Lynette Hooker search coming to end as Coast Guard probe continues
Brian Hooker prepares to be released from prison
Brian Hooker is set to be released from custody in the Bahamas after being held by police over the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker.
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GREAT ABACO ISLAND, Bahamas — As Bahamian authorities plan to wrap up the search for missing American woman Lynette Hooker in the near future, the U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that a criminal investigation into her disappearance is ongoing.
The island nation’s military said the search could be suspended as early as Thursday, according to a report by NBC. The report stated that after analyzing “tide, drift and wind”, authorities said they had no place to search.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s husband, Brian Hooker, is ongoing.
Brian Hooker stops by the Central Police Station to pick up his wedding ring and watch with his attorney, Terrel A. Butler, in Freeport, Bahamas, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The ring he wore on his pinky finger was not with him when he was released from prison last night after being questioned by police about the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Meanwhile, Hooker’s attorney, Terrel Butler, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning that Brian was waiting for Bahamian police to return the keys to his boat before continuing the search for Lynette.
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A local boat captain told Fox News Digital during a reenactment of Brian and Lynette Hooker’s disastrous boat trip that he was shocked that Lynette’s body was not found.
Mo Monestime spent 15 years renting boats in the Great Abaco Island area.
Members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force inspect the yacht Soulmate, which is anchored near shore in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. A criminal investigation has been launched after it was reported that Lynette Hooker fell overboard during an evening boat trip with her husband Brian Hooker. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)
“Not being found, that’s the mystery,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to disappear, because again we’re so close to land,” Monestime continued. “So if you fall overboard [and] drown, someone will see you the next day. We can see the bottom again, you know? I will drive the boat, I will see stingrays, I will see turtles, so I will see a human body. Someone was going to see something. “Someone might say something like, ‘Hey, we just saw something weird in the water.'”
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Monestime said drownings have occurred from time to time near Elbow Cay, but later reiterated that victims were quickly rescued.
The yachts docked near Aunt Pat’s Bay near Elbow Cay off Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on April 12, 2026. Brian and Lynette Hooker’s boat was anchored in this area before Lynette disappeared on April 5, 2026. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“You could still see land anytime, anywhere,” he said. “Even if you fall into the sea in pitch darkness, you can see the lights from the shore.”
Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested and jailed last Wednesday while police investigated his wife’s disappearance. The two left the Abaco Inn on their boat around 7:30 p.m. on April 4 in rough weather. Brian said rough seas and strong winds caused Lynette to fall overboard with the start key in her pocket, causing the boat to become disabled.
Lynette Hooker went missing after falling from a small boat on Saturday evening. Her husband, Brian Hooker, reported her missing early Sunday morning. (Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker/Facebook)
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He was released from custody five days later on Monday night, but the investigation continues.
Brian said he threw a flotation device at Lynette during the panic that followed her fall from the boat. He said he thought she was trying to swim to their anchored yacht and called out to her for about an hour. He rowed and drifted for nearly eight hours before coming ashore at Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco Island, where he was helped by local security guards at a marina.
The couple from Michigan were pursuing their retirement dreams of living on their yacht and sailing the world.
In a Facebook post, Brian said he was “heartbroken” by Lynette’s disappearance.
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“I am heartbroken over the recent boating accident that occurred in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall off our small boat near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote. “Despite our desperate attempts to reach him, the winds and currents have driven us further away. We continue to search for him, and that is my sole focus.”
Hooker said he plans to continue searching for Lynette after he is released Tuesday.
