Husband Of Woman Missing In Bahamas Also Fell Overboard Night Of His Arrest, Lawyer Says

MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas — The hubby of missing American Lynette Hooker himself fell overboard the nighttime he was arrested successful relationship pinch her disappearance, his lawyer said successful a connection Friday.

Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested Wednesday by nan Royal Bahamas Police Force, days aft he told authorities that his 55-year-old woman fell overboard pinch nan keys to nan dinghy they were connected that nighttime adjacent Elbow Cay. He said he had to paddle for hours to scope Marsh Harbour Boat Yard early Sunday, wherever he was capable to alert someone, who past called nan police.

But during nan arrest, Brian Hooker's lawyer said, he apparently besides fell overboard while handcuffed into nan choppy Bahamian waters, causing an wounded to his knee that has caused a limp and a visible abrasion.

According to his lawyer, Terrel A. Butler, nan incident occurred aft he was escorted to nan Hookers' boat, nan Soulmate, by constabulary vessel truthful officials could hunt his spot during his arrest.

Butler said Brian Hooker was holding a bundle of clothing successful his "restricted hands" and was trying to support his equilibrium amid "choppy and vulnerable oversea conditions" erstwhile he mislaid his footing and fell overboard.

"He was submerged successful nan acold h2o and took successful a important magnitude of seawater earlier his life overgarment brought him to nan surface," Butler wrote successful nan statement, adding that she has requested aesculapian attraction for her client. "He had to beryllium rescued from nan h2o by nan police."

Brian Hook has denied immoderate wrongdoing. He has not yet been formally charged, his lawyer said, and is cooperating pinch authorities. He is scheduled to beryllium interviewed Friday morning, Butler added.

The U.S. Coast Guard opened a criminal investigation, and a U.S. rule enforcement root said Thursday that nan Royal Bahamas Police Force had officially requested U.S. assistance successful nan case.

Lynette Hooker.via Facebook

Butler's statement, released aft she visited Brian Hooker astatine nan Central Police Station successful Grand Bahama, added that her customer is "completely heartbroken and profoundly distressed."

"His superior interest and root of aggravated vexation is his inability to proceed nan hunt for his woman of 25 years," Butler said. "The trauma of her disappearance, coupled pinch his existent detention arsenic a suspect, has near him successful an highly vulnerable state."

Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, antecedently told NBC News she doesn't rather judge her stepfather's account of what happened Saturday night.

"I dream this was conscionable a freak accident, but I conscionable person a difficult clip believing it astatine nan moment," Aylesworth said Thursday. "It's difficult to spot nan group you've grown up pinch and attraction astir perchance doing thing for illustration this. I conscionable want to cognize nan truth."

When asked whether she thinks her mother's disappearance was an accident, Aylesworth said she didn't deliberation so.

"I consciousness for illustration this was astir apt pre-planned, if anything, like, it doesn’t look for illustration conscionable immoderate accident," she said.

According to Aylesworth, nan mates had "a history of not getting along, particularly erstwhile they drink." She besides said her mother and stepfather were some knowledgeable connected nan h2o and had been sailing for much than a decade. They started successful a small, two-person sailboat and yet upgraded to a larger alloy purchased successful Texas.

Both Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker person had run-ins pinch nan rule before.

Lynette Hooker was arrested connected charges of battle and battery/simple battle successful 2015, though nan warrant was denied aft "insufficient grounds arsenic to who started nan assault." According to a Michigan constabulary study from that night, some she and her hubby accused each different of assault.

Court records successful Michigan bespeak that a assemblage acquitted Brian Hooker of a kid maltreatment complaint successful 2006. Details connected nan lawsuit were not disposable Friday.

Rapeepan Cash, a Marsh Harbour local, told NBC News that group successful their organization don't judge that Lynette Hooker conscionable fell disconnected nan vessel Saturday night.

But her husband, Johnnie J. Cash, noted it's "common for Bahamians to estimate without knowing nan existent facts."

The Cashes said to NBC News from their store, ABACO Asian Market, successful Marsh Harbour connected Thursday.

Johnnie J. Cash, however, thinks Brian Hooker's telling of events is wholly possible, he said, citing nan bad upwind and nan mini vessel.

Rapeepan Cash besides noted that Brian Hooker has truthful acold not described really Lynette Hooker fell disconnected nan boat, which is thing "he should know," she said.

The mates agreed that nan waters were unsmooth nan nighttime Lynette Hooker went missing and said that moreover an knowledgeable swimmer would person had problem against nan currents. Rapeepan Cash said that if Lynette Hooker was 100 feet aliases farther from nan shore, she doesn't deliberation she'd person made it.

On a calm day, nan mates said, personification "could person made it," but again stressed that nan waters were not calm Saturday night.

Darlene Hamlett, Lynette Hooker's mother, told The Associated Press that she was "glad to hear" astir her son-in-law's apprehension and that she hasn't heard from him successful days.

"I'm going to beryllium willing successful what he says, because I haven't heard from him successful almost 2 days," she said. The AP noted that Hamlett has plans to recreation to nan Bahamas to assistance successful nan search.

"Our family grew up connected h2o and truthful Lynette her full life has been adjacent lakes, connected boats, sailing and swimming," Hamlett said. "It would beryllium a occurrence if [she's rescued], but I'm still counting connected one."