As the search for Lynette Hooker continues in Bahamian waters, another struggle is unfolding within the family, still trying to make sense of what happened.
Bahamian authorities have made it clear that Lynette’s husband, Brian Hooker, is not accused of any wrongdoing. The case remains an active investigation.
But for Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, the questions have not gone away.
“For one, I don’t understand how she got the key,” she said.
According to police, Lynette, 55, went missing after reportedly falling overboard from a small dinghy during a nighttime trip in Abaco.
Her husband said the couple had left Hope Town around 7:30 p.m., heading toward Elbow Cay, when she fell into the water. He told investigators she had the engine key at the time, and that strong currents carried her away.
But for Aylesworth, that detail is difficult to reconcile.
“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.”
In the hours after the incident, Brian Hooker left a voicemail for his stepdaughter.
“Hello, honey, it’s Dad… they found the flotation device that I threw to Mom when she fell overboard,” he said.
Aylesworth describes her mother as experienced, someone who had spent more than a decade sailing and who was a confident swimmer.
She shared that she wants a full and thorough investigation, saying she struggles to fully accept the sequence of events as described.
Aylesworth also noted that her mother and stepfather had been separated in recent years before reconnecting.
After the incident, authorities say Brian Hooker was left in a powerless vessel without the key.
He paddled through rough conditions, eventually reaching shore hours later, around 4 a.m., where he made his way to the Marsh Harbour Boat Yard and contacted police.
