Lynette Hooker’s mom alleges Brian Hooker lied about daughter’s disappearance, claims ‘foul play’
Months after Lynette Hooker vanished in the Bahamas, her mother is challenging husband Brian Hooker's version of what happened the night she disappeared.
Lynette Hooker, a Michigan woman who vanished while vacationing with her husband in the Bahamas in April, was reported missing on April 4 after the couple was boating near Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands.
Brian Hooker has maintained that his wife fell from a dinghy at night and was swept away by the current while they were en route to their sailboat, "Soulmate."
LYNETTE HOOKER MISSING IN BAHAMAS: TIMELINE OF MICHIGAN WOMAN’S DISAPPEARANCE, HUSBAND’S ARREST
Lynette's body has not been recovered.
Now, Lynette's mother, Darlene Hamlett, says she believes her daughter made it back to "Soulmate" before she vanished.
FOX TRUE CRIME IS NOW ON FACEBOOK
🚨 Know something we should investigate?
📩 stepheny.price@fox.com
📸 IG: @fndstephprice
🎥 X: @StephenyPrice
Your tip could lead to our next story.
"She made it back to the boat, and there was foul play," Hamlett told Fox News Digital.
MISSING AMERICAN'S HUSBAND HAD $33K THERMAL CAMERA ON BOAT THAT NIGHT AND NEVER USED IT, FRIEND SAYS
Hamlett did not elaborate on how she reached that conclusion but said she has been limited in what she can publicly discuss.
"As a mother, it's taking longer than I would anticipate, but that's what the Coast Guard told me to say. That's all I'm saying," she said.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service declined to comment on Hamlett's claims, telling Fox News Digital, "We cannot comment on ongoing investigation."
Fox News Digital also reached out to Brian Hooker's attorney for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Hamlett's comments come after U.S. Coast Guard investigators traveled to the Bahamas last month to conduct dive searches in the Sea of Abaco and land searches with the assistance of a cadaver dog in an effort to locate Lynette.
LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST
Investigators also returned to the United States with the dinghy Lynette was last known to be on. It is expected to undergo further forensic examination for potential evidence.
WATCH: Renewed search for Lynette Hooker being treated as homicide
Brian Hooker initially told investigators he and his wife were on a nighttime boat ride when Lynette fell from a small dinghy and was swept away.
According to authorities, Brian said he was forced to paddle back to shore because Lynette was carrying the dinghy's ignition key when she went overboard.
After Lynette disappeared, Brian said in a Facebook post that he was "heartbroken."
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS
"I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas," he wrote. "Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her, and that is my sole focus."
After being questioned and released by Bahamian authorities, Brian Hooker returned to the United States and has not been seen or heard from publicly.
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
He has not been charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing.
