A husband whose wife vanished overboard in the Bahamas blamed the wind for her disappearance, according to a text he’s accused of sending to a friend.

Brian Hooker, 59, allegedly told his boater friend Daniel Danforth that strong winds pushed him and his wife Lynette, 55, apart ‘pretty quickly’ after she fell off a dinghy in the Abaco Islands.

‘The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat, and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown,’ Brian wrote to Danforth in a series of messages obtained by the Daily Mail.

He then allegedly shared how he then ‘drifted’ and ‘tried to paddle with one oar’ for seven hours before he made it to the shore of a neighboring island.

Danforth reached out to Brian on Monday evening after seeing a news report about Lynette’s disappearance, the messages purportedly showed.

He told Brian that he was keeping the Hooker family in his prayers and asked if there was anything he could do to help them during this hard time.

Brian thanked Danforth for his support and shared how their ‘family is in hell’ after search and rescue crews failed to locate his missing wife, the messages showed.

‘They are going back out tomorrow but a storm is coming in Wednesday,’ he added.

As of Friday morning, Lynette – whose family has described her as an experienced sailor – still remains lost at sea. Rescuers have now moved to a recovery operation.

Brian Hooker blamed the wind for his wife Lynette's disappearance, according to a text he's accused of sending to a friend
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Brian Hooker blamed the wind for his wife Lynette’s disappearance, according to a text he’s accused of sending to a friend

Lynette went missing in the Bahamas after falling overboard during a boat ride with her husband Brian on Saturday. She is said to have fallen from a dinghy as the couple were making their way back to their sailboat
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Lynette went missing in the Bahamas after falling overboard during a boat ride with her husband Brian on Saturday. She is said to have fallen from a dinghy as the couple were making their way back to their sailboat

Danforth apparently checked in with Brian again on Tuesday morning, offering him a place to stay and a helping hand.

But Brian told him that he moved his boat to Marsh Harbor and was sleeping on it, the messages showed.

He allegedly said that his sister and brother-in-law had flown down to be with him and that he would ‘probably stay with them for a night or two’ while the storm moved through.

Brian then planned ‘on heading back out to the site’ to continue searching for Lynette, according to the correspondence.

‘I will most likely definitely need help in the future but I just don’t know what it is yet,’ he added. ‘I’m trying to take it a day at a time and keep the faith.’

Brian then allegedly went on to congratulate Danforth on his recent sailboat purchase.

Danforth told the Daily Mail that he has not heard from Brian since.

Danforth and his wife Shana met the Hookers while sailing in New Orleans three years ago. He described the couples as being ‘fellow yachting friends.’

Although Danforth was closer to Brian than Lynette, he has now expressed skepticism over his buddy’s recount of events.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘I don’t believe the entire story.’


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Brian Hooker allegedly told Daniel Danforth that strong winds pushed him and his wife Lynette apart 'pretty quickly' after she fell off a dinghy in the Abaco Islands, according to a series of text messages shared with the Daily Mail
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Brian Hooker allegedly told Daniel Danforth that strong winds pushed him and his wife Lynette apart ‘pretty quickly’ after she fell off a dinghy in the Abaco Islands, according to a series of text messages shared with the Daily Mail

He also expressed concern about Brian’s story to CBS News, which first reported on the texts.

Danforth told the outlet how the Hookers ‘always had their phones with them’ and questioned why Brian didn’t have his phone the night Lynette vanished.

He further questioned why Brian was active on social media over the weekend, alleging Brian liked a comment on his wife Shana’s Facebook post.

‘You know, my wife’s missing, Facebook’s the last thing I’m worried about. You’re going to find me on the water riding around,’ Danforth told the outlet.

Brian was arrested by police in the Bahamas on Wednesday in connection to Lynette’s disappearance.

He was detained on the Abaco islands five days after he returned from the expedition without her, claiming she fell overboard.

Authorities first interviewed Brian and released him, then brought him back in as a witness for further questioning.

He was later brought in for questioning a third time, as a suspect, according to his lawyer.

The Royal Bahamas police said Brian was questioned ‘on probable cause’ and was taken into custody as a suspect in connection with his wife’s disappearance, but he has not been formally charged.

Danforth, with his wife Shana, is seemingly skeptical of Brian's recounting of events, alleging that Brian's messages and the media reports 'don't really match up
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Danforth, with his wife Shana, is seemingly skeptical of Brian’s recounting of events, alleging that Brian’s messages and the media reports ‘don’t really match up

Lynette and Brian had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan
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Lynette and Brian had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan

The couple had been living on their sailboat Soulmate for the past four years and were vlogging their voyage from Texas to Michigan on social media
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The couple had been living on their sailboat Soulmate for the past four years and were vlogging their voyage from Texas to Michigan on social media

The couple were experienced sailors who had been traveling together for more than a decade, often documenting their life at sea on social media, authorities said.

On Saturday evening, they took out an eight-foot motorboat from Hope Town in the Bahamas, but only Brian returned.

He told authorities that his wife fell overboard with the boat keys as they were returning to their yacht ‘Soulmate’, causing the engine to shut off and forcing him to paddle to the shore.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Brian Hooker said he is ‘heartbroken’ by his wife’s disappearance, describing the incident as a ‘boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds.’

‘Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,’ Brian said. ‘We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.’

Brian’s attorney Terrel Butler said her client ‘categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing’ in his wife’s disappearance, saying he ‘has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.’

The couple’s distraught daughter Karli Aylesworth called for a full investigation into the tragedy after she said her parents went through ‘prior issues’ before her mother’s disappearance.

Brian was arrested on Wednesday in connection to Lynette's disappearance, throwing their marriage into public scrutiny
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Brian was arrested on Wednesday in connection to Lynette’s disappearance, throwing their marriage into public scrutiny

Lynette's heartbroken daughter Karli Aylesworth called for a full investigation into her mother's disappearance after accusing Brian of having previously threatened to harm his wife
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Lynette’s heartbroken daughter Karli Aylesworth called for a full investigation into her mother’s disappearance after accusing Brian of having previously threatened to harm his wife

She alleged Lynette and Brian’s relationship was volatile and that they have a ‘history of not getting along, especially when they drink.’ She also accused Brian of domestic violence.

When approached about her client’s alleged violent tendencies, Butler reiterated to the Daily Mail that her client has denied the allegations of abuse – including the claims made by Aylesworth.

Butler also went as far as branding Lynette the ‘aggressor’ in their marriage after a newly unearthed court document revealed she was arrested for allegedly assaulting Brian at their suburban Michigan home in 2015.