Brian Hooker leaves Bahamas to be with ailing mother as search for wife continues

U.S. Brian Hooker leaves Bahamas to be with ailing mother as search for wife continues, attorney says By Cristian Benavides, Cristian Benavides Correspondent, CBS Newspath Cristian Benavides is a CBS News correspondent based in Miami. Read Full Bio Cristian Benavides, Jordan Freiman Jordan Freiman News Editor Jordan Freiman is a news editor for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes. Read Full Bio Jordan Freiman Updated on: April 15, 2026 / 8:10 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Amid the ongoing search for his wife, Brian Hooker has left the Bahamas to see his ailing mother, his attorney told CBS News.  Hooker plans to return to the Bahamas as the search for his wife, Lynette Hooker, who disappeared during a nighttime boat ride in the Bahamas, continues, his lawyer, Terrel Butler, said. He did not specify how long he would be with his mother. A family member of Hooker's mother declined to comment.Brian Hooker, 59, told authorities that Lynette Hooker, 55, fell from their eight-foot dinghy the evening of Saturday, April 4, while they sailed from Hope Town to Elbow Cay. He said powerful currents swept her away, along with the keys to their boat, which cut power to its engine and prevented him from reaching her.   Police said Brian Hooker paddled to the island of Abacoa, where he docked at the Marsh Harbor Boat Yard around 4 a.m. Sunday, April 5. Police said he told someone that his wife was missing, and that person then informed authorities.Brian Hooker also told several friends his account of what happened that night via text, and also sent them annotated maps of the area. In the messages, which were reviewed by CBS News, Brian Hooker said that the wind blew him and Lynette Hooker apart. He said she swam towards the sailboat, but the two "lost sight of each other pretty quickly."      Brian Hooker, whose wife disappeared while the coup...