The husband of missing American boater Lynette Hooker sounded chillingly calm in a voicemail to his stepdaughter after his wife allegedly fell overboard in the Bahamas, newly released audio revealed.
Brian Hooker – who was taken into custody Wednesday by the Royal Bahamas Police Force – coolly told his stepdaughter, Karli Aylesworth, in a Sunday message that authorities still hadn’t found the 55-year-old Michigan native after she went into the water Saturday night during a dingy ride near Hope Town.
“Hello, honey, I just got a call from Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, and they found a flotation device that I threw to mom when she fell overboard,” the 59-year-old suspect said in the eerie voicemail obtained by Fox News Digital reported.
“So they’re – that’s a – they haven’t found her yet, but they can now focus all of their efforts in a smaller area, and they’re still out there searching today. So I just wanted to update you and let you know. I love you. I’ll talk to you later. Bye-bye.”
Aylesworth told NBC News that she didn’t hear from her stepfather until 24 hours after her mother vanished, claiming that his voice was “monotone and relaxed” during the call.
While Brian hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, Aylesworth is demanding a full probe into her mom’s disappearance – alleging in multiple interviews that her stepdad has a “bunch of anger he hasn’t processed” and has shown volatile behavior toward his wife.
“There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard,” she told Fox News on Tuesday.
“So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”
Aylesworth additionally told CBS News that she doesn’t believe Brian’s version of events and noted to NBC News that the pair had a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”
Records from more than a decade ago show that Lynette was once arrested and spent the night in jail after getting into a physical fight with Brian.
She was quickly released though because there was “insufficient evidence as to who started the assault,” according to the report.
During the doomed boat ride, Lynette fell into the water with the boat key, cutting off the engine, and was then carried away from a strong current and out of her husband’s sight, authorities said in a press release.
With the engine off, Brian was forced to paddle back to shore. He returned early the next morning and reported his wife missing.
Efforts to find Lynette have morphed from a rescue search to a recovery operation.
Brian previously denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance, saying he was “devastated” in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
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