Brian Hooker described wife’s disappearance night in Bahamas calls
Brian Hooker has long told police that his wife, Lynette, fell off their small boat and was swept out to sea. But in new recordings and materials he shared—phone calls, text messages and maps he made—he described a different sequence of events, detailing what he said happened the night she disappeared.
Hooker, who was arrested on Wednesday night, previously told authorities this same core story. Attorney Terrel Butler, who represents Hooker in a criminal investigation by the Bahamian Royal Police Force, has consistently said Hooker denies any wrongdoing, is heartbroken by the incident, and wants to be released from custody so he can search for his wife. In the meantime, search and rescue efforts were still ongoing.
According to Misryoum reporting, during a nearly 40-minute phone conversation while the search and rescue effort was still underway on April 7, Hooker spoke with friends Marnee and Blaine Stevenson and recounted what he said led to the moment where Lynette allegedly went missing. Hooker said he had a phone on him during the incident, but it didn’t work—he said it was only able to make calls with Wi‑Fi.
He told the Stevensons that on Saturday, April 4, Brian and Lynette anchored their sailboat “Soulmate” on Aunt Pat’s Bay in Elbow Cay. After anchoring, they hopped on a dinghy to start their day. Hooker said there was a place called Tahiti Beach that was popular with visitors, and that it’s a beach that “dries out at low tide,” where “a barge pulls up on it and serves drinks all day.” Tahiti Beach sits in shallow water on the southern tip of Elbow Cay, which matters because it shaped where, according to his own account, the incident played out.
After Tahiti Beach, Hooker said they used their 8-foot hard bottom dinghy to go to a restaurant at the Abaco Inn, located near Hope Town in the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands. Misryoum newsroom reported that a manager there said the Abaco Inn is cooperating with authorities and had no further comment. The picture that emerges from Hooker’s phone conversation and accompanying materials is more than just a claim that someone fell in the water—it’s a route, a place sequence, and a timing story.
Maps apparently made by Hooker and shared with friends and boaters appear to reflect his version of what occurred. Misryoum newsroom reported those maps detail that the incident happened in shallow water, under 10 feet at high tide. Conditions around Hope Town at the time were described by Misryoum meteorologist Andrew Kozak as challenging for boating—high sustained winds around 15 to 25 knots, gusts sometimes exceeding 40 mph, and a few showers. Kozak also said that while conditions were rough, the impact in shallow waters would have been significantly less than on the open sea.
Hooker’s timeline also includes where he says he ended up. Misryoum reporting states the vessel traveled four miles from the point where Hooker says the incident happened to the Marsh Harbour Boat Yards, where he was found at 4 a.m. on Sunday, April 5—eight hours after he says his wife fell off the dinghy. In the quiet reality of dawn harbor life, you can almost imagine the small sounds that follow a long night—an engine idling, ropes shifting, someone calling out—but that’s just the atmosphere. The legal case now hinges on what can be confirmed, what can’t, and whether Hooker’s story holds up as investigators press for clarity.
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