An American woman has been missing at sea in the Bahamas after she reportedly fell overboard during an evening dinghy ride with her husband, CNN reported. A recovery mission and investigation is now underway as 55-year-old Lynette Hooker remains missing.
What happened to Lynette Hooker?
Lynett and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, both US nationals from Michigan, were on their way back to their yacht, “Soulmate,” when the woman “bounced” out of the boat, according to Richard Cook, fire team lead with Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Richard said that the two of them hit strong currents after they had left Hope Town and were headed to Elbow Cay Saturday night in a small 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
According to Cook, Lynette was not wearing a personal flotation device during the incident. Her daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told CNN that Brian left a voicemail claiming authorities recovered a flotation device he threw to Lynette after she fell.
Police noted that Brian told them “strong currents subsequently carried her away,” and “he lost sight of her.” He said he last saw his wife swimming toward the shore.
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Hooker claimed that when Lynette went overboard, she had the engine safety lanyard, which went over with her.
The boat soon lost power in the absence of the key. Brian then paddled the boat to the shore, according to police.
Brian drifted four miles toward Marsh Harbour, Abaco. “Mr. Hooker then tried to row but the winds were 18-22 kts and (he) could not make headway,” Cook said.
Upon reaching land, he beached the dinghy and made his way through the bush to the Marsh Harbour Boat Yards. He then called police, according to Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue.
Search underway
A search operation was launched in the surrounding waters by police on the island of Abaco, as well as members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and local fire and rescue teams. On Sunday, six hours of search were conducted, but Lynette could not be found, according to the fire and rescue department. The US Coast Guard conducted a search by air shortly after, a spokesperson told CNN.
Drone technology and professional divers were used to scan the water, sky and land, police said. Cook noted that search and rescue teams have now moved to a recovery operation.
‘We have many unanswered questions’
Lynette’s daughter and mother told the outlet that they have both been attempting to reach Bahamian authorities for information.
“We have many unanswered questions,” said Lynette’s mother, Darlene Hamlett. “Our family is still in shock. We are still holding on for a positive outcome to this tragedy.”
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Darlene struggled to reach investigators, and is now trying to get an emergency passport to fly to the Bahamas. Karli has hired an attorney.
Both Karli and Darlene have called for a thorough probe into the circumstances of the incident.
“I have been privy to very little information. My sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance,” Karli said.
“The more time that goes on, the more I disbelieve that she will come back alive. I don’t think that you can tread water for that long,” she added. “But I hope maybe she’s on a little island somewhere.”
Karli said on CNN News Central that the Hookers, who had been married for about 25 years, have been sailing together for over a decade.
“She loves exploring,” she said of her mother. “They’ve always wanted to sail the Bahamas and so now they finally did it.”
The couple shared their experiences regularly on social media, including Instagram, as “the sailing hookers”. They shared updates on boat repairs, sailing trips, island explorations and life at sea.
Meanwhile, the US State Department told CNN it is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” according to an agency spokesperson.
The State Department urges travelers to exercise increased caution in the Bahamas. Notably, it is listed under a level 2 travel advisory.
“Boating is not well regulated. Injuries and deaths have occurred,” it said in the March 2025 advisory.
