Questions linger about whether Brian Hooker, the husband of missing American Lynette Hooker, will be permitted to leave the Bahamas following his release. Bahamian authorities freed Brian, 59, around 7:20 p.m. on Monday after he was detained for five days during the search for his wife, who has been missing for nearly 25 years.
Authorities confirmed that he was released while further investigations continue, but his attorney, Terrell Butler, mentioned it’s uncertain if Brian still has his passport. He added that discussions about Brian’s travel plans would take place between them and the police.
Butler noted that he and Brian are set to meet on Tuesday. There was a deadline for Bahamian authorities to either charge or release Brian, and Butler stated that he had not received any updates after that timeframe.
He criticized the handling of the situation, labeling it as “totally unacceptable and disrespectful.” Following talks with prosecutors, police decided that no charges were warranted at this time, leading to Brian’s release. Investigations, however, may still be ongoing, as police continue to seek information about Lynette’s disappearance.
Lynette, a 55-year-old mother from Michigan, reportedly fell overboard from the couple’s dinghy on April 4 while attempting to reach a yacht named “Soulmate” that was anchored in Elbow Cay.
Brian claimed he fell into the water while holding onto the keys, causing the engine to stop. He then rowed to shore, reportedly arriving at the Marsh Harbor boatyard around 4 a.m. the following morning.
At the boat ramp, he informed security guard Edward Smith that Lynette had fallen overboard in “rough weather.” When asked why it took him so long to report her disappearance, Brian had set off two smoke bombs but asserted that the two nearby boats didn’t respond to his calls for help.
Smith recounted their conversation, saying, “I asked him, ‘So where is that woman?’ He replied, ‘She’s in the water.'” Smith described Hooker as “exhausted” and seeking water but didn’t initially find him suspicious.
The guard alerted the police, who arrived around 5 a.m., and Brian was still speaking with them hours later. During his custody, authorities examined the cell phone and laptop belonging to the yacht Soulmate, suspecting they might contain important evidence related to the missing person case.
Lynette’s body has not yet been located, and Brian expressed his heartbreak over her disappearance before his detention. Her adult daughter, Carly Aylesworth, is expected to travel to the Bahamas with her boyfriend, Steve Hansen, on Wednesday.
