TRUE CRIME NEWSHusband of Woman Who Allegedly 'Fell Overboard' Recalls What Happened on Dinghy in Chilling Call: 'I’m Never Going to Forgive Myself'
Lynette Hooker was reported missing on Sunday, April 5.
April 13 2026, Published 6:17 p.m. ET
The husband of a missing American woman told a friend what allegedly happened when she vanished at sea in the Bahamas.
In a recording of an eerie phone call made on April 7, three days after Brian Hooker, 59, claimed his wife, Lynette, "fell overboard," he explained that "she basically just bounced off the dinghy in the middle of a little blow, like 20-something knot winds that popped up."
Noting that neither he, nor Lynette, 55, were wearing life jackets, the boating enthusiast went on to say that the "the sun set like basically 10 minutes after she fell over" and "the dinghy key went over with he because it wasn't clipped to anything or anybody."
Brian Hooker gave his account of what happened to a friend before his arrest.
'I Yelled to Her'
Brian Hooker claims his wife fell off their small dinghy on the evening of April 4.
"She had the spare dinghy key in her dry bag, which was with her," he said on the call obtained by CBS.
Brian described how the wind blew them apart and that he believed his wife attempted to swim back to their yacht, which was roughly 1,000 yards from where she fell.
"I yelled to her that I lost an oar, and then I threw the anchor out, anchored the dinghy, and just, yeah, I yelled. I couldn't see her anymore because the moon had not risen yet," he continued.
He said wind blew them apart.
Brian went on to say he threw a flotation cushion to Lynette after she went over, but couldn't see if she was able to get it.
"By the time I got the anchor set, I was probably a quarter to a half a mile away from her, and I decided that I had to go get help," he said, "But I could not get to the island, so I paddled."
He claimed he yelled for her for approximately an hour.
- Bahamas 'Overboard' Case Erupts as Handcuffed Husband Falls Off Police Boat After Arrest Over Wife's Disappearance
- Who Is Lynette Hooker? Meet the Bahamas Woman Who Went Missing During a Boat Trip With Her Husband
- Bahamas Vacation Horror: Husband of Missing Mom Who 'Fell Overboard' Arrested as Daughter 'Questions' What Happened in Chilling Case
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
'It Was a Cascade of Failures'
The pair got drinks at a nearby bar before setting off toward their yacht.
"It was a cascade of failures, and it's something I'm never going to forgive myself for," he admitted. "We stayed [at the bar] too long, we left too dark, all kinds of s---. No life jackets. I f------ threw the dinghy out last — the anchor out last — instead of first. Can't really explain it, you know?"
According to Brian, the boat's motor turned off when Lynette fell in the water with the keys, leaving him to paddle back to shore where he alerted authorities early the next morning.
As OK! previously reported, Brian was arrested in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8. His lawyer revealed he was interrogated on Friday "in relation to causing harm which resulted in her death."
Brian Hooker Remains in Police Custody
He has yet to be charged with a crime.
Attorney Terrel Butler told NBC News the same day that Brian was "pretty upset and emotional" during the three-hour interview and "at one point even broke down into tears."
She also said in a statement that "the trauma of her disappearance, coupled with his current detention as a suspect, has left him in an extremely fragile state."
On Friday, his detention was extended until 7:20 p.m. local time Monday, Terrel revealed. Unless police charge Brian, they cannot keep him any longer.
