Woman Missing In Bahamas Once Told Friend She No Longer Wanted To Be At Sea With Husband As Police Weigh Charges

Less than 2 years earlier she vanished successful nan waters disconnected nan Bahamas, Lynette Hooker confided successful a friend complete matter that her matrimony was complete that she nary longer wanted to beryllium astatine oversea pinch her husband, writing: “It was existent bad. I can’t beryllium retired location pinch him.”

The 55-year-old Michigan female had divided from her hubby Brian Hooker successful 2024, years earlier he’d beryllium questioned successful her disappearance.

“I conjecture it was excessively overmuch closeness. We decided to telephone it quits. I’m not going back,” Lynette Hooker wrote successful early 2024 messages obtained by CBS News.

When asked whether nan narration could beryllium salvaged, Lynette was blunt: “It was existent bad. I can’t beryllium retired location pinch him.” Those texts, sent betwixt January and February 2024, are now drafting renewed attraction arsenic Bahamian authorities mobility her hubby successful relationship pinch her disappearance.

Brian Hooker, 59, told investigators pinch nan Royal Bahamas Police Force connected April 5 that she fell overboard during a nighttime dinghy travel connected April 4 arsenic nan mates traveled from Hope Town to Elbow Cay. She was allegedly swept distant by beardown currents aft falling into nan h2o pinch nan boat’s keys, causing nan motor to unopen off. She has not been found.

Hooker was taken into custody days later and is being held arsenic a suspect, though he has not been charged. The U.S. Coast Guard has besides opened a criminal investigation.

Hooker’s attorney, Terrel Butler, told The Independent he “categorically and unequivocally denies immoderate wrongdoing” and has been cooperating pinch authorities.

As authorities are expected to determine connected Monday whether aliases not to bring charges against Hooker, he is now successful an “extremely vulnerable state,” his lawyer said.

“His superior interest and root of aggravated vexation is his inability to proceed nan hunt for his woman of 25 years,” Butler said. “The trauma of her disappearance, coupled pinch his existent detention arsenic a suspect, has near him successful an highly vulnerable state.”

Butler besides said her customer suffered a knee wounded aft falling overboard while successful handcuffs during a constabulary hunt of nan couple’s boat, nan Soulmate, successful unsmooth upwind conditions.

On Monday, Butler told Fox News Digital that there’s nary grounds that Lynette has been murdered successful nan Bahamas.

“There has been nary assemblage located truthful there’s nary grounds that she has been murdered,” she said. “We are not judge if she's dead.”

Butler added that she believes her customer should beryllium released and that she is emotion optimistic that he will be.

The mates tally a YouTube transmission documenting their recreation adventures nether nan sanction “The Sailing Hookers.” They precocious shared a YouTube Short connected their transmission joking astir not getting on pinch each other.

Now, nan resurfaced texts look to uncover insights into nan couple’s narration successful nan 2 years starring up to Lynette’s disappearance.

In nan messages to friend Marnee Stevenson, who nan mates met while boating successful Florida successful 2023, Lynette described abruptly ending their decades-long matrimony soon aft embarking connected a sailing manner together.

“We were joined 21 years. Our matrimony lasted 6 weeks cruising,” she wrote successful precocious January 2024, according to CBS News.

At nan time, Lynette said she had upended her life to subordinate her hubby astatine sea, telling Stevenson she had “quit my awesome career, sold my location and gave distant everything I ain to cruise.” She later near nan vessel and stayed pinch her mother successful Florida, according to nan messages.

Despite those concerns, nan mates appeared to reconcile weeks later. In precocious February 2024, Stevenson messaged Lynette, “Looks for illustration things are connected nan up and up.” Lynette responded pinch bosom emojis and a thumbs up.

Family members person since raised questions astir nan circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

Her daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has told NBC News that her mother was improbable to “just fall” disconnected nan boat, and explained nan mates has a​​ “history of not getting along, particularly erstwhile they drink.”

During a Fox News interview, Aylesworth besides described her mother arsenic a “very fresh person: who was improbable to suffer her balance.”

“I do judge thing mightiness person happened to her,” Aylesworth said. “There’s history of them choking her retired and threatening to propulsion her overboard. So nan truth that this is really happening makes maine judge there’s much to nan story.”

Just hours earlier he was reportedly taken into custody, Brian shared a Facebook station thanking authorities for their efforts to find Lynette.

“I americium heartbroken complete nan caller vessel mishap successful unpredictable seas and precocious winds that caused my beloved Lynette to autumn from our mini dinghy adjacent Elbow Cay successful nan Bahamas,” he wrote. “Despite hopeless attempts to scope her, nan winds and currents drove america further apart. We proceed to hunt for her and that is my sole focus.”