“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement issued Saturday.
Brian Hooker then paddled to shore and alerted someone about the incident early Sunday, authorities said.
Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that she was “glad to hear” about the arrest, but declined further comment, saying she was seeking more information.
Earlier on Wednesday, she said she wants to hear more from her son-in-law about how her daughter disappeared. The couple had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan.
“I’m going to be interested in what he says, because I haven’t heard from him in almost two days,” Hamlett said while on a six-hour drive back home from the Bahamian Consulate in Miami, where she secured a passport so she can fly to the Caribbean nation soon.
“Our family grew up on water and so Lynette her whole life has been near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming,” Hamlett said. “It would be a miracle if (she’s rescued), but I’m still counting on one.”
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told NBC News that it is unlikely her mother would “just fall” off the boat, saying she was an experienced sailor. The couple had been sailing for years and documented their voyages on social media under the moniker, “The Sailing Hookers.”
Aylesworth also told NBC that the couple’s relationship was volatile, and that they have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”
She told WXYZ-TV she doubted her mother survived and was able to tread water that long, but hoped to find her to get closure.
On Wednesday morning, Brian Hooker 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 near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.”
“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 U.S. Coast Guard has also joined the investigation and interviewed Aylesworth on Wednesday, according to her attorney, Ron Marienfeld.
“We are pleased to see it is being investigated, and hopefully more answers will come to give the family some closure,” Marienfeld said via email.
Bahamian police said search operations and investigative efforts remain active.