Photo: @the_sailing_hookers/Instagram
Authorities must decide whether to press charges against Brian Hooker, the husband of Lynette Hooker, in connection with her disappearance in the Bahamas by Monday (April 13) night, NBC News reports.
Brian Hooker, 59, was detained last Wednesday (April 8), three days after he claimed his wife fell overboard from their dinghy and was swept away by strong currents, and his detention was extended Friday (April 10) until 7:20 p.m. local time Monday. Another extension cannot be made and he must be charged to be held past that deadline.
Hooker faced a three-hour interrogation at a Grand Bahama police station, having been probed "in relation to causing harm which resulted in her death," his lawyer, Terrel Butler, told NBC News. Butler confirmed Hooker was being treated as a suspect, which has left him "pretty upset, emotional," during the interrogation which left him "in an extremely fragile state."
Hooker repeatedly told police "I need to know what's happening," according to Butler.
“He was uncertain as to why they were questioning him about causing harm or possible murder when they had not given him any information where she is, if they had recovered her,” she said.
Hooker reportedly claimed that the wind blew him away from his wife during her disappearance in an apparent Facebook message to a friend.
“The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat, and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown,” Brian told friend and fellow boater Daniel Danforth in a message sent on Monday (April 6), two days after Lynette's disappearance, which was viewed by CBS News.
Hooker made the claim in response to Danforth telling him he saw the couple's story on ABC World News. The husband was arrested by police in the Bahamas on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.
A Coast Guard spokesperson told the Associated Press late Wednesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into the case. The reported arrest came hours after Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told NBC News that her mother and stepfather had a volatile relationship.
Aylesworth said it's unlikely that her experienced mariner mother would "just fall" off the boat and said the couple had a "history of not getting along, especially when they drink." Hooker, 55, of Onsted, Michigan, was on an 8-foot dinghy with her husband en route to their yacht, the "Soulmate," on Elbow Cay when she went overboard at around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.
Aylesworth said her stepfather notified her of her mother's disappearance in a "monotone and relaxed" voice during a phone call on Sunday (April 5).
“I was in shock,” she said. “I was like, my mom’s missing? Like, what?”
Brian Hooker paddled to a marina and reported his wife overboard to an individual who then called police at around 4:00 a.m., the Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed. Authorities and volunteers from both the Bahamas and U.S. are taking part in ongoing search and rescue efforts, the department said on Monday (April 6).
Aylesworth had previously shared a statement regarding her mother's disappearance on Monday.
"I have been privy to very little information. My sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance," she said.
"While the Royal Bahamian police are investigating this matter, I would also appreciate any involvement of the federal, state or local authorities to look into the circumstances of this tragic situation," Aylesworth added.