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GREAT ABACO ISLAND, Bahamas – Bahamian authorities face a Monday evening deadline to either charge or release Brian Hooker, the husband of missing Michigan boater Lynette Hooker, as the investigation into her disappearance near Elbow Cay is up against the clock.
The man’s attorney, Terrel Butler, arrived in Freeport Monday morning to sit in on a second official police interrogation of her client at the city’s Central Police Station.
She confirmed that Hooker still maintains his innocence, but declined to give specific details about the questions asked due to attorney/client privilege.
Hooker must be released by 7:20 p.m. or charged with a crime.
“We’re close to the wire. Close to a decision,” she said. “Even if they decided to charge him, it’s highly unlikely that he would go to court today. So we will know by 7:20 p.m. today what their decision will be.”
She added that the decision to charge Hooker will not be made by investigators, but rather by the attorney general’s office.
“So, as soon as [the investigator] receives his instructions, then he will know how to proceed from there,” she said.
Butler said Hooker feels “a bit drained and tired from this whole ordeal,” and that he’s “just hoping to have closure to be released so that he can continue to search to find out what has happened to his wife.”
She also said that Hooker could get rearrested.
“It is possible that when a person has completed their time, that when they walk out, they can be re-arrested and time starts again,” she said.
Property records indicate that Brian and Lynette sold their home in the town of Kentwood, Michigan, in 2020. Fox News Digital was not able to verify any further property records related to the Hookers.
Hooker has been in custody since last week after authorities detained him in connection with his wife’s disappearance. His attorney said officials have until about 7:20 p.m. ET Monday to decide whether to file charges or let him go.
Police continue searching for Lynette by air, land and sea, though the effort has shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.
Final hours under scrutiny
Lynette Hooker was last seen the night of April 4 after the couple left the Abaco Inn on a dinghy headed back to their anchored yacht.
DINGHY ROUTE TAKEN BY MISSING AMERICAN WOMAN AND JAILED HUSBAND RECREATED AS DETAILS OF DISAPPEARANCE EMERGE
Fox News Digital previously retraced the route — a short trip through waters local experts say are typically shallow, clear and heavily trafficked.
According to Brian Hooker’s account, Lynette fell overboard in worsening weather and strong winds. He has said the couple was not wearing life jackets and that the dinghy lost power after the ignition key went into the water.
In a recorded phone call obtained by CBS, Hooker described the incident as a series of mistakes, saying Lynette “basically just bounced off the dinghy” before he lost sight of her in the dark.
He has said he later paddled for help after searching for her.
WATCH: Volunteer fire and rescue team searches for missing Lynette Hooker
Family raises concerns
In an interview on Ashleigh Banfield’s “Drop Dead Serious” podcast, Lynette’s mother described a volatile relationship and said her daughter had left her husband multiple times in the past.
“They had a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” she said. “When there were bad times, they were bad times.”
She alleged Brian Hooker could become “mean” and “hateful” when drinking and said there had been instances where he became physical, adding she had long feared for her daughter’s safety.
Lynette had been planning to leave the marriage, her mother said in the interview.
FRIEND OF BRIAN HOOKER SPEAKS OUT, QUESTIONS DISAPPEARANCE OF WOMAN IN BAHAMAS MYSTERY
Separately, Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has questioned Brian Hooker’s version of events, saying the circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance “don’t add up.”
In a previous appearance on “Fox & Friends,” she also alleged he had been physically violent in the past.
“I’ve seen him choke out one of his daughters before. And we had to go to court for that,” Aylesworth said. “So he’s just repeating patterns.”
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Brian Hooker has denied wrongdoing and has spoken publicly about the incident, saying in a Facebook post that he is “heartbroken.”
“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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Attorney: Hooker denies wrongdoing
Hooker’s attorney said his client wants “closure” to find out what happened to his wife.
“He denied the allegations and he maintained his innocence,” Terrel Butler said, adding that a decision on whether to charge him would likely come before the deadline.
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The attorney also said the case would ultimately be handled by prosecutors, not just investigating officers, and that Hooker is “drained and tired” as he awaits a decision.
If he is not charged by the deadline, authorities would be required to release him, though re-arrest remains a possibility under Bahamian law.
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Search continues as deadline nears
A flotation device believed to have been thrown to Lynette was recovered, according to multiple reports, but authorities have not announced that they have found her body.
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commander Origin Deleveaux told NBC News that authorities were continuing to search for Lynette, and that early efforts were complicated by severe weather.
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Fox News Digital has also reported that local boaters say it would be unusual for someone to disappear without a trace in the area due to the water clarity and proximity to land.
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The Hookers had documented their boating lifestyle online after buying and restoring a sailboat in Texas, eventually making their way to the Bahamas.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Hooker’s attorney for additional comment.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
Read the full article here
