Missing Woman’s Daughter Arrives in Bahamas After Stepfather Flees Country

Clear Facts

• Lynette Hooker disappeared in the Bahamas on April 4 after her husband Brian Hooker reported she fell from their dinghy
• Brian Hooker was arrested, held for five days, then released without charges before fleeing to the United States
• Daughter Karli Aylesworth has revealed prior issues with Brian’s behavior and history of domestic violence

The daughter of an American woman missing in the Bahamas arrived on Great Abaco Island Thursday and immediately criticized her stepfather for abandoning the search. Karli Aylesworth landed in Marsh Harbour with her boyfriend, Steve Hansen, determined to find answers about what happened to her mother, Lynette Hooker.

Brian Hooker claims Lynette fell overboard from their dinghy around 7:30 p.m. on April 4 as they motored toward their sailboat anchored off Elbow Key. He was the last person to see her alive.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested Brian on April 8 and held him for five days while investigating Lynette’s disappearance. He was released Monday night without facing any charges.

On Tuesday morning, Brian told multiple news outlets he would stay in the Bahamas to continue searching for Lynette. Less than 24 hours later, he boarded a flight to the United States, landing in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon, according to a source familiar with the matter.

“I think it shows his character. He somehow lost my mom at sea and cries on camera saying he’ll never stop searching, then leaves the next day,” Aylesworth told the New York Post upon arriving in Marsh Harbour.

She and her boyfriend were met by a uniformed police officer at Leonard Thompson International Airport before departing in a taxi. Aylesworth is now working to uncover what really happened to her mother.

Brian’s attorney, Terrel Butler, claimed his client left to visit his seriously ill mother.

“Following his release from custody without charge, Mr. Hooker is now facing another emergency. In addition to the trauma of his wife of 25 years being missing, Mr. Hooker has received urgent word of his mother’s grave illness,” Butler told NBC News.

“He has traveled to [the] United States of America to be at her bedside during this critical time.”

Aylesworth has raised serious concerns about her stepfather’s behavior. She told Fox News Digital she was aware of “prior issues” with Brian that could be relevant to a thorough investigation.

“There have been prior issues brought to my attention, which may be important for any thorough investigation. If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it,” Aylesworth said.

“However, there needs to be an intensive review of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident before that can be determined.”

Aylesworth revealed she has been “privy to very little information,” adding her “sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance.”

She also told “Fox and Friends” that something “doesn’t add up” with her mother’s disappearance. Most troubling, she accused Brian of having a “history of domestic violence” and anger issues.

Bahamian police announced their search for Lynette is coming to an end as early as Thursday. After analyzing “tide, drift and wind,” authorities decided there was nowhere else to look. The U.S. Coast Guard investigation remains ongoing.

Brian has consistently maintained he had nothing to do with Lynette’s disappearance. He claims the incident was purely an accident caused by windy conditions and choppy seas.

Before his arrest, he released a statement saying he was “heartbroken” over Lynette’s disappearance.

“I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her, and that is my sole focus.”

Those words now ring hollow after he fled the country just one day after promising to continue the search. Meanwhile, Lynette’s daughter is on the ground in the Bahamas, determined to get justice for her mother.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.