By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) – A 59-year-old Michigan man was released by police following the disappearance of his wife while sailing in The Bahamas, Bahamian Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles told Reuters on Monday.
Brian Hooker’s release follows his arrest https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bahamian-police-arrest-michigan-man-after-wifes-disappearance-2026-04-09/ by Bahamian police on April 8 after he was initially questioned as a witness in the disappearance.
His lawyer, Terrel Butler, has denied any wrongdoing on his part. Butler said Hooker was transferred from Abaco, where he was questioned by police, to Grand Bahama, the archipelago’s second most populous island.
Hooker’s wife, Lynette, 55, went missing while the Michigan couple were traveling from Hope Town, Abaco, to Elbow Cay on April 4, police said in an initial report on the incident.
The pair were sailing on an 8-foot (2.4 m) hard-bottom dinghy, called “Soulmate,” when Lynette fell overboard with the boat’s keys, according to police. Police said Brian paddled to shore after losing sight of his wife.
After arriving on shore, according to the report, he informed an individual of the incident and the police were alerted.
In the days that followed, police took Hooker by boat to search the Soulmate, his lawyer said, adding he remained handcuffed “despite the choppy and dangerous sea conditions.”
Hooker was injured during the search after he “lost his footing and fell overboard,” Butler said. She said Hooker sustained an injury to his knee and an abrasion.
He was taken to a Grand Bahama hospital where he received treatment, Butler said.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Chris Reese)
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