Search turns to recovery for American woman whose husband says she fell overboard in Bahamas, officials say

By Chris Boyette, Martin Goillandeau, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities in the Bahamas are investigating after an American woman reportedly fell overboard while on an evening boat trip with her husband and went missing at sea, police said.

The woman’s husband said the couple had left a resort on the island of Elbow Cay Saturday night in a small 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy when they hit poor weather and the woman fell overboard, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Onsted, Michigan, and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, both US nationals, were heading back to their yacht, “Soulmate,” when she bounced out of the boat, according to Richard Cook, Fire team lead with Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue.

She was not wearing a personal flotation device, Cook said Tuesday.

According to police, Brian Hooker told them “strong currents subsequently carried her away,” and “he lost sight of her.”

Hooker told officials that he last saw his wife swimming toward the shore.

When she fell overboard, Hooker said she had the engine safety lanyard and it went over with her.

Without the key, the boat lost power shortly after and Hooker had to paddle the boat to shore, police said.

Hooker drifted four miles toward Marsh Harbour, Abaco. “Mr. Hooker then tried to row but the winds were 18-22 kts and (he) could not make headway,” Cook said.

When he reached land, he beached the dinghy and made his way through the bush to the Marsh Harbour Boat Yards and called police, Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue said.

Police on the island of Abaco, along with members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and local fire and rescue teams, launched a search operation in the surrounding waters.

The teams searched for six hours on Sunday, with no results, according to the fire and rescue department.

The US Coast Guard later conducted a search by air, a spokesperson told CNN.

Search and rescue teams have now moved to a recovery operation, according to Cook.

In a statement, Karli Aylesworth, Lynette Hooker’s daughter, said, “I have been privy to very little information. 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.”

The Hookers had been married for about 25 years and have been sailing together for more than a decade, Aylesworth said on CNN News Central Tuesday.

“She loves exploring,” Aylesworth said of her mother, adding, “They’ve always wanted to sail the Bahamas and so now they finally did it.”

The couple posts regularly on social media, including Instagram, as “the sailing hookers,” offering updates on boat repairs, sailing trips, island explorations and life at sea.

Aylesworth is desperate for any details of what happened. But as time passes, she said her optimism for her mother’s safe return is waning.

“The more time that goes on, the more I disbelieve that she will come back alive. I don’t think that you can tread water for that long,” she said. “But I hope maybe she’s on a little island somewhere.”

The US State Department told CNN it is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” according to an agency spokesperson.

The State Department advises travelers to exercise increased caution in the Bahamas, which is listed under a level 2 travel advisory. “Boating is not well regulated. Injuries and deaths have occurred,” it said in the March 2025 advisory.

Authorities are urging anyone with information that could assist the investigation to come forward.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.