The husband of an American woman missing in the Bahamas has been released without charges filed against him, according to local police.
Brian Hooker, 59, told police he and his 55-year-old wife, Lynette Hooker of Onsted, Michigan, were traveling in a motorboat from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on the night of April 4, when she fell overboard.
“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement shared by several outlets. Brian has denied any wrongdoing.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force announced last Wednesday that Brian had been taken into custody to be questioned about his wife’s disappearance.
Police probed Brian for more than three hours about his relationship with his wife, and whether he caused her harm, his attorney Terrel Butler said, per NBC News.
“He was uncertain as to why they were questioning him about causing harm or possible murder when they had not given him any information where she is, if they had recovered her,” Butler said.
On Monday, the Bahamas police said in a press release the American had been released from custody after authorities consulted with local prosecutors, who “recommended that no charges be filed at this time pending the outcome of further investigations.”
Butler told reporters Monday that authorities “had no evidence” against Brian and that he needed time to “destress from this horrible experience,” NBC News reported.
The Independent has reached out to Brian’s attorney as well as local police and prosecutors for comment.
Brian and Lynette temporarily separated in 2024, during which time she reportedly confided in a friend about how their relationship deteriorated while at sea.
“I guess it was too much closeness. We decided to call it quits. I’m not going back,” Lynette Hooker wrote in messages to her friend, Marnee Stevenson, that were obtained by CBS News.
“We were married 21 years. Our marriage lasted 6 weeks cruising,” she said.
The Michigan couple had documented their adventures at sea on social media under the name “Sailing Hookers.”
Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, previously told NBC News that her mother and Brian have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”
The couple accused each other of assault in 2015, according to a police report from Kentwood, Michigan, previously reported on by NBC News.
Lynette was still missing as of Monday and the Bahamas police are asking for the public’s help in the investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard has also opened a probe into the matter.
