The husband of a woman who has been missing at sea for almost two weeks after reportedly falling off a boat in the Bahamas has been criticized for leaving the country by friends of the couple.
Brian Hooker left the Bahamas to visit his ailing mother but plans to return, his attorney Terrel Butler told NBC News on Wednesday.
On Monday, Brian Hooker was released from police custody without charge after being held and questioned for several days in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. He has denied any wrongdoing, and he told reporters after his release that he would remain in the Bahamas because he “won’t be able to stop looking” for her.
Marnee and Blaine Stevenson told NewsNation that they met the couple in 2023 and had questions about Brian Hooker’s actions since his wife disappeared.
“Accidents and emergencies happen,” Marnee Stevenson said, adding, “The fact that he is leaving and not giving anybody information about how to continue searching for her, it’s disgusting.”
The Context
Brian Hooker was arrested on April 8 after telling authorities his wife fell from their dinghy as they sailed from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on April 4, saying strong currents carried her away. He said his wife had the boat’s keys, causing its engine to shut off and forcing him to paddle ashore. He was released without charge on Monday, but authorities said he remained a suspect in the investigation.
Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker’s daughter, traveled to the Bahamas this week and questioned her stepfather’s account of what happened. She has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
Brian Hooker denies causing his wife’s death and is cooperating with law enforcement, his attorney has said. He has not been charged with a crime. The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an investigation separate from the one being conducted by Bahamian authorities, a Coast Guard official confirmed to Newsweek.
What To Know
Blaine Stevenson told NewsNation that Brian Hooker needed to “step up” in the search for his wife.
“The Brian I know was a former Marine. He was a union leader. He was a staunch person of the people, fighting for the people’s right to protest and stand up in any political climate. And I’m asking him to be that person right now,” he said.
He referenced a phone call with Brian Hooker on April 7, where Hooker described “a cascade of failures” that led to his wife’s disappearance. The Stevensons shared a video recording of the call on their YouTube page.
“I’m not going to backseat quarterback him on that one,” Blaine Stevenson told NewsNation. “But what I will say is, since that moment, he needs to step up and be that person he is.”
Marnee Stevenson told Newsweek this week that she and her husband were focused on finding Lynette Hooker.
“That is all we care about,” she said. “Right now we are focused on getting to the Bahamas, find our friend and get a hug from her.”
Aylesworth also criticized her stepfather for leaving the Bahamas, saying it showed he was “not much of a man of his word.”
Butler told NBC News that Brian Hooker left the Bahamas because his mother was seriously ill. The attorney said he left to travel to the United States on a commercial flight but did not disclose his exact destination.
“Following his release from custody without charge, Mr. Hooker is now facing another emergency. In addition to the trauma of his wife of 25 years being missing, Mr. Hooker has received urgent word of his mother’s grave illness,” Butler said in a statement. “He has traveled to [the] United States of America to be at her bedside during this critical time.”
Butler said Brian Hooker planned to return to the islands, but she did not say when. She said the police in the Bahamas had been informed of his departure.
Brian Hooker was released from custody after the police consulted with prosecutors, who recommended against filing charges at this time.
Hours after his release, he told NBC News that he “would never harm” his wife and was focused on finding her.
Aylesworth said in an interview with NBC News last week that it was unlikely her mother, an experienced sailor, would “just fall” from the boat. She also said the couple’s relationship was volatile and that they had a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”
The couple, who are from Michigan and have been married for more than 20 years, chronicled their adventures sailing around the Caribbean on social media under the name the Sailing Hookers.
A Coast Guard Official told Newsweek earlier this week: “The Coast Guard is conducting a criminal investigation into the disappearance of Mrs. Hooker. The Coast Guard does not comment on ongoing investigations.”
What Happens Next
The search and investigation remains ongoing.
Authorities are urging anyone with information that could help with the investigation to contact 911, 919, their nearest police station or the Criminal Investigations Department of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. They can also leave anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).
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