Brian Hooker hightailed it out of the Bahamas to visit his ailing mother, leaving behind the yacht named "Soulmate." His wife Lynette's location is still a mystery nearly two weeks after she allegedly fell overboard on a dinghy as it was traveling to the larger boat.
Brian's attorney, Terrel Butler, tells TMZ ... Brian left the Bahamas Wednesday to attend to his mother, who is sick.
While he's gone, Brian's keeping his boat anchored in Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas, while police and the U.S. Coast Guard continue their search for Lynette. TMZ just obtained photos of Brian's "Soulmate" yacht parked at a dock.
A Coast Guard official told TMZ Tuesday ... they are still "conducting a criminal investigation into the disappearance of Mrs. Hooker." And the Royal Bahamas Police Force says Brian remains a suspect in the case.
BrianHooker is going quiet ... and it’s raising just as many questions as answers in the desperate search for his wife, Lynette Hooker, who's been missing for 10 days after she went overboard on a boat in the Bahamas.
The husband at the center of the mystery has officially stepped back from the spotlight ... with his attorney, TerrelButler, announcing Tuesday he will no longer be doing media interviews as the situation intensifies.
Hooker’s focus is locked in on finding his wife of 25 years ... pouring all of his emotional and physical energy into the ocean search while working behind the scenes with “relevant parties,” according to his lawyer.
Brian Hooker, the husband at the center of a Bahamas disappearance mystery, has been released from police custody after days of questioning, but he's still firmly on investigators' radar.
Hooker was cut loose Monday evening without charges following a final round of questioning that lasted about an hour, his attorney, Terrel Butler tells TMZ. Butler says authorities had no evidence against her client and were essentially forced to let him go. She tells us Brian is "elated" to be released.
Despite walking free, Hooker isn't off the hook. Royal Bahamas Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles says the decision to release him came after consulting with prosecutors and confirmed he remains a suspect in an active investigation. She added officials are still hopeful Lynette, who's been missing for more than a week, will be found.
Brian Hooker almost vanished just like his wife Lynette... after he fell overboard while handcuffed on his boat in police custody ... but he was saved in the nick of time, TMZ has learned.
The latest twist in Lynette Hooker's disappearance in the Bahamas kicked off late Wednesday night after Brian's arrest in connection with the case, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler. Butler tells TMZ she visited Brian Thursday night at the Central Police Station in Grand Bahama -- and Brian told her a harrowing story.
He said the police took him out on his boat under heavy rain and strong winds to search for Lynette. He said his hands were cuffed in front of him while gripping a change of clothes when, suddenly, he lost his footing as he moved sideways across the wet, unstable deck.
Brian Hooker -- the man arrested in the disappearance of his wife Lynette Hooker -- says he got separated from her due to heavy winds after she fell overboard Saturday night, according to a new report.
Two days after Lynette vanished at sea in the Bahamas, Brian was contacted via text by a buddy, Daniel Danforth, who checked in with him Monday after seeing all the headlines, CBS News reports.
Daniel cited a report about Lynette falling off the boat -- prompting Brian to reply, "The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown."
The man arrested in the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, may have been tricked into talking with police before his arrest in The Bahamas, TMZ has learned.
Brian Hooker, 59, was taken into custody Wednesday by the Royal Bahamas Police Force in connection with Lynette going missing over the weekend. On Saturday, Brian reported that Lynette, 55, fell overboard off a dinghy into choppy waters during a rough ride from Hope Town to Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands of The Bahamas.
Brian'sattorney, Terrel A. Butler,tells TMZ ... Brian was arrested and questioned by police last night for more than 3 hours.
Police are one step closer to solving the disappearance of a Michigan woman in the Bahamas after arresting her husband in connection with the case, TMZ has confirmed.
Brian Hooker, 59, was taken into custody Wednesday by the Royal Bahamas Police Force after his 55-year-old wife, Lynette Hooker, went overboard on an 8-foot dinghy while traveling to Elbow Cay last weekend, according to his lawyer.
Police said Brian is being questioned by investigators, who are still searching for Lynette, calling the effort a "recovery operation." In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a criminal investigation into the matter, but no charges have been filed yet.
An American woman is missing in the Bahamas after she allegedly went overboard during a boat trip in the sea Saturday, according to her husband ... and authorities are now searching for her body.
Multiple outlets have identified the woman as 55-year-old Michigan resident Lynette Hooker.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force reported the couple left Hope Town on Abaco around 7:30 PM on Saturday in an 8-foot dinghy, motoring toward Elbow Cay, when she fell overboard. They were on their way back to their yacht when rough seas bounced her out of the dinghy, according to CNN. She wore a lanyard with the boat's keys on her, and the dinghy lost power when she went into the water.
