A man at the centre of a murder investigation into his wife’s disappearance from a boat in the Bahamas may have fled the United States into Mexico, sources have told Fox News — as GPS data from his phone contradicts the story he gave investigators and divers search a new area of water after authorities admit they may have been looking in the wrong place.
Brian Hooker, 58, has maintained since April that his wife Lynette, 55, fell overboard from a dinghy in rough conditions off Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands on 4 April, and that he paddled for hours before eventually reaching land in the early hours of the following morning. But the case is now being treated as a murder investigation, with GPS data extracted from Hooker’s phone said to show his movements did not match his account. Investigators have since concluded they were searching the wrong area of the Sea of Abaco for Lynette’s remains, and divers have been redirected accordingly.
Meanwhile, Hooker’s whereabouts are unknown. Sources speaking to Fox News suggested he may have crossed from California into Tijuana, Mexico, either by land or by sea. One source who claimed to be a close friend pointed to what he described as Hooker’s conspicuous appearance. “You’re telling me Brian, six-foot-four, Marine Corps tattoo, ultra-white hair, smirk of the century — has not had one person at a Safeway, a QT or a Buc-ee’s or In-N-Out spot him?” he said. A second source told the outlet that he and Hooker had previously made day trips from San Diego into Tijuana, adding that border agents had not always required passports or identification despite federal requirements.
A former federal prosecutor, however, cautioned against assuming authorities had lost track of him. “I am going to guess they know where he is, but they are not acting on it until they’re more comfortable with their case,” Julie Rendelman told Fox News. She was sharply critical of how the investigation had been handled regardless, saying: “You can’t fail more than if you let an individual who’s the subject of a potential murder of his wife not only leave the Bahamas to go to the United States, but then disappear altogether.”
Hooker has not been charged with any offence. He was detained by Bahamian authorities for five days following his wife’s disappearance before being released without charge and allowed to return to the United States. He has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence. “I’ve never harmed Lynette, and I never would harm Lynette, and I want to find Lynette,” he told NBC News in April. His attorney Terrel Butler told the Daily Mail that Hooker “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing.”
The couple’s vessel, the Soulmate, has been seized by the US Coast Guard and taken to a warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where investigators are set to search it for evidence. Former FBI agent Nicole Parker explained to Fox News that although the incident occurred in the Bahamas, American jurisdiction applies because both Hooker and his wife are US citizens and their vessel was US-registered.
Several people who know Hooker or encountered the couple that evening have publicly questioned his account. The couple’s friend Daniel Danforth told Fox News that Hooker had apparently failed to inform investigators about a high-tech FLIR camera system on board — a thermal imaging device that Danforth said would have been an obvious tool in any genuine rescue attempt. “That was the first they had heard about that system being on the boat,” Danforth said, adding that investigators immediately moved to obtain a seizure warrant for it.
A local bartender named Ken, who served the couple drinks at the Abaco Inn in Elbow Cay on the evening Lynette vanished, told the New York Post he found Hooker’s timeline implausible. The couple left the bar at around 7 to 7.30pm, yet Hooker claims he did not reach shore until approximately 4am. “It’s only four miles that way. It shouldn’t have taken eight to 10 hours to get there,” Ken said. “Even if he was only floating, it should have been a much quicker time.” The Daily Mail said it had contacted Customs and Border Patrol and Hooker’s attorney for comment.
