In a twist to the ongoing investigation surrounding the disappearance of Lynette Hooker, her husband, Brian Hooker, has been released from police custody in the Bahamas. This development follows the emergence of shocking images allegedly depicting abuse suffered by the Michigan mother, according to authorities and media reports.
Brian Hooker, 59, was freed just as the deadline approached on Monday evening for the police to determine their next steps regarding the case. His attorney, Terrel Butler, confirmed this to NBC News, shedding light on the situation.
As he exited the central police station in Grand Bahama, Hooker refrained from answering questions posed by the press. His attorney explained that he was experiencing significant emotional distress and needed time to recover from what she termed a “horrible experience,” as per the news outlet’s report.
Hooker had been detained since the previous Wednesday, mere days after alleging that his wife of nearly a quarter-century had fallen from an eight-foot hard dinghy during their journey to their yacht near Elbow Cay.
Authorities noted that their preliminary investigation suggested Lynette, aged 55, was carried away by strong currents after accidentally falling into the water. The incident occurred as the couple attempted to reach their yacht, aptly named the Soulmate.
During their trip from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, it was reported that Lynette fell overboard while holding the boat’s keys, which inadvertently caused the dinghy’s engine to stop, according to the police statement.
Brian told cops he lost sight of his wife in the rough surf and paddled the small boat back to shore, eventually arriving at Marsh Harbour Boat Yard around 4 a.m. Sunday.
His arrest comes as Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that her daughter left her husband multiple times after several instances of alleged abuse — including one instance that left her with visible bruising on her back.
“With the lifestyle that my daughter and her husband live, I had been preparing for that phone call for a long time,” Hamlett told Banfield on her show “Drop Dead Serious” of the moment she learned her daughter was missing.
“There was a lot of good times and bad times in my daughter’s relationship with her husband. A lot of highs and a lot of lows. When it was fun, it was really fun, and when there were bad times, they were bad times,” the heartbroken mother said.
“I think they loved each other, but they were not good for each other,” she said, noting Brian tended to be “mean” and “hateful” and sometimes got physical with her daughter when he drank alcohol.
Lynette often took photos documenting her abuse, reminding her “not to go back” to Brian, despite typically returning to him. Hamlett added that she consulted battered women’s shelters for advice on how to get the couple to separate.
She had even booked a plane ticket a month ago to go home to her mother after indicating that Brian’s abuse was accelerating, Hamlett claimed.
Brian has been subject to who is being treated as a suspect, was “pretty upset, emotional,” and broke down during the interview, which left him “in an extremely fragile state.”
Brian Hooker’s attorney and the Royal Bahamas Police Force did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment.
