In a bizarre twist to a quickly escalating investigation, the handcuffed husband of a woman who ‘fell overboard’ from their Bahamas love boat last night slipped into the water from a police transport vessel.
Brian Hooker, 59, fell overboard himself while being transported by the authorities.
He was rescued from rough water is now in the Rand Hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Brian was arrested by police in the Bahamas on Wednesday after his wife, Lynette, vanished while sailing. He was detained on the Abaco islands five days after he returned from the expedition without her, claiming she fell overboard.
Authorities first interviewed Brian and released him, then brought him back in as a witness for further questioning.
He was later brought in for questioning a third time, as a suspect, according to his lawyer.
The Royal Bahamas police said Brian was questioned ‘on probable cause’ and was taken into custody as a suspect in connection with his wife’s disappearance, but he has not been formally charged.
The couple were experienced sailors who had been traveling together for more than a decade, often documenting their life at sea on social media, authorities said.
On Saturday evening, they took out an eight-foot motorboat from Hope Town in the Bahamas, but only Brian returned.
He told authorities that his wife fell overboard with the boat keys as they were returning to their yacht ‘Soulmate’, causing the engine to shut off and forcing him to paddle to the shore.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Brian Hooker said he is ‘heartbroken’ by his wife’s disappearance, describing the incident as a ‘boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds.’
‘Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,’ Brian said. ‘We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.’
Brian’s attorney said his client ‘categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing’ in his wife’s disappearance, saying he ‘has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.’
The couple’s distraught daughter called for a full investigation into the tragedy after she said her parents went through ‘prior issues’ before her mother’s disappearance.
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Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, said following Brian’s arrest late Wednesday that she was ‘glad to hear’ about the arrest, but declined further comment, saying she was seeking more information.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hamlett said she wants to hear more from her son-in-law about how Lynette vanished.
The couple had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan.
Online records gave Brian Hooker’s age as 58, and the reason for the discrepancy wasn’t immediately clear.
‘I’m going to be interested in what he says, because I haven’t heard from him in almost two days,’ Hamlett said.
‘Our family grew up on water and so Lynette her whole life has been near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming.
‘It would be a miracle if [she’s rescued], but I’m still counting on one,’ Hamlett added.
On Tuesday, Lynette’s daughter Karli Aynesworth called for a full investigation into the events leading up to her mother’s fall.
‘There have been prior issues brought to my attention, which may be important for any thorough investigation,’ she told Fox News Digital.
‘If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it,’ she added.
‘However, there needs to be an intensive review of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident before that can be determined.’
Aylesworth also told CBS that her mother is a seasoned sailor and swimmer, with over a decade of experience on the water.
She is unable to wrap her mind around how Lynette fell overboard and vanished.
