Bahamas investigation: The latest on American arrested in wife’s disappearance

More details are emerging about the relationship between a Michigan woman who disappeared on a nighttime boat trip in the Bahamas and her husband, who has been arrested and labeled a suspect in the case.

Brian and Lynette Hooker got into an argument that turned bloody at their Michigan home in 2015, according to a police report obtained by NBC News on Thursday, April 9.

Each spouse was drunk and accused the other of assault, according to the report. Police weren’t able to conclude who started it but because Brian Hooker had the only visible injury − a bloody nose − Lynette Hooker was arrested on charges of assault and battery and spent the night in county jail, the police report says.

USA TODAY has requested the report, as well as one detailing a child abuse charge against Brian Hooker in 2005. A jury later found him not guilty in that case, court records show.

Meanwhile Brian Hooker’s attorney is defending his client as Lynette Hooker’s daughter − Karli Aylesworth − raises questions about her stepfather’s account of what happened in the Bahamas and what she says are his previous threats against her mom.

“Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing and in particular the allegations recently made by Karli Aylesworth,” attorney Terrel A. Butler said in a statement to USA TODAY. “He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.”

Here’s the latest on the case.

What happened to Lynette Hooker?

On Saturday, April 4, Brian Hooker reported that his wife fell overboard from an 8-foot, hard-bottomed dinghy that they were taking on a night trip from Hope Town to Elbow Bay, which are both off of Great Abaco Island, according to a news release from the Royal Bahamas Police Department. Brian Hooker said that his wife had been carrying the boat keys so the engine shut off when she fell. Then “strong currents subsequently carried her away,” and he lost sight of her, police said.

The agency said that Brian Hooker then paddled the dinghy to shore, which took hours, and that he arrived around 4 a.m. on Sunday, April 5.

Advardo Dames, assistant commissioner of the ​Royal Bahamas Police, identified Brian Hooker as “a suspect” in an interview with Reuters. And a U.S. Coast Guard Official told USA TODAY that the agency also is conducting a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance.

Extensive search-and-rescue efforts for Lynette Hooker have included professional divers, drone technology and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. The operation, which has been significantly scaled down, is now considered a recovery effort.

The Royal Bahamas Police Department asks that anyone who may have information that could help the investigation to contact them by dialing 911 or 919, or anonymously by calling 328-8477.

What has Brian Hooker said since his wife disappeared?

Brian Hooker has not granted any interviews to news outlets covering the case but wrote a brief Facebook post about it on Wednesday, April 8, roughly 12 hours before his arrest

“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,” he said. “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.”

He also left a voicemail for his stepdaughter the day after her mother disappeared.

“Hello, honey, I just got a call from Hope Town Search and Rescue, and they have found a flotation device that I threw to mom when she fell overboard,” Brian Hooker said in the voicemail that Karli Aylesworth shared with multiple media outlets. “They haven’t found her yet, but they can now focus all of their efforts in a smaller area.”

Meanwhile Hooker’s attorney told USA TODAY that his client cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing.

“It is crucial to mention the importance of maintaining the integrity of the legal process,” attorney Terrel A. Butler said in a statement. “Under the fundamental principles of our justice system, every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law … Public commentary that assumes a specific outcome can be detrimental to the fairness of the proceedings.”

More about Brian and Lynette Hooker’s relationship

Lynette and Brian Hooker have been documenting their sailing adventures on social media for years, describing themselves on TikTok as “a married couple living their best life” after they “sailed away from BS.” They’ve sailed to New Orleans, Miami Beach, Key West, on Lake Michigan, and most recently, throughout the Bahamas.

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has described her mom’s relationship with her stepdad Brian as rocky and volatile in interviews with NBC News, CBS News and Fox News.

“Their relationship has been a lot of fighting and drinking lately,” she told CBS. “So I’m just kind of questioning what actually went on in that dinghy.

“It just doesn’t add up,” she told Fox News. “There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”

During an interview with police responding to a fight between the couple in 2015, a “highly intoxicated” Lynette Hooker said that Brian Hooker had choked her and punched her, according to a report obtained from the Kentwood Police Department by NBC News.

Officers found Brian Hooker drunk with blood coming out of his nose. He told police that Lynette Hooker had hit him in the face up to five times, according to the report, NBC News reported.

“He stated he had never been hit like that in a long time,” an officer wrote. “He started to cry and became emotional.”

Police saw that Brian Hooker had a swollen and bloody nose and that Lynette Hooker had no visible injuries, the report said.

USA TODAY has been unable to find any records showing that Brian Hooker has been convicted of domestic violence.

Where is Brian Hooker now?

Brian Hooker’s attorney told USA TODAY that he was at a police station in Grand Bahama as of Thursday evening.

The Royal Bahamas Police Department declined to answer USA TODAY’s questions about the case on Thursday, including whether they planned on holding Hooker or releasing him.