American woman missing in Bahamas identified as Michigan mom

The destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen from the air, in Marsh Harbor, Abaco Island, Bahamas, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. The death toll from Hurricane Dorian has climbed to 20. Bahamian Health Minister Duane Sands released the figure Wednesday evening and warned that more fatalities were likely. (AP Photo/Gonzalo Gaudenzi)
A Bahamian rescue group has identified the American woman lost at sea and her husband, who reported her missing over the weekend.
The couple are Lynette Hooker, 55, and Brian Hooker, 58, of Onset, Michigan, the Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue told NewsNation in a statement.
Woman missing in Bahamas fell due to ‘weather’: Rescue group
The pair left an inn in Hope Town, got on an 8-foot dinghy around 7:30 p.m. Saturday and began a journey to Elbow Cay, roughly 2.5 miles away.
Brian Hooker told police that his wife fell overboard with the keys, shutting off the boat and leaving him to paddle after her.
He told authorities strong currents carried her away, and he lost sight of her. He then paddled the shut-off vessel back toward shore. The Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue said she fell into the water “due to poor weather.”
Daughter of woman missing in Bahamas wants ‘intensive review’
Karli Aylesworth identified herself as Lynette Hooker’s daughter in a video on social media.
“At this point, 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,” she said.
Aylesworth mentioned “prior issues” had been brought to her attention, “which may be important any thorough investigation.”
“If this truly was an accident, I can understand and live with it. However, there needs to be an intensive review of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident before that can be determined,” Aylesworth said.
State Department has warned Bahamas boating ‘not well regulated’
In a travel advisory for the Bahamas, issued March 31, 2025, the U.S. State Department issued a warning about boating and water travel in the country.
“Boating is not well-regulated. Injuries and deaths have occurred,” it said in a statement, adding that local operators sometimes “ignore weather forecasts.”
“Always follow local weather and marine alerts,” the statement continued. It’s unknown whether the couple were on their own boat or one they had rented from a local operator.

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