TRUE CRIME NEWS'No Way She's in Here Floating': Ashleigh Banfield Insists People 'in the Know' Don't Believe Lynette Hooker Is Missing at Sea
Lynette Hooker vanished in the Bahamas on April 4.
April 20 2026, Updated 3:43 p.m. ET
Journalist Ashleigh Banfield is questioning the case of missing mom Lynette Hooker, whose husband claims she fell off a small boat in the Bahamas and was swept out to sea.
On Sunday, April 19, the NewsNation alum shared a video on Instagram of herself in Elbow Cay in the Sea of Abaco where 55-year-old Lynette allegedly vanished earlier this month.
"I'm told by those who are in the know, ain't no way, no how, she's in here floating," Banfield said. "It is believed that she is instead up on land and that if she was murdered, and if, Brian Hooker's not telling the truth, and if he did something to her, that they believe he would have taken her up on land to get rid of the body."
Ashleigh Banfield traveled to the Bahamas to investigate.
Ashleigh Banfield Claims Lynette Hooker Would Be Visible in the Water
Many question Brian Hooker's account of what happened to his wife.
Ashleigh insisted the Michigan mom is "not in the Sea of Abaco, because you could see everything. You could see her in the water."
"It's like a very deep swimming pool," she added.
The true crime podcaster also said law enforcement sources shared with her that sonar technology, drones and aircrafts were used to scan the area where Brian, 59, told authorities his wife "fell overboard."
Brian Hooker Was Arrested in Connection With Lynette's Disappearance
Brian Hooker was detained and questioned by local authorities on April 8.
Brian was notably arrested four days after claiming Lynette fell from a small dinghy while en route back to their 45-foot yacht on April 4.
He was released less than a week later on April 13, with his attorney revealing Bahamian authorities were unable to hold him any longer due to lack of evidence.
However, he remains a suspect amid the ongoing investigation into his wife's disappearance.
- Bahamas Vacation Horror: Husband of Missing Mom Who 'Fell Overboard' Arrested as Daughter 'Questions' What Happened in Chilling Case
- Bahamas 'Overboard' Case: Bartender Fuels Brian Hooker Suspicions After Serving Couple Drinks Before Wife Lynette Vanished at Sea
- Who Is Lynette Hooker? Meet the Bahamas Woman Who Went Missing During a Boat Trip With Her Husband
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'I Just Want to Know the Truth'
Ashleigh Banfield has doubts regarding Brian's story.
Lynette's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has publicly questioned her stepfather's version of events in multiple interviews since he was detained.
Karli divulged the couple had a volatile relationship and even claimed Brian had allegedly threatened to throw her mother overboard and kill her in the past.
"I hope this was just a freak accident, but I just have a hard time believing it at the moment," she told NBC News on April 9. "I just want to know the truth."
'I Feel Like This Was Probably Preplanned'
The investigation into Lynette Hooker's disappearance remains ongoing.
Describing her mom as an experienced sailor and swimmer, she added, "I feel like this was probably preplanned, if anything, like, it doesn’t seem like just some accident."
