The search for Lynette Hooker will end as the Coast Guard investigation continues
Brian Hooker is getting ready to get out of prison
Brian Hooker is preparing to be released from custody in the Bahamas after being caught by police in the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker.
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GREAT ABACO ISLAND, Bahamas – Authorities in the Bahamas intend to close their investigation into the disappearance of American woman Lynette Hooker in the near future, while the US Coast Guard confirms that its criminal investigation into her disappearance is ongoing.
The island’s military said the search could be called off Thursday, according to an NBC report. After analyzing “waves, drift and wind,” authorities said they were running out of places to search, the report said.
The US Coast Guard confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that its criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s husband, Brian Hooker, is ongoing.
Brian Hooker stops by the Central Police Station to pick up his wedding ring and watch with his lawyer, Terrell A. Butler in Freeport, The Bahamas, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. His ring, which he had on his pinky, was missing when he was released from jail last night after being questioned by police in the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons of Fox News Digital)
Meanwhile, Hooker’s attorney, Terrell Butler, told Fox News Digital Wednesday morning that Brian is waiting for the Bahamian police to return his boat keys before he can look for Lynette again.
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A local captain told Fox News Digital they were having fun aboard Brian and Lynette Hooker’s boat that he was shocked Lynette’s body was not found.
Mo Monestime has spent 15 years chartering boats in the Great Abaco Island area.
Members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force inspect the boat, Soulmate, docked near the shore in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. A criminal investigation has been launched after Lynette Hooker reportedly fell overboard while on an evening boat trip with her husband, Brian Hooker over the weekend. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)
“Not being found, that’s the mystery,” he said.
“It is very difficult to disappear, because, again, we are very close to the earth,” continued Monestime. “So if you fall down [and] drown, someone will see you the next day. And, we can see down, you know? I will be sailing, I will see stingrays, I will see turtles, so I will see the human body. Someone will see something. A person can say something, like, ‘Hey, we just saw something unusual in the water.’
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Monestime said drownings occur occasionally near Elbow Cay, but reiterated that victims are recovering quickly.
Boats docked near Aunt Pat’s Bay near Elbow Cay on Great Abaco Island in The Bahamas on April 12, 2026. Brian and Lynette Hooker’s boat docked at this location before Lynette disappeared on April 5, 2026. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“And, he saw the world all the way, all the time,” he said. “Even if you fall into the water in pitch black, you can see the lights on the beach.”
Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested and taken to jail last Wednesday while police were investigating his wife’s disappearance. The pair left the Abaco Inn in their boat around 7:30pm on April 4th during bad weather. Rough seas and strong winds caused Lynette to fall overboard with the key in her pocket, blocking the boat, Brian said.
Lynette Hooker is missing after falling from a small boat on Saturday night. Her husband, Brian Hooker, reported her missing Sunday morning. (Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker/Facebook)
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He was released from custody on Monday night after five days, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Brian said that in the panic that followed after Lynette fell off the boat, he threw her a float. He said he thought she was trying to swim to their cable boat, and called him for about an hour. He paddled and drifted for about eight hours before washing ashore at Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco Island, where local lifeguards came to his aid.
A Michigan couple was pursuing their retirement dream of living on their yacht and sailing around the world.
Brian wrote on his Facebook page that he was “heartbroken” by Lynette’s disappearance.
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“I am saddened by the recent boating accident in an unexpected sea and strong wind that caused my dear Lynette to fall from our small boat near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote. “Despite the hard efforts to reach him, the winds and currents have separated us too much. We are still searching for him and that is my focus.”
Hooker said on Tuesday when he was released that he was determined to continue the search for Lynette.
