April 7, 2026 / 8:29 PM EDT / CBS News
The daughter of a Michigan woman who went missing in the Bahamas during a nighttime boat ride with her husband said she is desperate for answers as the search for her mother entered its third day.
Karli Aylesworth described her mother, Lynette Hooker, as an experienced swimmer who has sailed for more than a decade. Aylesworth told CBS News she wants authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances and said she does not believe the account given by Lynette’s husband, Brian Hooker.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Brian Hooker told investigators his wife fell from an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy along with the boat keys and was swept away by strong rip currents. The couple reportedly left Hope Town for Elbow Cay at about 7:30 p.m. local time Saturday. With the engine off and the keys gone, Brian Hooker said he paddled the dinghy to shore and arrived at the Marsh Harbour Boat Yard at about 4 a.m. Sunday.
Aylesworth questioned how her mother would have had the keys, saying, “Brian’s always driving. So he basically is in charge of the key. So the fact that my mom had it doesn’t make any sense.”
Aylesworth played a voicemail left by Brian Hooker for CBS News in which he said a flotation device he threw to Lynette had been found by Hope Town Search and Rescue.
When approached by CBS News on Tuesday, Brian Hooker declined to answer questions about the investigation. Aylesworth said the couple had separated in recent years but reconciled. Bahamian authorities said Brian Hooker has not been accused of any wrongdoing and that the matter remains a search and rescue operation.