Lynette Hooker, left, and Brian Hooker.

Lynette Hooker, left, and Brian Hooker.
From Lynette Hooker/Facebook

 

 

It has been nearly a week since she vanished at sea, and Lynette Hooker’s husband of 25 years has spent the past several days in custody in the Bahamas, where he’s been questioned in connection with her disappearance.

From the beginning, Brian Hooker has remained faithful to his original account: that his wife fell from a small dinghy as the couple traveled back to their sailboat through rough conditions in the Bahamas, and that strong currents pulled her out of his reach.

Authorities detained him Wednesday for questioning based on probable cause, Royal Bahamas Police Force Assistant Commissioner Advardo Dames told Reuters. He was taken into custody as a suspect, Dames said, though no charges have been announced.

“I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy,” he said in a statement before his arrest, describing what he characterized as a tragic accident. “Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”

By Friday, he was interviewed again, this time about the couple’s personal life, according to his attorney, who said investigators did not focus on potential physical evidence from the couple’s boat or devices.

“He was overwhelmed, he was upset, and he kept reiterating that ‘I need to know what’s happening with the search of my wife,’” his attorney, Terrel Butler, said Friday, saying earlier that her client “appears completely heartbroken and deeply distressed,” and the trauma of his wife’s disappearance and detention as a suspect has left him in an “extremely fragile state.”

Brian Hooker’s detention period was extended through Monday evening after being questioned again Friday, his attorney said. Police have not said why they requested the extension.

A photo of Lynette Hooker, who is reportedly missing at sea.

A photo of Lynette Hooker, who is reportedly missing at sea.
From Lynette Hooker/Facebook

The attorney has pushed back on growing public speculation, arguing that without finding Lynette, conclusions about foul play are premature.

The couple had spent the past decade sailing together, charting a life across open water — learning to scuba dive, chasing marine life and finding meaning in the quiet, in-between moments at sea. The pair were navigating the Bahamas on their yacht, “Soulmate,” when Lynette Hooker disappeared.

But with Lynette Hooker still missing — and her heartbroken daughter now raising questions and concerns about the relationship behind that life — the story has grown heavier.

A concerned daughter raises questions

In the days after her stepfather was taken into custody, Lynette Hooker’s daughter described her mother’s marriage as “rocky,” saying while they cared for one another, their relationship sometimes turned volatile.

“I just want to know the truth. I don’t want him to be in trouble. I just hope this was a freak accident, but I don’t want it to just be swept under the rug,” Karli Aylesworth told CNN on Thursday.

The 28-year-old said her mother had previously confided that Brian Hooker choked her — an allegation CNN has not independently confirmed with law enforcement. His attorney has said he denies the claims.

Lynette Hooker with her daughter, Karli Aylesworth, left.

Lynette Hooker with her daughter, Karli Aylesworth, left.
Karli Aylesworth

During police questioning Friday, Brian Hooker “was confronted with the allegations from his stepdaughter,” but he continues to dispute her account, Butler said.

In 2015, Lynette Hooker was placed in custody in Michigan on suspicion of “assault & battery/simple assault,” according to a Kentwood police report.

Brian Hooker told an officer he had been assaulted by his wife, who struck him multiple times, according to the report, which said he was found with a swollen, bloody nose.

Lynette Hooker, who an officer said was “highly intoxicated,” told police she had been “struck in the forehead by her husband Brian” as well, though no visible injuries on her were documented.

A prosecutor reviewed the case and determined there was “insufficient evidence as to who started the assault,” the police report said. The case was dismissed without charges being brought.

CNN has attempted to reach out to Brian Hooker’s family and friends for more information about the couple.

Alongside those claims, there exists another version of the couple’s life — one Lynette documented in affectionate detail.

On her Instagram account, the two appear inseparable, moving together across the sea, sharing home–cooked meals and sunlit moments. There are smiles, adventures and rituals.

To those watching from the outside, it looked like a love built on simple joys and shared adventure.

Brian Hooker shared a photo of himself and his wife, Lynette, to Facebook along with a statement prior to his arrest in connection to the disappearance of his wife.

Brian Hooker shared a photo of himself and his wife, Lynette, to Facebook along with a statement prior to his arrest in connection to the disappearance of his wife.
Brian Hooker/Facebook

As the investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance continues, Aylesworth says she is also struggling to understand her stepfather’s account of what happened on the water.

“If my significant other fell into the water, I’d be freaking out and going after him, I wouldn’t just ‘bye,’” Aylesworth said. “I’d be out in the middle of the ocean with you, at least we’ll be, you know, alive and together.”

Brian Hooker has told authorities the dinghy lost power after Lynette fell overboard because she was wearing the engine’s safety lanyard. He said he tried to paddle, last seeing her swimming toward shore as the boat drifted away. He eventually made it to land near Marsh Harbour hours later, according to local rescue officials.

The day before he was arrested, Brian Hooker told Aylesworth in a voicemail he had thrown a floatation device to his wife in the water and authorities had found it.

Despite days of searching by Bahamian authorities and local rescue team, no trace of Lynette Hooker has been found. By Tuesday, officials said the effort had shifted from rescue to recovery.

CNN’s Martin Goillandeau, Elizabeth Wolfe, Dianne Gallagher and Meridith Edwards contributed to this report.