Lynette Hooker's mom alleges Brian Hooker lied about daughter's disappearance, claims 'foul play'
US Coast Guard seizes dinghy in Lynette Hooker Bahamas disappearance case
The U.S. Coast Guard has seized the dinghy involved in the mysterious disappearance of Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas. Her daughter, Karli Aylesworth, expressed happiness that new areas are being searched for clues. Criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno commented on the delay in seizing the dinghy, noting potential evidence could have been compromised.
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Months after Lynette Hooker vanished in the Bahamas, her mother is challenging husband Brian Hooker’s version of what happened the night she disappeared.
Lynette Hooker, a Michigan woman who vanished while vacationing with her husband in the Bahamas in April, was reported missing on April 4 after the couple was boating near Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands.
Brian Hooker has maintained that his wife fell from a dinghy at night and was swept away by the current while they were en route to their sailboat, “Soulmate.”
LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST
Brian Hooker’s wife, Lynette, disappeared while they were on a trip to the Bahamas on their boat, Soulmate. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital; Brian Hooker/Facebook)
Lynette’s body has not been recovered.
Now, Lynette’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, says she believes her daughter made it back to “Soulmate” before she vanished.
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The boat Soulmate is docked at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Fla., on May 13, 2026. The vessel, owned by Brian Hooker and his missing wife Lynette Hooker, was brought back to the U.S. from the Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
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“She made it back to the boat, and there was foul play,” Hamlett told Fox News Digital.
MISSING AMERICAN’S HUSBAND HAD $33K THERMAL CAMERA ON BOAT THAT NIGHT AND NEVER USED IT, FRIEND SAYS
The U.S. Coast Guard retrieved the dinghy used by Brian and Lynette Hooker the night she vanished in the Bahamas. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Hamlett did not elaborate on how she reached that conclusion but said she has been limited in what she can publicly discuss.
“As a mother, it’s taking longer than I would anticipate, but that’s what the Coast Guard told me to say. That’s all I’m saying,” she said.
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The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service declined to comment on Hamlett’s claims, telling Fox News Digital, “We cannot comment on ongoing investigation.”
WATCH: COAST GUARD VIDEO REVEALS SEIZURE OF BRIAN HOOKER’S SAILBOAT AFTER WIFE’S BAHAMAS DISAPPEARANCE
Members of the US Coast Guard and The Royal Bahaman Police Force arrive at The Abaco Inn, In Hope Town. They are in the area to conduct a search in relation to the missing American boater, Lynette Hooker, who was last seen alive in early April. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital also reached out to Brian Hooker’s attorney for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Hamlett’s comments come after U.S. Coast Guard investigators traveled to the Bahamas last month to conduct dive searches in the Sea of Abaco and land searches with the assistance of a cadaver dog in an effort to locate Lynette.
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Brian and Lynette Hooker sit on a dinghy in the water in this undated image. (Brian Hooker/Facebook)
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Investigators also returned to the United States with the dinghy Lynette was last known to be on. It is expected to undergo further forensic examination for potential evidence.
WATCH: Renewed search for Lynette Hooker being treated as homicide
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Brian Hooker initially told investigators he and his wife were on a nighttime boat ride when Lynette fell from a small dinghy and was swept away.
Brian Hooker leaves Central Police Station after being released from custody, Freeport, The Bahamas, Monday, April 13, 2026. Hooker, who is accompanied by his lawyer, Terrel A. Butler, was being questioned over the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, who he says fell overboard from their dinghy earlier this month. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
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According to authorities, Brian said he was forced to paddle back to shore because Lynette was carrying the dinghy’s ignition key when she went overboard.
After Lynette disappeared, Brian said in a Facebook post that he was “heartbroken.”
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Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker seen in a picture taken in 2023 on a small boat. (John Waters)
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“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 wrote. “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.”
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After being questioned and released by Bahamian authorities, Brian Hooker returned to the United States and has not been seen or heard from publicly.
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He has not been charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing.
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