Missing American's husband sat on boat for 24 hours after she vanished in Bahamas, friend says

FIRST ON FOX: Brian Hooker sat connected his sailboat for 24 hours aft she vanished portion the mates were successful the Bahamas, according to 1 of his friends.

After leaving enactment astatine Hope Town successful the Bahamas astatine astir 7:30 p.m. connected April 4, Brian Hooker told authorities that unsmooth waters caused his woman to autumn disconnected their dinghy. Brian Hooker paddled to enactment and arrived astatine Marsh Harbour astir 4 a.m. connected April 5, according to authorities.

The mates was headed backmost to their sailboat, their full-time location successful retirement, erstwhile Lynette fell overboard. They often sail astir the U.S. and Caribbean, according to their societal media pages.

Blaine Stevenson, a person of Brian Hooker's, told Fox News Digital that aft spending astir 3 to 4 hours searching with rescue officials connected April 5, Brian returned to his sailboat and stayed determination for astir 24 hours.

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Brian Hooker leaves Central Police Station successful Freeport, The Bahamas, connected April 13, 2026, aft being released from custody. He was questioned astir the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, who helium says fell overboard from their dinghy earlier this month. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

"So the incidental happened Saturday astatine 7:30 p.m. He came ashore astatine 4 a.m., the hunt and rescue took him retired for 3 oregon 4 hours and brought him backmost to his boat. He sat connected his vessel for astir 24 hours until hunt and rescue brought him his dinghy back," Stevenson said.

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"At nary constituent did helium truly look astatine the concern and springiness anybody immoderate much details than helium had astatine the opening erstwhile supposedly helium was successful shock," Stevenson said.

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Brian and Lynette Hooker person been joined for astir 25 years, household members said. (The Sailing Hookers/YouTube and Instagram)

Brian Hooker would spell connected to enactment astatine the Conch Inn successful Marsh Harbour connected April 6, Stevenson said, wherever helium stayed until helium was arrested connected April 8 by Bahamian authorities. He was released from jailhouse connected April 13 without being charged.

LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST

Stevenson besides said he's shocked Brian Hooker didn't marque much of an effort to find his wife.

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U.S. Coast Guard investigators hunt the vessel Soulmate docked astatine their presumption successful Fort Pierce, Fla., connected May 13, 2026. The vas belongs to Brian Hooker and his missing woman Lynette Hooker and was brought backmost to the U.S. from The Bahamas by the Coast Guard. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

"Even if helium accepts the information that his woman is gone — does helium not privation closure? Does helium not privation redemption?" Stevenson said.

Sometime betwixt May 8 and 10, Brian and Lynette Hooker's sailboat, Soulmate, was seized, a root acquainted with the probe told Fox News Digital. Soulmate was seized 40 nautical miles disconnected the seashore of Melbourne, Florida, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

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In a quality release, the Coast Guard said the seizure was portion of a "complex surveillance and interdiction operation." The sailboat was taken to Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce, wherever it is being processed for imaginable evidence, the root said.

"The vas Soulmate is presently successful the custody of CGIS arsenic portion of an progressive transgression investigation," the Coast Guard said.

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Brian Hooker boards a level to Nassau from Grand Bahama Freeport Airport successful The Bahamas connected Tuesday, April 14, 2026, accompanied by his lawyer, Terell A. Butler. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

Brian Hooker's Michigan-based lawyer antecedently asked Americans to springiness him the payment of the uncertainty successful an interrogation with ABC News.

"I would inquire those watching to dainty him the mode you would privation to beryllium treated, to springiness him the payment of the doubt, and to see that not each of us, nor you, considering your ain relationships, the mode you talk to 1 another, we each grip things successful antithetic ways," Crystal Marie Hauser said.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Hauser for comment.