Brian Hooker: New Questions Arise After His Release In The Bahamas

By now, if you follow true crime, you probably know the story of Brian Hooker. He’s the Michigan man who made his dream retirement in the Bahamas come true.

But then, it all fell apart when his wife, Lynette, fell from a boat one night and disappeared. Soon, it became a criminal investigation, and he denied wrongdoing.

New news arrived from several sources about the mystery, so read on to find out more.

Released After Five Days

After five days in detention, Brian Hooker ended up walking out on Tuesday. That’s because court officials decided not to prosecute him.

Notably, that could change though. Per The Daily Mail, they “lack the evidence needed” to keep him behind bars.

In law, they can’t hold him forever, but it’s not time to relax because the U.S. Coast Guard and the police in the Bahamas continue their investigation.

This week, Ashleigh Banfield from Drop Dead Serious put her boots on the ground and traveled to the Abaco Islands to check things out for herself. There, she checked out the facts against the claims that Brian Hooker made.

Checking Out Brian’s Claims

Hooker had been in the area at about 7:30 p.m and darkness allegedly hindered his search for Lynette. However, Banfield noticed that in her experience, at that time of day, there’s still enough light to see “someone in the water.” And that time period extended to another 20 minutes. So, she found it a bit difficult to buy into his story that he lost sight of his wife very quickly.

During her tour of Marsh Harbour, Banfield spoke with Captain Ronnie Duncan. An experienced local, he’d been out on the water when Lynette disappeared. In his opinion, Brian Hooker’s story about a “two to three foot chop” seems “bogus.” Actually, he claimed that the Sea of Abaco “doesn’t get that nasty” unless there’s a major storm.

Skepticism From An Experience Local

Ronnie Duncan had a whole lot of reservations about the story that Brian gave the cops. For example, the suspect’s timing seemed off to him. Reportedly, Hooker landed his dinghy nine hours after Lynette fell in. Well, as far as Captain Ronnie’s concerned, that seems highly dodgy.

Per his knowledge of the area, the journey should’ve taken way less than hours on end in a boat. In fact, he mentioned how he once “swam that distance” in just over “two hours.” So, he didn’t buy into the claim that the dinghy floated around for nearly nine hours. Most likely, investigators also believe there are plenty of holes to poke in Hooker’s story.

Viewers React

In the comments section on YouTube, true crime viewers appreciated Ashleigh’s boots-on-the-ground reporting. Notably, they felt that the captain seemed believable. Plus, he came across as giving an unbiased, but damning opinion.

One follower opined, “Very significant. The captain can swim that in 2 1/2 hours. Best reporting I have seen on this..”

Here are a few more responses in from the discussion about Brian Hooker and his wife, Lynette’s disappearance in the Bahamas:

• I just wanted to comment and say what a really informative video this was. Ronnie also came across as so helpful and knowledgeable. I really appreciate all the hard work you’re putting into this case, and I truly hope her family gets the answers they deserve soon.
• So interesting that Captain Ronnie was out that night on the water, so he can relay the actual conditions were not rough, choppy or any current. All boaters must be questioning Hooker’s story.
• How great is Captain Ronnie, I hope the police speak to him as his knowledge of that area is spot on and he was actually out there that same night. Great reporting Ashleigh

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