Police arrest Michigan man after wife’s Bahamas disappearance

By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) – Bahamian authorities have arrested a Michigan man whose wife went missing at sea over the weekend, the assistant commissioner of police in the Caribbean nation told Reuters on Wednesday, after search and rescue efforts for the woman were called off.

Brian Hooker’s arrest came after the U.S. Coast Guard launched a criminal investigation into the case following the disappearance of his 55-year-old wife, Lynette, according to a U.S. official.

“We took him into custody around 7:30 p.m. this evening in Abaco for additional questioning based on some probable cause we have,” Advardo Dames of the Royal Bahamas Police said during a phone interview.

“He’s been taken into custody as a suspect. He’s been arrested.”

Hooker, 59, has yet to be charged, and it was not immediately clear if he had legal representation.

Bahamian authorities on Tuesday called off rescue efforts and started recovery operations in the area where Lynette Hooker went missing, a Royal Bahamas Defence Force spokesperson told Reuters.

“The RBDF, along with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), conducted extensive search efforts between Elbow Cay and mainland Abaco,” said the spokesperson for the Bahamian naval military forces.

“The United States Coast Guard also assisted by providing aerial surveillance. Despite these efforts, there were no confirmed sightings.”

The spokesperson said only a flotation device was discovered along the shoreline during its search.

 Lynette Hooker went missing while traveling at sea with her husband in the Abacos on April 4, police said. Brian Hooker said they left Hope Town, Abaco, around 7:30 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) on an 8-foot (2.4m) hard-bottom dinghy en route to Elbow Cay, according to police.

According to the police report, Brian Hooker said his wife fell overboard with the boat’s keys, causing the vessel’s engine to shut off before strong currents carried her away.

Hooker paddled to shore after losing sight of his wife, according to the police report. After arriving on shore, he informed an individual of the incident and the police were alerted, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.

Before being taken into custody, Brian Hooker posted on Facebook that he was “heartbroken over the recent boat accident.”

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,” he posted on Wednesday. “We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lincoln Feast.)