American couple's Bahamas dinghy was ill-equipped for conditions night of wife's disappearance: friend

HOPE TOWN, Bahamas — After Brian Hooker's apprehension successful the disappearance of his wife, Lynette, successful the Bahamas, a antheral who was friends with the mates and knew them from the Caribbean paradise says that their tiny dinghy was "underpowered" and "undersized" for the conditions they faced.

Officials successful the Bahamas said Lynette Hooker, 55, and Brian Hooker, 58, near Hope Town's Abaco Inn astatine astir 7:30 p.m. connected Saturday and went connected a smaller boat, referred to arsenic a dinghy, to question to their yacht. Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that Lynette fell into the h2o with the ignition key, which caused the motor to chopped off.  According to Brian, the existent carried Lynette away, and helium paddled the dinghy to a marina astatine Marsh Harbour.

Brian Hooker was arrested by Bahamian authorities connected Wednesday night, but hasn't been charged with a crime.

A antheral who knew Brian and Lynette Hooker successful the Bahamas told Fox News Digital that conditions connected the nighttime the American pistillate went missing were little than ideal, particularly considering the information they were connected an 8-foot dinghy, arsenic authorities person said. The man, who is besides an American, asked to stay anonymous.

LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST

File photograph of Brian Hooker. (YouTube/@the_sailing_hookers) (YouTube/@the_sailing_hookers)

"Their dinghy was truly conscionable excessively tiny to beryllium retired successful those conditions. Their 8 ft hard bottommost dinghy with that electrical motor, you shouldn't beryllium retired successful thing much than similar 12, max 15 knots. It's truly underpowered, undersized for the information they were in," the antheral said.

Winds successful the Hope Town country were gusting astatine astir 26 knots connected Saturday night, according to a reappraisal of information by Fox Weather. Improvesailing.com states that upwind speeds supra 25 knots are considered "rough for immoderate small/mid-sized boat."

"If the upwind [is] blowing 30 knots, you're moving astatine 4 feet successful the other absorption each 1 second, you're separating by 7 and a fractional feet. Even an Olympic swimmer would person a hard clip getting backmost connected — it would beryllium intolerable for 2 radical that are 55 and 58 to reunite," the antheral said. "I've done 3 dinghy rescues successful 3 weeks, really. I mean, it's crazy."

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An American pistillate went missing successful the Bahamas connected Saturday aft falling overboard during a vessel travel and being swept distant by beardown currents, section constabulary said. (Fox News)

The man, who is simply a sailor himself alongside his wife, said Brian and Lynette were a mates successful what seemed to beryllium a large marriage.

"They seemed precise overmuch similar the happiest of radical successful an highly blessed relationship. People to aspire to successful the sailing and cruising life," helium said.

The person of Brian and Lynette Hooker told Fox News Digital determination are communal misconceptions astir the motor key, noting that successful unsmooth upwind it's sometimes the lighter idiosyncratic who drives portion the heavier 1 sits successful the mediate successful bid to supply stability.

"People are truly confused astir a dinghy key. It's communal signifier to deterioration the cardinal — it goes connected the outboard motor, and it's got a tether connected it that you deterioration connected your wrist arsenic the driver. So if you autumn overboard, it stops the centrifugal from the dinghy motoring distant from you. And that's what everybody does. And they're truly saying, 'why did she person the key?' Well, she had the cardinal due to the fact that she was driving."

Lynette's girl Karli Aylesworth painted a antithetic representation of her stepfather Brian Hooker successful an interrogation with Fox News' Griff Jenkins earlier this week. Her comments included allegations of alcohol-fueled home violence, which Brian has denied done his attorney. He has not been charged with immoderate crime.

"I've seen him choke retired 1 of his daughters before. And we had to spell to tribunal for that," Aylesworth said. "So he's conscionable repeating patterns."

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Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker seen successful a representation taken successful 2023 connected a tiny boat. (John Waters)

Aylesworth claimed that Brian Hooker had besides go convulsive toward her mother.

"There's past of them choking her retired and threatening to propulsion her overboard. So the information that this is really happening makes maine judge there's much to the story," she said.

In a connection to Fox News Digital, Brian Hooker's attorney, Terrel Butler, said helium denies the allegations.

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Lynette Hooker, 56, goes missing aft falling overboard during a vessel travel adjacent Elbow Cay successful the Bahamas connected Saturday evening, constabulary say. ((Brian Hooker/Facebook))

"Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies immoderate wrongdoing and successful peculiar the allegations precocious made by Karli Aylesworth. He has been cooperating with the applicable authorities arsenic portion of an ongoing investigation," Butler said.

Butler connected Thursday nighttime said that Hooker voluntarily gave a connection to constabulary believing helium was helping them find Lynette.

Hooker was initially interviewed and released, past brought backmost for much questioning arsenic a witness. Police brought him backmost a 3rd clip and questioned him arsenic a suspect.

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Lynette Hooker was antecedently arrested successful a home unit case, according to a constabulary study obtained by Fox News Digital, but wasn't charged.

Brian and Lynette Hooker some accused each different of battle during the February 2015 incident.

While Lynette Hooker was the 1 arrested, charges weren't filed owed to "insufficient grounds arsenic to who started the assault."

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Lynette Hooker, 56, goes missing aft falling overboard during a vessel travel adjacent Elbow Cay successful the Bahamas connected Saturday evening, constabulary say. ((Brian Hooker/Facebook))

In a Wednesday Facebook post, Brian Hooker wrote helium is "heartbroken" implicit Lynette's disappearance.

"I americium heartbroken implicit the caller vessel mishap successful unpredictable seas and precocious winds that caused my beloved Lynette to autumn from our tiny dinghy adjacent Elbow Cay successful the Bahamas. Despite hopeless attempts to scope her, the winds and currents drove america further apart. We proceed to hunt for her and that is my sole focus," Brian Hooker said.

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Darlene Hamlett, Brian's mother, told the Associated Press that she hadn't heard from her lad successful respective days.

"I’m going to beryllium funny successful what helium says, due to the fact that I haven’t heard from him successful astir 2 days," Hamlett said.

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Members of The Royal Bahamas Police Force inspect the yacht, Soulmate, moored adjacent enactment successful Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. A transgression probe has been launched into the aft Lynette Hooker reportedly fell overboard portion connected an evening vessel travel with her husband, Brian Hooker astatine the weekend. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

The U.S. State Department has issued a level 2 question advisory for the Bahamas. Americans are urged to "exercise accrued caution" owed to crime, formation safety, arsenic good arsenic pitchy skis and boating dangers.

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A spokesperson for the State Department antecedently told Fox News Digital the bureau is alert of reports regarding the missing American and is moving with Bahamian authorities.

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General presumption of Marsh Harbour Boatyards, The Bahamas, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Brian Hooker, 58, reportedly paddle his vessel backmost to the boatyards connected Sunday greeting aft losing his wife, Lynette Hooker astatine sea. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

The State Department declined to stock immoderate further details.

Boating successful the Bahamas isn't good regulated, and the State Department has said that "injuries and deaths person occurred."