Search For Missing MI Woman In Bahamas Ends

The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday ended their search for a missing Michigan woman in the Bahamas, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Lynette Hooker, 56, of Lenawee County, has been missing since April 4 when her husband told investigators she fell overboard from their small motorboat in the Bahamas.

Her husband, Brian Hooker, was arrested and questioned by Bahamian police on April 8. He was then released on April 13 without charges.

New Search Ends Without Answers

U.S. Coast Guard officials expanded their search after developing new leads. Investigators said Brian Hooker's statements didn't match the GPS data they pulled from his devices. Officials were then granted permission to search new areas of the Bahamas and deemed the investigation a possible murder case.

Investigators also seized the Hookers' dinghy so it can be further examined in the U.S.

Officials searched the new areas with divers, underwater vehicles, drones and a cadaver dog, but ultimately did not find Lynette's body.

Despite concluding search efforts, officials said the investigation remains ongoing. They asked anyone with information about Hooker’s disappearance to submit tips through the Coast Guard Investigative Service mobile app.

What Brian Says Happened

Brian told police that Lynette fell overboard from their small motorboat on April 4 while they were traveling to Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.

He blamed bad weather for the incident and said he lost sight of Lynette as she was swept away by the ocean current.

He also said Lynette had the boat's keys, causing its engine to shut off and forcing him to paddle ashore.

Brian has since said that he will not stop looking for her and has heard stories that some people have survived for weeks after falling overboard in the Bahamas.

Lynette's Daughter Questioned Brian's Story

Lynette's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told multiple national news outlets that it was odd for her mom to have the keys and believed something may have happened to her.

She added that Brian has a history of being violent towards her mother, including threatening to "throw her overboard."

The couple did accuse each other of assault in 2015, according to a Kentwood police report obtained by NBC.

Brian, who was intoxicated and bleeding from the nose, told police his wife had struck him multiple times in the face, the report said. He told officers Lynette was also drunk. She was arrested and spent the night in jail. A warrant was denied because it wasn’t clear “who started the assault.”

The couple had been married for more than 20 years and chronicled their adventures sailing around the Caribbean on their "Sailing Hookers" Facebook page.

They posted videos in 2023 of buying a sailboat they named Soul Mate in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and then embarking on a cruise through the Gulf of Mexico from the port town of Kemah, Texas.