The husband of a Michigan woman who went missing at sea while boating in the Bahamas has broken his silence days later.
Lynette Hooker disappeared after her husband, Brian Hooker, said she fell overboard while the pair traveled in an 8-foot motor boat from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on Saturday night. Brian Hooker told authorities his wife had the boat keys with her when she fell, causing the engine to turn off and forcing him to paddle for hours to get to shore for help.
“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement issued Saturday.
The U.S. Coast Guard told the AP on Wednesday that Bahamian officials asked them to help on Sunday with an HC 144 aircraft, “with nothing found.” The Coast Guard said it hasn’t received additional requests for help.
NBC News quoted a woman identified as Karli Aylesworth who said her mother is missing in the Bahamas, and that it was unlikely she would “just fall” off the boat.
The couple, from Michigan, have been sailing for more than a decade, starting with a small two-person sailboat and moving to a larger vessel they bought in Texas, Aylesworth said.
They sailed around the Gulf of Mexico, she said, and eventually got to the Bahamas. She said they sold their home a few years ago and lived full-time on the boat.
They documented part of their Bahamas trip on their TikTok and Instagram pages called “The Sailing Hookers.” In their last TikTok post, the couple had sailed to Great Guana Cay.
Aylesworth also was quoted as saying that the couple’s relationship was volatile, and that they have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”
On Wednesday morning, Brian Hooker, whom Aylesworth identified as her stepfather, issued a message on Facebook.
“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 near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote. “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.
“Our family is deeply grateful for the Bahamian people’s assistance, especially that of the Hopetown Volunteer Fire & Rescue team, Royal Bahamas police force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and the US Coast Guard, who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us. Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time.”
Bahamian police said search operations and investigative efforts remain active.
“These efforts have spanned marine, land and aerial areas, with additional support from drone technology and professional divers,” according to a statement.
Richard Cook, team lead with Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue, said the wind was 18 to 22 knots and it was dark out Saturday night. There have been strong onshore winds along the East Coast because of the passage of a cold front.
Cook said Tuesday that the effort to find Lynette Hooker was now “a recovery operation.”
The State Department said earlier that it was aware of reports of a missing woman in the Bahamas and that it was “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance.”
“Due to privacy and other considerations, we have no further comment at this time,” a spokesperson said Monday.
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