Deadline Looms To Charge Husband Of Woman Missing In Bahamas, Lawyer Says

More than a week aft his woman reportedly fell overboard successful nan Bahamas, Brian Hooker remains successful custody arsenic authorities look a Monday deadline to determine whether to complaint him successful relationship pinch her disappearance aliases merchandise him.

Brian Hooker, 58, was taken into custody Wednesday, days aft he told Bahamian authorities that his wife, Lynette Hooker, fell disconnected nan dinghy they were riding connected nan nighttime of April 4. He said she fell overboard pinch nan cardinal to nan vessel, forcing him to paddle from Elbow Cay to Marsh Harbor Boat Yard, wherever he notified police.

Authorities now must determine by Monday astatine 7:20 p.m. section clip if they will charge him successful relationship pinch his wife's disappearance aliases group him free, his lawyer, Terrel Butler, said

His detention cannot beryllium extended beyond that deadline. It’s unclear erstwhile he whitethorn person a tribunal date. Police are group to question and reply Brian Hooker again Monday, Butler said, though specifications are not clear.

Brian Hooker was questioned by constabulary Friday for much than 3 hours astatine Central Police Station successful Grand Bahama astir whether he caused harm to his 55-year-old wife, Butler said astatine nan time. He was besides asked astir his narration pinch his woman and their individual life, Butler said.

The lawyer noted Friday that location is truthful acold nary grounds aliases accusation related to Lynette Hooker’s death. No assemblage has been recovered arsenic of Monday.

“He was uncertain arsenic to why they were questioning him astir causing harm aliases imaginable execution erstwhile they had not fixed him immoderate accusation wherever she is, if they had recovered her,” Butler said aft nan Friday interview.

Brian Hooker has denied immoderate wrongdoing successful narration to his wife’s disappearance.

“He decidedly denies causing her death, and he still asked astir her and is hopeful that she will beryllium recovered,” Butler added.

Lynette Hooker has now been missing for much than a week. On Friday, Royal Bahamas Defense Force Cmdr. Origin Deleveaux told NBC News that nan hunt for her is ongoing. Authorities are searching for Lynette Hooker by land, aerial and sea.

Deleveaux noted nan “serious bad weather” arsenic nan hunt unfolded, echoing what Brian Hooker and others who unrecorded connected nan land person said astir nan upwind causing unsmooth waters that night.

But Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has questioned her stepfather’s telling of events.

“I dream this was conscionable a freak accident, but I conscionable person a difficult clip believing it astatine nan moment,” Aylesworth said Thursday. “I conscionable want to cognize nan truth.”

Aylesworth said she didn’t deliberation her mother’s disappearance was an accident.

“I consciousness for illustration this was astir apt preplanned, if anything, like, it doesn’t look for illustration conscionable immoderate accident,” she said.

Brian Hooker “categorically and unequivocally denies immoderate wrongdoing and successful peculiar nan allegations precocious made by Karli Aylesworth,” according to a connection Butler released Thursday.

The mates had “a history of not getting along, particularly erstwhile they drink,” Aylesworth antecedently told NBC News.

But her mother and stepfather were some knowledgeable connected nan h2o and had been sailing for much than a decade, she said. They started successful a small, two-person sailboat and yet upgraded to a larger alloy purchased successful Texas.

Brian Hooker elaborate nan evening successful a telephone telephone to a friend, a signaling of which was shared connected YouTube.

In nan audio, purportedly of Brian Hooker, he says he and his woman were anchored retired astatine nan southbound extremity of Aunt Pat’s Bay connected Elbow Cay adjacent Tahiti Beach, and they went retired successful a dinghy into nan h2o past Saturday night.

He said Lynette Hooker “basically conscionable bounced disconnected nan dinghy” amid a rustle of winds astir 20 mph.

“We weren’t wearing life jackets. It was sundown, and nan sun group for illustration fundamentally 10 minutes aft she fell over,” he said.

“The upwind blew america isolated truthful accelerated that I think, I deliberation she tried to aquatics backmost to nan sailboat, backmost to our sailboat which was probably, I don’t know, 1,000 yards [away] aliases something. But nan waves were 3 foot,” he said.

What followed was a “cascade of failures and it’s thing I’m ne'er going to forgive myself for,” Hooker said connected nan call.