• Kentwood Police Department Child Abuse Incident: Source
• During an incident later investigated by Kentwood Police, child witnesses said Brian Hooker became upset during an argument in the home, chased a child upstairs, pinned the child against a door, and placed both hands around the child’s neck. One witness said the child was lifted partly off the ground by the neck.Kentwood Police Department supplemental report, Complaint No. 19919-05, dated December 5, 2005.
• One child witness said Brian Hooker told the child, “say yes sir young lady” two times during the incident. The witness also said Brian was crying afterward and that the children were extremely scared. Source: Kentwood Police Department supplemental report, Complaint No. 19919-05, dated December 5, 2005.
• Another child witness told Detective Michele Clark that the incident began after yelling in the home and a chase upstairs. The witness said Brian Hooker choked a child during the incident.

• Rick Aylesworth told police he first learned of the incident when he picked up his daughter for visitation. He told investigators the child lived every other week with her mother, Lynette, and stepfather, Brian Hooker. Source

• Kentwood Police documented a child abuse investigation under Complaint No. 19919-05 and File Class 3800-1. Source
• A Report of Actual or Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect was completed and referred to the Michigan Family Independence Agency. The referral identified Brian Hooker as the alleged perpetrator. Source: Kentwood Police Department child abuse referral forms, dated December 5, 2005.
• Detective Michele Clark documented that two additional witnesses had not previously been interviewed and completed supplemental reporting on those witness accounts. Source: Kentwood Police Department supplemental report, Complaint No. 19919-05, dated December 5, 2005.
• Detective Michele Clark wrote that a copy of the report was sent to the prosecutor’s office. Source: Kentwood Police Department supplemental report, Complaint No. 19919-05, dated December 5, 2005.

• Brian Hooker was acquitted by a jury in a child abuse case. Source: court record, 2006. Source

• 1:05 a.m. A domestic assault incident was reported in Kentwood, Michigan. According to the Kentwood Police Department report, officers were dispatched to a residence for an intoxicated female who was locked in an upstairs bedroom. The female told dispatch she had been assaulted by someone in the home. Source
• Brian Hooker told police he had been assaulted by his wife, Lynette Hooker, and said she struck him in the face multiple times. Officers reported that he was intoxicated and had blood coming from his nose. Source: Kentwood Police Department case report, Incident No. 15-1952, February 1, 2015.
• Brian Hooker told officers Lynette Hooker believed Jacob Hooker and another person were locked in an upstairs room and “fooling around.” He said Lynette attempted to open the door and that when he went upstairs to calm her down, she struck him in the face four to five times. He told police he had never been hit like that in a long time, then began to cry and became emotional.
•  A witness identified in the report as Jebbing told police she heard Lynette Hooker upstairs causing a commotion. She said Brian Hooker went upstairs and returned several minutes later bleeding from the nose.
• Lynette Hooker was described by police as highly intoxicated. She told officers Brian Hooker struck her in the forehead after her children locked themselves in an upstairs room and she tried to get in. She said he choked her and punched her once.
• Police documented that Brian Hooker had a bloody nose that was red and swollen and that he refused medical treatment. Officers stated Lynette Hooker had no visible injuries, that they did not observe marks or scratches on her, and that she also refused medical treatment.
• Police attempted to contact Jacob Hooker and another individual who had reportedly left the home together due to the incident. Officers were unable to reach either person by telephone. The report stated neither person said they were involved in the assault, though they may have witnessed it.
• Lynette Hooker was taken into custody at 1:05 a.m. on a charge listed as Assault & Battery/Simple Assault.

• The complaint was reviewed by APA Burch, and the warrant was denied. Source
• The report states there was insufficient evidence as to who started the assault.
• Officer E. Kitchka documented that Brian Hooker, Lynette Hooker’s attorney Mark Hunting, and Jodi Simpson at 62B District Court were advised that the warrant had been denied. The case was then marked closed.

• Brian Hooker formed HOOKER COMMUNICATIONS, LLC in Michigan. The filing lists him as the organizer and resident agent and gives a Kentwood, Michigan registered office address. Source

• Brian Hooker and Lynette Hooker sold their home in Kentwood, Michigan. Source: Document Number 2020.112447.

• First Sailing Trip to Milwaukee. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video

• Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker posted a video on their YouTube channel, The Sailing Hookers, documenting the purchase and cleanup of their sailboat in Rockport, Texas. In the video, Lynette said they had spent years looking for a sailboat before buying a Morgan 461, a 1980 charter boat from the Virgin Islands, and described it as “a little rough on the edges.” The video showed the couple repairing and cleaning up the vessel. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video

• The couple posted another video showing themselves leaving the Industrial Canal Lock and navigating the Mississippi River toward Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans, continuing to document their sailing life after acquiring the boat. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video,

• Lynette and Brian shared a video of their first attempt to cross the Gulf. Gale-force winds forced them to stop in Morgan City, Louisiana. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video

• The couple posted a video showing Walmart supplies being delivered to them while they were in New Orleans, adding another snapshot of daily life aboard the boat. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video

• After more than two years without posting, the next video on the couple’s channel placed them in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video,.

• Lynette Hooker told Marnee Stevenson, a friend she met through sailing, that she did not plan to return to sea because her marriage was over. She said, “I guess it was too much closeness. We decided to call it quits. I’m not going back.” Source

• The couple posted a 13-second video from a bridge over a creek in Coloma, California, showing that they were still traveling and occasionally documenting the trip. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video

• Lynette and Brian on the way to Bahamas Source | Source

• Lynette and Brian: Day three of the Journey – Crab Cay in the Bahamas Source

• Lynette and Brian posted a TikTok video of them sailing on the water.

• Lynette and Brian in Great Guana Cay in the Bahamas Source

• Lynette and Brian had secured a mooring ball in Marsh Harbour and were spending time at a pool while doing laundry. Source

• Lynette and Brian Snorkeling in Bahamas Source

• Lynette and Brian shared a video of themselves paddle-boarding in Marsh Harbour. Source: The Sailing Hookers YouTube video, March 9, 2026.

• Lynette and Brian Snorkeling in Bahamas Source

• Lynette and Brian at Tahiti Beach Source

• Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker Sailed to Great Guana Cay this morning to get our scuba tanks filled. this is last and Final TikTok Post from @thesailinghookers  Source

• 7:30 p.m. Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker left Hope Town in an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy for Elbow Cay. Another account of the same trip described them as leaving Hope Town’s Abaco Inn and heading toward their anchored yacht. Source: Royal Bahamas Police Force.
• Later that evening. During the crossing, Lynette Hooker went overboard while holding the boat keys, causing the dinghy’s engine to shut off. Brian Hooker said strong currents carried her away and that he lost sight of her. Source: Royal Bahamas Police Force.
• After Lynette entered the water Brian Hooker paddled the disabled dinghy back toward shore after losing sight of Lynette. Source: Royal Bahamas Police Force.

• 4:00 a.m. Brian Hooker arrived ashore in Marsh Bay or Marsh Harbour, about eight miles west of Hope Town, and told another person what had happened. Police were then alerted. Source: Royal Bahamas Police Force account, April 2026.
• Edward Smith, a security guard at Marsh Harbour Boatyards, said Brian Hooker came ashore near the boatyard appearing exhausted and thirsty after drifting for hours. Smith said another employee alerted him that a man had stumbled onto the property talking about a key and a woman, and that Brian asked for water and said Lynette was still in the water. Source: Fox News Digital interview with Edward Smith.
• 5:00 a.m. Smith said he called police to assist Brian Hooker and that officers arrived at about 5:00 a.m. Source: Fox News Digital interview with Edward Smith.
• 7:00 a.m. Edward Smith said Brian Hooker was still speaking with police when Smith’s shift ended at 7:00 a.m.
• 5:51 p.m. The Royal Bahamas Police Force publicly announced that an investigation into Lynette Hooker’s fall was underway. Search efforts on Sunday included support from the U.S. Coast Guard for about one hour using an HC-144 aircraft, but the search produced no results. Source
• Sunday search phase The search involved Bahamian authorities and expanded across marine, land, and aerial areas. Drone technology and professional divers were also used. Source: Royal Bahamas Police Force statement, April 7, 2026.

• Throughout the day Search efforts continued in the waters between Elbow Cay and mainland Abaco as authorities tried to locate Lynette Hooker. Source: Royal Bahamas Defence Force and Royal Bahamas Police Force search activity, April 2026.

• Morning Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, called for a thorough investigation and said there had been prior issues that could be important to a full review of the facts and circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance. She said she had been given very little information and that her sole concern was finding out what happened and making sure a full investigation was conducted. Source
• Afternoon Richard Cook of Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue said officials did not suspect foul play at that point. He described the circumstances as involving nighttime travel, very windy conditions, no moon, pitch darkness, and rough water for the small boat they were using. He also said the search had transitioned to a recovery effort. Source: Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue statement, April 7, 2026.
• 7:12 p.m. A second public update stated that search operations and investigative efforts remained active. Source
• The Royal Bahamas Police Force stated that extensive search-and-rescue operations had been carried out by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, local fire and rescue teams, the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association, and the United States Coast Guard.
• The search had spanned marine, land, and aerial areas, with additional support from drone technology and professional divers.
• Police stated that search operations and investigative efforts remained active and issued a public appeal for information.
• By this stage of the search: Only a flotation device had been recovered along the shoreline, and there had been no confirmed sightings of Lynette Hooker. Source: Royal Bahamas Defence Force account, April 2026.
• Gofundme: Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, started a GoFundMe Source
• Memorial for my mom. She has been missing in the Bahamas since 4/4/26. This is to help the search for her or to help lay her to rest. Anything would help. My email is my first and last name at gmail, if you know anything, please let me know.

• 6:42 a.m. Karli Aylesworth said Brian Hooker had been physically violent in the past and said the account of Lynette’s disappearance did not make sense to her. She described Lynette as very fit, said Lynette would not ordinarily lose her balance on a boat, and questioned why Lynette would have had the dinghy keys because Brian was the one who usually drove it. Source: family interview, April 8, 2026.
• 7:15 a.m Brian Hooker posted a public Facebook statement describing himself as heartbroken Source
• I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.
• Our family is deeply grateful for the Bahamian people’s assistance, especially that of the Hopetown Volunteer Fire & Rescue team, Royal Bahamas police force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and the US Coast Guard, who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us. Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time.
• Morning Karli Aylesworth said Brian Hooker left her a voicemail stating that Hope Town Search and Rescue had found the flotation device he said he threw to Lynette after she went overboard. Source: family account of voicemail, April 8, 2026.
• 10:04 a.m. Brian Hooker spoke publicly for the first time since the incident and described himself as heartbroken over a boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds near Elbow Cay. He said he made desperate attempts to reach Lynette but that winds and currents drove them farther apart. He thanked Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and the U.S. Coast Guard for their efforts.
• During the day The U.S. Coast Guard opened a criminal investigation into the case.
• 6:30 p.m. A Royal Bahamas Police Force vessel approached the yacht Soulmate in Marsh Harbour and officers were seen inspecting it. Two officers appeared to secure an item to the side of the boat, one officer was seen looking through a window, and the crew departed a short time later.
• 7:30 p.m. Brian Hooker was taken into custody for additional questioning based on probable cause.
• Brian Hooker allegedly fell off boat while in custody in Bahamas While in custody, Brian Hooker allegedly fell off a boat and sustained injuries as a result. His attorney said he requested medical assistance following the incident
• 7:34 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard’s investigative role was publicly confirmed.
• Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, said she was seeking more information after the arrest. She also said the family had grown up on the water and that Lynette had spent her life around lakes, boats, sailing, and swimming. Source: family statement
• Karli Aylesworth was interviewed by the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday, according to her attorney. Source: attorney statement, April 8, 2026.
• 8:33 p.m Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a statement Source
• A 59-year-old U.S. male was taken into custody in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, in connection with the disappearance of a woman reported missing from an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy while en route to Elbow Cay on Saturday, April 4, 2026. Police said he was being questioned in connection with the matter

• 3:00 a.m. Defense attorney Terrel Butler confirmed Brian Hooker had been taken into custody in connection with Lynette Hooker’s disappearance, said he had not been charged with a crime, and said he denied wrongdoing while cooperating with authorities. Source: defense counsel statement, April 9, 2026.
• Morning Darlene Hamlett said she wanted to hear what Brian Hooker had to say because she had not heard from him in almost two days. She was returning from the Bahamian Consulate in Miami after securing a passport so she could travel to the Bahamas. Source: family statement, April 9, 2026.
• Karli Aylesworth said Brian Anthony Hooker gave her the same account he later provided to authorities during a brief phone call on Sunday after Lynette vanished. She said he sounded monotone and relaxed, and she said she was in shock both at the news and at his tone. Source: family interview, April 9, 2026.
• Karli Aylesworth and her attorney said the arrest appeared to be bringing the case the attention it deserved, and that the family had been seeking answers after receiving very little information in the beginning. Source: family and attorney statements, April 9, 2026.

• Defense attorney Terrel Butler said authorities had decided to keep Brian Hooker in custody for up to another 72 hours.

• Lynette Hooker’s mother stated that Lynette’s Apple Watch had been found and that it was the watch Lynette was wearing on the night she disappeared. Source

• Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, posted an update on GoFundMe  Source
• “I am heading to the Bahamas on Wednesday with Steve! Thank you for all of your support, it means a lot

• 7:30 p.m. According to Defense attorney Terrel Butler the extended custody deadline for Brian Hooker was around 7:30 p.m. Monday unless authorities released him earlier or filed charges. The report said he was being questioned in relation to the Bahamian offense of causing harm resulting in death.
• Brian Hooker released from Bahamas jail after wife’s disappearance.

• Attorney Terrel Butler said Brian Hooker left the Bahamas because his mother is very ill, but said he plans to return to the islands. Butler said Hooker departed on a commercial flight and that police had been informed, though he did not disclose the destination. Source

• Karli Aylesworth and her partner, Steve Hansen, arrived in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, to search for Lynette Hooker. Source: family account, April 16, 2026.

“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

• Karli Aylesworth posted a GoFundMe update stating that she and Steve were heading back from the Bahamas. She said the support had helped her get some answers about what happened, that she retraced Lynette and Brian Hooker’s steps from the day Lynette disappeared, and that doing so made the story seem more suspicious to her. She also said she hoped to return again soon both to remember her last time with her mother and to continue trying to find out what really happened. Source

• US Coast Guard asking the public for info about the disappearance of Lynette Hooker w/in Aunt Pat’s Bay, BAH, 4/4. CGIS is looking for the owner of the sailboat below moored near the SV Soulmate. Ppl w/ info are urged to submit tips through CG tips app:tinyurl.com/3ekewk3x Source

• Soulmate, the sailing vessel owned by Lynette and Brian Hooker, was moved into a marine slip in Marsh Harbour for provisioning after Bahamian authorities released the boat but did not release the dinghy for transport back to the United States. Source

• Karli Aylesworth posted a GoFundMe update stating that her family was still hopeful they could find Lynette Hooker and that the funds would help them return to the Bahamas to get answers. Source
• The yacht Soulmate was seized by U.S. Coast Guard investigators after departing Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.

• Update: Special agents with the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), supported by multiple Coast Guard surface and aviation assets, seized the sailing vessel Soulmate approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the disappearance of Lynette Hooker. Source
• The seizure was conducted during a complex surveillance and interdiction operation coordinated by CGIS and operational Coast Guard surface from Sector Miami and aviation assets from Air Station Miami. Following the seizure, the vessel lost engine power and was taken under tow by the Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser. The towing operation was transferred to a crew from Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce for transit through Fort Pierce Inlet.
• The vessel Soulmate is currently in the custody of CGIS as part of an active criminal investigation. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no additional details are being released at this time.
• Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Lynette Hooker is encouraged to contact the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service via CGIS Tips. For media inquiries contact [email protected].

• Friends described the couple as having retired and begun traveling full time on the boat they had bought in Texas and spent about a year fixing up.
• Brian Anthony Hooker Born November 1967
• Social media accounts
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• Facebook
• X.com – Lynette Hooker
• Facebook – Lynette Hooker
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• LinkedIn – Brian Hooker
• Website – Brian Hooker
• Lynette Hooker S/V Soulmate

• Recent Developments: Aylesworth stated that she heard the flotation device thrown to her mother while she was swimming away from the boat has been located.
• Communication with Authorities: Because her own attempts to reach the Bahamian police by phone were unsuccessful, Aylesworth had her lawyer contact them to attempt to move the investigation forward.
• Notification of Disappearance: Her stepfather was the person who initially informed her that her mother was missing. While he has recently called and left a voicemail, Aylesworth stated she does not wish to speak with him until she has more information.
• Safety Concerns and Suspicions: Aylesworth noted that the circumstances do “not add up,” specifically regarding why her mother was swimming away from the boat or why she had the boat keys. She mentioned that past issues between her mother and stepfather “have not been good”.
• Sailing History: Her mother and stepfather have been sailing for over 10 years, beginning with a small two-person vessel and eventually moving up to a sailboat over 50 feet in size. They frequently sailed Lake Michigan and had been in the Bahamas for approximately one month.
• Personal Background and Last Contact:
• The last contact Aylesworth had with her mother was on the preceding Friday.
• They spoke regularly, and her mother was actively helping her find an apartment.
• Aylesworth described her mother as a “craftsy and active person” who enjoys yoga, working out, and sewing biminis for sailboats.
• Her mother also enjoyed documenting their travels using a 360 camera.