The husband of missing American woman Lynette Hooker is reportedly in a “highly vulnerable condition” while being detained in the Bahamas, as authorities face a Monday night deadline to decide whether to file charges, according to his attorney.
Brian Hooker, 59, has been in custody since last Wednesday, three days after he reported that his wife of nearly 25 years disappeared after falling from their dinghy, allegedly swept away by strong currents.
In a three-hour interrogation at a Grand Bahama police station, authorities questioned Brian about his relationship with Lynette, 55, and investigated him concerning allegations of causing harm that may have led to her death, his lawyer, Terrel Butler, revealed to NBC News.
Butler described Brian Hooker, who is considered a suspect, as “quite distressed and emotional,” noting that he broke down during the interview, leaving him in a “highly vulnerable condition.”
Throughout the questioning, Brian repeatedly asked officers, “I need to know what’s happening,” as reported by Butler.
“He was confused about why they were interrogating him over potential harm or murder without providing any information about her whereabouts or whether she had been found,” Butler explained.
Cops didn’t quiz Brian about laptops or cell phones found on the yacht, “Soulmate,” he shared with Lynette, Butler told CNN.
Meanwhile, Bahamian authorities must decide by 7:20 p.m. local time whether to issue charges.
Cops filed an extension Friday that kept him in custody over the weekend, but cannot apply for any further extensions unless he’s charged.
Brian “categorically and unequivocally” denies any wrongdoing linked to his wife’s disappearance.
Before his arrest, he said he was “heartbroken” his “beloved” wife had gone missing, saying the “winds and currents drove us apart.”
They left Hope Town on April 4 with the aim of reaching Elbow Cay where their yacht was docked 4.5 miles away.
Brian didn’t report his missing wife to the authorities until reaching a Marsh Harbour marina on Easter Sunday, but Dimitry Malinsky, the founder and CEO of telecoms company Intratem, speculated he might’ve had some sort of reception while trying to make the crossing – but said it was dependent on location.
“If it’s a remote key, like some of those remote keys in the Bahamas, it would be just as if you’re in the ocean and not by land because if there are no cell tower,” he told Fox News Digital.
Brian’s lawyer said she doesn’t know if he had a cell phone on him at the time of Lynette’s apparent overboard.
But, Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, 28, said her mom and stepfather often carried their devices while at sea.
Bahamian authorities are still continuing to search for Lynette, but the US Coast Guard is no longer assisting with the operation.
The Coast Guard launched a criminal investigation last week.
Aylesworth fears something sinister may have happened at sea, alluding to her stepfather’s alleged violent streak – accusations he strongly denies.
Jordan Plentz, a neighbor of the Hookers, claimed they’d witnessed years of “pretty bad” domestic violence – alleging: “They fought for a long time.”
