April 7, 2026 / 8:29 PM EDT / CBS News
The daughter of a Michigan woman who disappeared in the Bahamas during a nighttime dinghy trip says 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 investigators to fully probe the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and said she doubts the account given by Lynette’s husband, Brian Hooker.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Brian Hooker told authorities his wife fell from an 8-foot hard‑bottom dinghy along with the boat keys and was carried 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 lost, Brian Hooker said he paddled the dinghy to shore and reached 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.”
She also played a voicemail left by Brian Hooker for CBS News in which he said a flotation device he threw to Lynette had been recovered by Hope Town Search and Rescue.
When CBS News approached him on Tuesday, Brian Hooker declined to answer questions about the investigation. Aylesworth said the couple had separated in recent years but later reconciled.
Bahamian authorities emphasized that they have not accused Brian Hooker of any wrongdoing and that the situation remains an active search and rescue operation.