See messages Brian Hooker sent his friend after wife's disappearance
Brian Hooker exchanged Facebook messages with a friend, which CBS News exclusively reviewed, after his wife vanished in the Bahamas over the weekend.
Updated on: April 9, 2026 / 10:18 PM EDT / CBS News
The day after his wife disappeared during a nighttime boat ride in the Bahamas, Brian Hooker told a friend that she tried swimming back to the sailboat following her apparent fall overboard, but strong winds pushed them apart "pretty quickly," according to messages reviewed exclusively by CBS News.
Lynette Hooker, who is from Michigan, has been missing since Sunday. Bahamian officials arrested her husband Wednesday night and are holding him for questioning in connection with her case, but he has not been charged with a crime, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler. Hooker can be held for 48 hours until he has to be either charged or released, Butler said, noting that officials can extend the period to 96 hours if deemed necessary.
Brian Hooker denies any wrongdoing. He previously told authorities that his wife fell from their dinghy Saturday night while the couple sailed from Hope Town to Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. He said powerful currents swept her away, along with the keys to their boat, which cut power to its engine and prevented him from reaching her.
He shared a similar account of what happened in Facebook messages to Daniel Danforth, a friend of the Hookers since 2023. Danforth told CBS News he met them because of their shared interest in boating.
The messages show that Danforth reached out to Brian on Monday after seeing news coverage of his wife's disappearance.