The husband of missing American mother Lynette Hooker is in an “extremely fragile state” while in Bahamian custody, according to his lawyer, as authorities face a Monday night deadline to decide on pressing charges.
Brian Hooker, 59, has been held since his arrest last Wednesday, which occurred three days after he reported that his wife of nearly 25 years had fallen overboard from their dinghy and was carried away by strong currents.
During a three-hour interrogation at a Grand Bahama police station, Brian was questioned about his relationship with 55-year-old Lynette and investigated for “causing harm which resulted in her death,” his lawyer Terrel Butler told NBC News.
Butler stated that Brian, who is being treated as a suspect, became “pretty upset, emotional” and broke down during the interview, leaving him “in an extremely fragile state.”
He repeatedly told the police, “I need to know what’s happening,” according to Butler.
“He was uncertain as to why they were questioning him about causing harm or possible murder when they had not given him any information where she is, if they had recovered her,” Butler explained.
Police did not question Brian about laptops or cell phones found on the yacht “Soulmate,” which he shared with Lynette, Butler told CNN.
Meanwhile, Bahamian authorities must decide by 7:20 p.m. local time whether to file charges.
Police filed an extension on Friday that kept him in custody over the weekend, but they cannot seek further extensions unless charges are filed.
Brian “categorically and unequivocally” denies any involvement in his wife’s disappearance.
Before his arrest, he expressed being “heartbroken” over his “beloved” wife’s disappearance, stating that “winds and currents drove us apart.”
The couple left Hope Town on April 4, intending to reach Elbow Cay, where their yacht was docked 4.5 miles away.
Brian did not report his wife’s disappearance to authorities until he reached a Marsh Harbour marina on Easter Sunday. However, Dimitry Malinsky, the founder and CEO of telecoms company Intratem, speculated that he might have had some reception while making the crossing, depending on the location.
“If it’s a remote key, like some of those remote keys in the Bahamas, it would be just as if you’re in the ocean and not by land because if there are no cell tower,” Malinsky told Fox News Digital.
Brian’s lawyer mentioned she is not aware if he had a cell phone at the time of Lynette’s apparent overboard.
However, Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, 28, noted that her mother and stepfather often carried their devices while at sea.
Bahamian authorities continue to search for Lynette, but the US Coast Guard is no longer assisting with the operation.
The Coast Guard initiated a criminal investigation last week.
Aylesworth expressed concerns that something sinister may have occurred at sea, pointing to her stepfather’s alleged violent behavior, which he strongly denies.
Jordan Plentz, a neighbor of the Hookers, claimed to have witnessed years of “pretty bad” domestic violence, alleging that “they fought for a long time.”
