00:00An American boater missing in the Bahamas after reportedly falling overboard on a small dinghy
00:05and slipping out of sight into the sea. But an investigation by Bahamas police has complicated
00:10the case after the missing mom's boating buddy husband was arrested in connection with her
00:16disappearance. What do we know about Lynette Hooker, the TikTok boating mom who allegedly
00:21plunged into the sea? On April 4th, Lynette and Brian Hooker embarked on a roughly 2.5 mile trip
00:27from Hopetown to Elbow Cay in the Bahamas on their 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy. 55-year-old Lynette
00:34and 59-year-old boating hubby Brian were anything but amateur boaters. The pair had documented their
00:39yachting excursions online for the past three years under the amusing moniker the Sailing Hookers.
00:46TikTok videos posted on their account captured the couple sailing in crystal clear waters,
00:50taking in the views of beautiful white sand beaches, and even sailing next to dolphins.
00:55But despite the couple's supposed prowess on the high seas, tragedy struck on their Bahamas excursion
01:01when, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Lynette reportedly tumbled overboard
01:05when trying to get back to their yacht named the Soulmate. According to Bahamian authorities,
01:11Lynette was holding the boat key when she toppled overboard that Saturday night,
01:15which caused the dinghy's engine to cut off. Brian told police he lost sight of his wife
01:19after strong currents swept her out to sea. Brian paddled to the Marsh Harbor boatyard,
01:24arriving at around 4am the next day, to report his wife missing, which sparked a desperate search
01:30and rescue mission. Four days after the tragic disappearance, Brian broke his silence in a
01:34Facebook post, writing,
01:36I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused
01:42my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. Despite desperate
01:47attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her,
01:52and that is my sole focus. But the disappearance case took a turn when Lynette's daughter and Brian's
01:58stepdaughter, Carly Islesworth, went on a media spree, claiming she believes there's more to
02:02Brian's story. In a Fox News interview, Islesworth alleged that Brian displayed volatile behavior
02:08against his boat-loving spouse and that there was a, quote, history of him choking her out and
02:13threatening to throw her overboard. Islesworth shared similar suspicions about her stepfather's story
02:19with an on-camera interview with CBS News. From what I've heard from my grandma,
02:24their relationship has been a lot of fighting and drinking lately. For one, I don't understand how
02:29she got the key. Brian's always driving, so he basically is in charge of the key. So the fact that
02:37my mom had it doesn't make any sense. A source close to the family claimed to the Daily Mail that
02:42Brian didn't inform Islesworth about her mother's disappearance until around 24 hours after the
02:48tragedy. The boating beau also left a voicemail for Islesworth to let her know searchers had found
02:53the flotation device he allegedly threw to Lynette when she was in the water. In an interview with Fox
02:59and Friends, Islesworth said she believes her stepfather, whom she has known her entire life,
03:03is working through unprocessed anger. I believe he has a bunch of anger he hasn't processed.
03:09Um, I've seen him choke out one of his daughters before and we had to go to court for that
03:16and I was
03:18only in third grade. Um, so he's just repeating patterns. In a statement to the Daily Beast, Brian
03:27denied Islesworth's accusations and denied any further comments to the press. On April 8th, Brian was named
03:33a suspect and taken into custody by Bahamian cops in connection to Lynette's shocking disappearance.
03:39According to CNN, Terrell Butler, Brian's attorney, confirmed the arrest and said he quote,
03:43categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing. A U.S. Coast Guard official also
03:49confirmed to NBC News that a criminal investigation into Lynette's disappearance has been opened,
03:54but refused to share any further details. Butler is also now claiming that police in the Bahamas
03:59may have tricked Brian into talking to them for three hours before arresting him. Butler told TMZ
04:05that police originally told Brian that he was not a suspect and said they needed quote,
04:09some assistance in his wife's case. Brian reportedly told the police that he had an attorney,
04:14but didn't call for one as he cooperated with investigators for over three hours. Butler said
04:19no charges have been filed against her client. The search for Lynette continues and Islesworth told
04:25WXYZ that she's holding out for news about her mom. The longer it goes on, the more doubt I have
04:33they'll find her. I think they'll find her at the bottom of the ocean, but because I don't think you
04:40can tread water for that long. I'm just hoping they find her at least so I can know like what
04:45happened
04:46and get some closure.
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