missing

“I guess it was too much closeness. We decided to call it quits. I’m not going back,” Lynette Hooker shared with a friend in early 2024, months before she disappeared in waters off Abaco.

“I quit my awesome career, sold my house and gave away everything I own to cruise,” she wrote, reflecting on a life she had left behind, CBS reported.

“It was real bad. I can’t be out there with him,” she said in another message.

According to her mother, the relationship between Lynette and her husband, Brian Hooker, was complicated. “They loved each other but were not good for each other,” she said, describing a cycle of breakups and reconciliation. She alleged that when Brian Hooker drank, he could become “mean” and “hurtful,” and recalled instances where Lynette was physically harmed.

In a WhatsApp message weeks later, a friend reached out to Lynette after noticing a shift: “Looks like things are on the up and up.”

By late February, the couple had reconciled.

Lynette’s mother said their life at sea appeared picture-perfect and seemingly full. But the private messages tell another story.

Now, Lynette’s story has taken a tragic turn.

Lynette remains missing after Brian reported that she went overboard during a nighttime boat ride on April 5. Authorities have since launched a criminal investigation, and he has been questioned by police. His attorney has said he denies wrongdoing and is heartbroken, seeking release to assist in the search.

Through a GoFundMe campaign, Karli Aylesworth hopes to raise $18,000 for a memorial and support ongoing efforts to locate Lynette Hooker, the American woman who went missing in the Bahamas after falling overboard in the Bahamas.

“Anything would help,” she said.

After the disappearance of her mother, Lynette, in waters off the Abacos, Aylesworth is searching for answers while bracing for the unknown.

She is calling for a full and complete investigation, adding her mother’s relationship with her stepfather Brian Hooker was rocky.

Authorities have since opened a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Lynette’s disappearance, and Brian was arrested as part of that process.

Police have not publicly detailed the outcome of that investigation, and Lynette has not yet been found.

Brian said Lynette fell overboard during a night boat ride and was lost to the sea. He said strong winds and currents made it impossible to save her, and that he paddled back to shore alone, reporting the incident hours later.

But for Karli, that explanation is not enough.

In a social media post, Brian thanked those supporting the search and for keeping Lynette in their thoughts.

Karli has asked anyone with information to contact her.

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.

The daughter of missing American woman Lynette Hooker wants answers to her mother’s disappearance.

Karli Aylesworth is caught in a state of uncertainty, seeking clarity and truth.

“I have been privy to very little information,” she said in a statement. “My sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance.”

Authorities and volunteer teams in Abaco have now transitioned from an active search and rescue effort to a recovery operation, according to officials on the ground.

It marks a difficult shift for loved ones and for a community that had been hoping for a different outcome.

According to police, Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, was reported missing after an evening boat trip off the coast of Abaco.

She and her husband had left Elbow Cay in a small dinghy, heading back to their yacht, Soulmate, when worsening weather conditions met them at sea.

Investigators say she fell overboard during the journey. Strong currents carried her away, and she was last seen in the water as her husband struggled to regain control of the vessel after it lost power.

He eventually made his way to shore hours later and alerted authorities.

In the days before her disappearance, Lynette and her husband shared glimpses of their life on the water, moments that now feel especially poignant.

They documented their arrival in Abaco, describing the sea as “very entertaining,” and spoke of settling in, writing, “Not going anywhere for a while.”

There were quiet scenes of everyday life, walking along docks, sailing between cays, preparing for dives captured in simple moments.

Not long after, uncertainty followed.

For Aylesworth, and those who love Lynette, the journey is understanding what happened.

After police issued a missing person alert for a 25-year-old woman, she popped up online, not in distress, but very much alive and apparently very annoyed.

Alicia Forbes, who authorities said was last seen on November 13, showed up in the comments under the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Facebook post to clear the air.

According to her, the only thing missing was the ‘truth’.

Using the name Baby Queen, Forbes wrote, “This is not truth.”

She added that she’s not missing. She just wanted some freedom.

“I just want to have fun… My family always have me on lockdown. I can’t go anywhere with nobody, so I keep running away,” she admitted publicly, sending the comment section into a mix of laughter, disbelief, and motherly scolding.

When commenters urged her to at least call home, Forbes insisted her family wasn’t listening.

“I tried,” she said. “I just want to have a little bit of fun, ok. I am 20 years old.”

Police said 25. She said 20. At this point, everyone was missing something.

One Facebook user, Portia Cooper, gave her a stern warning:

“Young lady, let your family know you’re safe. Too much danger in this lil island. Be careful with the fun you looking for.”

But Forbes held her ground with one final reminder: “I am not missing.”

Police have updated the poster. By now, everyone on Facebook knows exactly where she is.

The search for 30-year-old Lauren Saunders ended in heartbreak Wednesday morning when police discovered her body in bushes off Munnings Drive.

Saunders, a pregnant mother of two who went missing on Sunday, was found dead around 8 a.m., Wednesday, police confirmed. Officers say the decomposed body bore signs of gunshot wounds.

A man has been in police custody since Monday as part of the investigation.

Saunders was last seen Sunday morning on her way to work but never arrived. Her car was later found near Coral Harbour with a flat tire, and her phone last pinged near Gladstone Road. Her family had spent days pleading for her safe return, leading volunteers and police in desperate searches across western New Providence.

Her older brother, Renny Saunders, shared his grief in a Facebook post:

“My baby sister, I love you, Lauren.”

At the search site, family members wept and prayed together. “We will trust in God,” one shouted.

Search volunteer Calvin Brown said, “We walked every service road, crossed every barrier, and were met with the heartbreaking news we all feared.”

 Cousin Simeon Rolle said his family is in pain, “This did not have to happen. You did not deserve this.”

Speaking to the perpetrator, he said:

“I hope you rot in hell.”

A woman who attended church with Saunders last week recalled her asking for prayers of protection. “She got up in the middle of service and she took the mic…and she said, ‘Pray for me, I need protection.'”

Prime Minister Philip Davis called for justice:

“Violence against women has no place in our society and must be met with the full weight of the law.”

Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe defended the police response amid public criticism, saying officers acted immediately:

“A missing person’s flyer was issued the same day, and by Monday, a person of interest had been taken into custody.”

Michael Clarke, a former classmate of Saunders’ and a volunteer in the search, remembers her as “a very sweet girl who loved to laugh and was loved by many.”

Saunders graduated from CR Walker Senior High School in 2012.

The tragedy has reignited national outrage about women’s safety in The Bahamas and renewed calls for capital punishment.

The bottom line:

Lauren Saunders’ death is more than a personal tragedy — it’s a national wake-up call about how vulnerable women remain and how urgently the Bahamas must act to protect them.

Featured picture left: The Tribune

Taylor Casey, the 41-year-old American woman who went missing in the Bahamas one month ago, is seen in a resurfaced video at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat Center, singing at a microphone.

Taylor is assisted by a woman who appears to be another classmate, as both are adorned in the yoga center’s yellow t-shirt and white pants, leading a group in a chorus.

Taylor, center stage with a notebook, appears stumped and slightly nervous as the woman helps her with leading the chant. She sings with the class and then tries it on her own. At the completion, she makes a prayer hand and gives the woman a high-five. They both walk offstage.

@haitgo_bahamas

The mysterious disappearance of Taylor Casey. Video footage of Taylor Casey. What is going on? What is going on? Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to this video. This video was shared for educational purposes. #haitgobahamas #haitgobahamas🇧🇸🇧🇸 #taylorcaseyupdate #taylorcasey #taylorcaseymissing #taylorcaseybahamas #242bahamas🇧🇸 #bahamas #bahamastiktok #bahamiantiktok #bahamastiktok🇧🇸 #bahamas🇧🇸

♬ original sound – Ha It Go Bahamas🇧🇸

This video is significant since Taylor, who traveled to the Bahamas alone, disappeared from the center on June 19 and it shows her interaction with the people there.

Friends at the initial phase of the investigation said they did not find Taylor in any videos posted to the yoga center’s website.

Her mother Colette Seymour said Taylor had contacted her complaining that the course was difficult and she was having a hard time.

The yoga enthusiast was on a month-long course to become a certified instructor. She lived in a tent on the property, one of the arranged accommodations available for students, but has not been seen since. Her phone was recovered but Bahamian authorities said her US passport was missing.

The disappearance of Taylor who has a ‘big footprint’ in the transgender community in Chicago, has garnered support from the LGBTQ community in her state and they are now pushing the US government to permit the FBI to investigate the case.

An unmade bed, yellow t-shirts branded with Sivananda Yoga Retreat Center hanging in a mini closet, a Bible, a collection of cotton swabs, a picture of Jesus, and a teacher training course book rested on a table.

These were some of the items Taylor Casey’s mother recovered from her apartment at the retreat center on Paradise Island. The 41-year-old went missing on June 19 while undertaking a training course there.

Police recovered her cell phone in the waters nearby and have not found her American passport.

Seymore said she also collected Louise Hay affirmation cards, Taylor’s yoga mat, books titled “We Do This Until We Free Us” and “All the Black Girls are Activists”; lavender essential oil, toiletries, a sketchpad with her paintings, yoga pants, flip flops, and t-shirts.

“The scene appeared largely unprocessed by local authorities,” she said in a press statement.

She described her visit to the retreat as “deeply unsettling.”

Taylor lived in a mini tent, a common living quarter for guests at the center since so many traveled to connect with nature and relax their body and mind through yoga.

Taylor’s friend Emily Williams also accompanied  Seymore on the three-day trip and believes the center did not do all it could to provide information on their last encounter with Taylor. “It became apparent to us when we met with the Sivananda Ashram leaders that they were struggling to keep a linear and cohesive narrative regarding Taylor’s disappearance.”

Seymore added, “We had to beg to talk to [Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat] students, but then I feel like they were told what to say and not to say.

“My impression is that it (Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat) is cultish, and students were being coerced to obey them (Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat leaders) even if that meant holding back information about my child missing.”

Taylor Casey, the missing 41-year-old American woman who disappeared from Paradise Island while staying at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat Center, stayed more than two weeks in a tent living quarter.

Like thousands of guests, she experienced the “otherworldly” and “idyllic” property “flanked by dense tropical gardens and white sand beaches” as praised by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop lifestyle brand.

Taylor was on a four-week training course to become a certified yoga instructor and would have paid $3300 for the accommodations, based on the information from the retreat’s website. Her accommodations appeared to be a private 8×8” tent hut with a single bed. Its amenities include the Bahama breeze, furnished with a closet, nightstand, bedside lamp, fan, and electrical outlets. Towels and bedding were provided onsite and shared bathrooms were a short distance away.

“Sleep in the fresh, tropical air while still enjoying indoor comforts… It’s the easiest camping you’ll ever do, while you’re safely surrounded by your Tent Hut neighbors,” the website reads.

Other guests who did not wish to use the accommodations offered by the center, were encouraged to bring their tents along with their camping gear, mattress, and towels.

“Set up your tent near the beach, bay, or amongst the palm trees. Create your own sacred space within in the Ashram to reconnect with nature and sleep close to the earth. And you won’t be completely alone — get ready to meet ‘tent neighbors’ from around the world!”

Because Taylor was taking the teaching course, she was expected to undertake the “ancient Holistic Yoga Philosophy (5 Points of Yoga) and Yogic Lifestyle, as developed by Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda—Karma and Reincarnation, Meditation, Yoga Anatomy and Physiology, Yoga Nutrition, and various types of yoga.

Upon graduation from the Teacher Training Course, Taylor would have been certified as a Sivananda yoga teacher and would have been able to teach at Yoga centers or offer Yoga classes in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother Colette Seymour said she was excited to return home to teach yoga before her family learned of her disappearance.

Taylor was to be taught by swamis– Hindu yoga guru and religious teachers and stayed at the Asham, known as the secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage or a religious retreat.

The website says, “Living at our Ashram, you’ll experience uplifting Satsangs, engaging lectures by Swamis and expert speakers, and vibrant concerts featuring world-renowned Kirtan singers and performers.

It continues, “Our authentic ashram experience takes you to the depth and vibrancy of spiritual and cultural traditions from ancient India, right here in the Bahamas. Your journey of yoga, meditation, insight, and music, will nourish your soul, challenge your intellect, and uplift your spirit.”

The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) acknowledged though they have found Taylor Casey’s phone, they have not recovered her US passport.

“Officers diligent search efforts led to the discovery of Taylor’s journal and the retrieval of her cell phone from nearby waters. In addition, other personal effects have been found; however, her American passport has not been located,” the authorities said in a statement.

Before the statement, the RBPF seemed tightlipped on the investigations only stating they had spoken to the family, as they and the Bahamas tourism officials attempt to mitigate fallout in the tourism industry.

PREVIOUS: A man met up with Taylor Casey before she disappeared: New claims in the development of the missing American woman

Taylor’s mother Collette Seymore and friend, Emily Williams have expressed a lack of confidence in the local police and advocated for support from the US government. The pair returned to Chicago after meeting with authorities in the Bahamas.

“I had to return home without her (Taylor). This is every mother’s worst nightmare. I felt an urgent need to return because, without US Government support, we may never find out what happened to my Taylor,” Seymore said of her 41-year-old daughter.

Taylor came to the Bahamas on June 2 to become a certified yoga instructor. She attended the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island where she lived. She is believed to have attended sessions until June 19. It was late that evening when she was last seen.

Seymore also said that reports are that an unidentified man wandered onto the property where Taylor stayed and may have had contact with her.

The man reportedly wore a Celtics baseball cap and was dressed in a black outfit. He claimed he was from Chicago and was interested in taking a yoga class then proceeded to follow her onto the property.

Seymore said the authorities failed to inform her of the encounter, though a statement was given to them by the retreat’s manager.

Police, however, have not confirmed this.

Taylor’s friend Williams also accused authorities of not thoroughly searching the retreat’s premises. She said they “scolded” her for taking pictures because they instead wanted to respect guests on vacation.

“What’s more important–finding Casey or people enjoying vacation?” she asked.