CBS News Reviews Facebook Messages Brian Hooker Sent After Wife Vanished

Private Facebook messages that Brian Hooker sent to a friend in the hours after his wife disappeared in the Bahamas shed new light on his account of that Saturday night, when he says wind and currents ripped the couple apart on a dark stretch of water near Elbow Cay.

The messages, reviewed by CBS News, capture Hooker's communication with at least one friend following the disappearance of his wife, Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, who went missing on the evening of April 4. In one exchange, he described the conditions that separated them, writing that "the wind blew me away." The phrase aligns with the public statement he posted on Facebook days later, in which he wrote that he was "heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds" and that "the winds and currents drove us further apart."

The messages matter because of a significant gap in the established timeline. Hooker told investigators that the couple boarded an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy in Hope Town around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, bound for Elbow Cay roughly 2.5 miles away aboard their yacht, "Soulmate." He said Lynette fell overboard with the boat's ignition keys, shutting off the engine. He paddled the disabled vessel back toward shore and did not arrive at the Marsh Harbour Boat Yard until around 4 a.m. on April 5, where he informed someone of the incident, who then called police. That is more than eight hours between departure and the official report.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement that "strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her." Lynette's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, described her mother as an experienced mariner and a fit person who was unlikely to "just fall" off the boat. Aylesworth publicly questioned her stepfather's account, asking: "Why wouldn't he drop anchor and look for her? Why did he paddle the other way?"

Bahamian authorities arrested Brian Hooker on Wednesday, April 8, shortly after 7 p.m. in Marsh Harbour. His attorney, Terrel Butler, identified him to CBS News and said Hooker "categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing" and "has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation."

A U.S. law enforcement source said the Royal Bahamas Police Force officially requested U.S. assistance, with the case being handled by the U.S. Coast Guard and its investigative services. Lynette Hooker was not wearing a flotation device when she went overboard, according to fire and rescue officials. Hooker later left Aylesworth a voicemail saying authorities had found a flotation device he threw to his wife in the water.

In cases involving suspected overboard incidents, investigators typically focus on the sequence and timing of communications, whether the subject contacted friends or family before contacting authorities, and whether those private accounts are consistent with the official statement given to police. Whether the Facebook messages reviewed by CBS News support or complicate Hooker's account is now part of a criminal investigation being led jointly by Bahamian authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard.