Coast Guard looks to send divers to new Bahamas waters in search for Lynette Hooker, official says

By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard has asked Bahamian officials for permission to send divers to new locations in its search for Lynette Hooker after investigators found inconsistencies between her husband’s location data and his statements to investigators about where to search for his wife, a US official familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old American mother and sailor, went missing in early April. Her husband of 25 years, Brian Hooker, told authorities she fell from an 8‑foot dinghy in the rough waters near the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands as the couple was traveling back to their yacht one evening, according to police.

But location data recovered from Brian Hooker’s electronic devices contradicts his early statements to investigators advising them where to look for his wife, the official said.

The husband reported his wife missing April 5, telling investigators she fell overboard the evening prior as they were riding back to their yacht through choppy seas.

Authorities say Brian Hooker told them the dinghy lost power because she had the engine safety key when she fell. Lynette Hooker’s daughter says he later left her a voicemail saying he threw a flotation device after his wife.

Within days of the disappearance, the Coast Guard said it had opened a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance. The agency declined to comment Wednesday on the ongoing investigation.

Brian Hooker’s attorney, Terrel Butler, declined to comment Wednesday on the new search request, also citing the ongoing investigation.

Brian Hooker has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with his missing wife. He was arrested and questioned repeatedly by Bahamian police in the week after her disappearance and he was released without being charged.

CNN has sought more information from Bahamian police.

The Michigan couple, both US nationals, had been sailing together for more than a decade, documenting their life at sea on social media. They were navigating the Bahamas on their yacht, Soulmate, when the incident happened.

The report of Lynette Hooker’s disappearance triggered an urgent search as her mother and daughter pleaded for updates from authorities. Three days after she was reported missing, officials shifted from an active search to a recovery mission. Her body has not been found.

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, initially expressed skepticism over her stepfather’s account of what happened, saying her mother is an experienced sailor and strong swimmer who was not likely to be swept away by strong waters.

But Brian Hooker’s attorney has refuted Aylesworth’s accusations. Butler told CNN that investigators have not presented her with any evidence the husband may have committed wrongdoing.

Brian Hooker told several news outlets on April 14 he still believed his wife was alive and vowed to continue searching for her.

“I believe I’ve been told that people have lasted in the Bahamas after falling overboard for days and even weeks,” he told CBS on April 14. He said he is “not really capable of just turning away from this.”

The next day, 10 days after he reported his wife missing, Brian Hooker returned to the United States to visit his mother, who his attorney said was unwell. It is unclear whether he has returned to the Bahamas.

This story has been updated.

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