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Husband of missing US woman taken into custody in Bahamas, attorney reveals new details
Attorney Terrel A. Butler, representing Brian Hooker, has spoken out regarding the recent arrest of Hooker, the spouse of Lynette Hooker, who went missing in the Bahamas. Butler refutes claims of domestic abuse made by Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, and suggests that Aylesworth’s emotional state and medical history might be affecting her allegations. The lawyer also highlighted the difficult marine conditions faced during the search effort.
Karli Aylesworth, the daughter of the still-missing woman, expressed her anger towards her stepfather upon her arrival at Great Abaco Island on Thursday.
Aylesworth has been critical of her stepfather, Brian Hooker, who was the last known person to see Lynette alive on April 4. According to Brian, Lynette accidentally fell overboard from their dinghy at approximately 7:30 p.m. as they were heading to their sailboat anchored near Elbow Key.
Following his arrest by the Royal Bahamas Police Force on April 8, Brian was detained for five days while authorities investigated the disappearance. He was released on Monday night without any charges being filed against him.
On Tuesday morning, Brian informed several media outlets of his intention to stay in the Bahamas to continue searching for Lynette. However, by Wednesday, he had traveled back to the United States, arriving in Atlanta by mid-afternoon, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke to Fox News Digital.
Karli Aylesworth, along with her partner Steven Hansen, arrived in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Aylesworth is the daughter of the missing American, Lynette Hooker. (Matthew Symons for NY Post)
“I think it shows his character. He somehow lost my mom at sea and cries on camera saying he’ll never stop searching, then leaves the next day,” Aylesworth told The New York Post upon her arrival to the town of Marsh Harbour, close to where her mother went missing.
Brian Hooker leaves his hotel with lawyer, Terell A. Butler, in Freeport, The Bahamas, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
She de-planed at the tiny Leonard Thompson International Airport in Marsh Harbour with her boyfriend, Steve Hansen, in tow. They were reportedly met by a uniformed police officer before taking off in a taxi.
Hooker’s attorney, Terrel Butler, said he was going to visit his mother.
Karli Aylesworth and her partner Steven Hansen arrive in Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Matthew Symons for NY Post)
“Following his release from custody without charge, Mr. Hooker is now facing another emergency. In addition to the trauma of his wife of 25 years being missing, Mr. Hooker has received urgent word of his mother’s grave illness,” Butler told NBC News. “He has traveled to [the] United States of America to be at her bedside during this critical time.”
In the wake of her mother’s disappearance, Aylesworth told Fox News Digital that she was aware of “prior issues” with Brian’s behavior.
Brian and Lynette Hooker sit on a dinghy in the water in this undated image. (Brian Hooker/Facebook)
“There have been prior issues brought to my attention, which may be important for any thorough investigation. If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it,” Aylesworth said. “However, there needs to be an intensive review of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident before that can be determined.”
Karli Aylesworth and her partner Steven Hansen arrive in Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Matthew Symons for NY Post)
Aylesworth said she has been “privy to very little information,” adding her “sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance.”
She also told “Fox and Friends” that something “doesn’t add up” with her mother’s disappearance, and accused Brian of having a “history of domestic violence” and anger issues.
Meanwhile, Bahamian police said their search for Lynette was coming to an end as early as Thursday after analyzing “tide, drift and wind,” and deciding there was nowhere else to look. A U.S. Coast Guard investigation remains ongoing.
Lynette Hooker went missing after she fell off a small boat on Saturday evening. Her husband, Brian Hooker, reported her missing early Sunday morning. (Lynette Hooker/Facebook; Brian Hooker/Facebook)
Brian has maintained that he had nothing to do with Lynette’s disappearance, and that it was purely an accident driven by windy conditions and choppy seas.
Before he was jailed, he said he was “heartbroken” over Lynette’s disappearance.
“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.”
