Coast Guard seeks help after woman vanishes at sea

The Coast Guard is asking for the public’s help in the disappearance of a missing Michigan woman, one month after she allegedly fell overboard while sailing the Bahamas with her husband.

On May 5, the Coast Guard Southeast posted a photo to its X account of a sailboat and asked for the public’s help in identifying its owner. The plea was part of the agency’s investigation into the disappearance of Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old mother from Michigan who went missing while sailing the Bahamas with her husband in April.

“CGIS is asking the public for info about the disappearance of Lynette Hooker w/in Aunt Pat’s Bay, BAH, 4/4,” the Coast Guard wrote in its May 5 post. “CGIS is looking for the owner of the sailboat [pictured] below moored near the SV Soulmate.” The post included a link to an app where people can submit tips.

Investigation enters its second month

Brian Hooker, Lynette’s husband, reported April 4 that his wife fell overboard from an 8-foot, hard-bottomed dinghy that they were taking on a night trip from Hope Town to Elbow Bay, which are both off of Great Abaco Island, as USA TODAY previously reported.

He told the Royal Bahamas Police that Lynette had been carrying the boat keys, causing the engine to shut off when she fell. Then, "strong currents subsequently carried her away," and he lost sight of her, police said. Brian, meanwhile, paddled a dinghy to shore, arriving around 4 a.m. on April 5.

Three days later, the Royal Bahamas Police Department arrested Brian Hooker and questioned him in connection with his wife’s disappearance. He was released April 13 on the recommendation of local prosecutors, but remains a suspect in the case. The Coast Guard is also conducting a criminal investigation.

Brian Hooker says he's 'heartbroken'

In a statement shared with USA TODAY last month, Brian Hooker’s attorney strongly denied that her client had anything to do with Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.

"Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing," attorney Terrel Butler said. "He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation."

Brian Hooker also took to Facebook in the wake of his wife’s disappearance, writing in a post that has since been deleted or made private, "I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.”

He went on to write, "Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus."

A rocky, volatile relationship

The couple had been documenting their sailing adventures on social media for years, describing themselves on TikTok as "a married couple living their best life" after they "sailed away from BS." They've sailed to New Orleans, Miami Beach, Key West, on Lake Michigan, and most recently, throughout the Bahamas.

However, the rocky and volatile nature of their relationship has been a focal point of the narrative since Lynette Hooker's disappearance one month ago.

Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, had raised questions about her stepfather's account of what happened in the Bahamas, citing what she’s described in numerous interviews as his previous threats against her mom and violence between the two.

"Their relationship has been a lot of fighting and drinking lately," she told CBS. "So I'm just kind of questioning what actually went on in that dinghy.”

Speaking to Fox News, Aylesworth said, “It just doesn’t add up. There's history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is happening makes me believe there's more to the story."

Where is Brian Hooker now?

Despite saying he would stay in the Bahamas until Lynette was found, NBC News reported April 15 that Brian Hooker had returned to the United States.

Butler, Brian Hooker’s attorney, told the outlet her client left “because his mom is very ill,” but intends to return to the islands. Butler said that Brian Hooker flew on a commercial flight, but declined to identify his destination.

According to previous reporting by USA TODAY, an extensive search-and-rescue operation for Lynette Hooker, which has involved professional divers, drone technology and a Coast Guard helicopter, is now considered a recovery effort.

Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].