Local bartender who served Brian Hooker just before wife 'fell' overboard in Bahamas says his timeline doesn't add up

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:21, 20 April 2026 | Updated: 21:21, 20 April 2026 A Bahamas bartender who served a husband and wife the night before she was lost at sea says he doesn't believe the timeline of her disappearance adds up.  Ken, 38, who did not give his last name, said the Brian and Lynette Hooker got drinks at the Abaco Inn in Elbow Cay, Bahamas in the early evening of April 3, recalling they downed several rounds of rum and Cokes.  He said the couple arrived around 6pm and Lynette, 55, walked down to a nearby swimming pool while Brian, 59, ordered them drinks, returning 90 minutes later to refill their cocktails.  But while he thought at the time that their encounter was unremarkable, Ken started to think Brian's story didn't make sense when he saw the news of Lynette's disappearance.  He said he found it 'weird' that Brian told authorities he paddled to Marsh Harbor, a cove a few miles across from the bar in Elbow Cave, through the night after Lynette 'fell overboard'' - believing it should not have taken him so long.  'What catches my eye is they left here at 7, 7:30pm and [her going missing] supposedly happened right after they left here, and he didn’t make it over there until 4 a.m. or something like that, in 25-mph winds,' he told the New York Post.  'It’s only four miles that way. It shouldn’t have taken eight to 10 hours to get there,' he said.  'Even if he was only floating, it should have been a much quicker time.'  Bahamas bartender Ken, 38, who served Brian and Lynette Hooker the night before she was lost at sea, says he doesn't believe the timeline of her disappearance adds up Brian Hooker, 59, claims his wife Lynette, 55, fell overboard from a dinghy on April 4 during high winds, and he rowed himself to shore hours later  Lynette has not been seen since the fateful voyage from Elbow Cay, and Brian told authorities his wife fell overboard in treacherous conditions.  He was briefly detained in connection to her disappearance, but was released without charge. He denies any wrongdoing in her disappearance.  The couple's yacht, the Soulmate, was anchored at Elbow Key, and they set out in a dinghy across the bay.  Hooker told police that chaos soon erupted when Lynette was tipped overboard in high winds and took the kill-switch key attached to her, forcing him to paddle through the night to reach land.  After eventually reaching shore, he alerted authorities about his wife's disappearance.  Brian has vehemently denied playing a role in his wife's disappearance, and his attorney said after he was released without charge that it was 'justice working.'  However, suspicion fell on Brian soon after news of his wife falling 'overboard' made headlines, with Lynette's daughter saying publicly she believes Brian was involved.  Your browser does not support iframes. The bartender said he was doubtful of Brian's story that it took him all night to paddle across Embow Cay (pictured) after his wife went overboard  The couple, pictured above in a social media post, have been married for over two decades and frequently sail around the Caribbean  Her daughter Karlie Aylesworth said she visited the Elbow Cay area the week after her mom vanished, and said she became skeptical over Brian's story.  'I hope this was just a freak accident, but I just have a hard time believing it at the moment,' Aylesworth told NBC News on April 9.  'I just want to know the truth.' 'I feel like this was probably preplanned, if anything, like, it doesn't seem like just some accident,' she added. Aylesworth also previously opened up about her mother and stepfather's relationship. 'There is a history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard,' she alleged to Fox News. 'So, the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there's more to the story.' 'There has also been a history of domestic violence in that relationship, so I do believe something might have happened to her.' Aylesworth explained why she felt the circumstances surrounding her mother's disappearance were suspicious and called for a full investigation into what happened. 'It just doesn't add up. My mom is very fit and strong. She's a good swimmer, like, why was she swimming away from the boat?' she said. 'I'm confused why she has the keys because she never drove the dinghy. It was always Brian. So, the story just doesn't add up right now.' Lynette's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, 28, shared harrowing details about her mother and stepfather's relationship, and speculated: 'I feel like this was probably preplanned, if anything, like, it doesn't seem like just some accident' Brian Hooker, 59, has maintained his innocence and insists his wife fell overboard in rough conditions on the water Brian broke his silence in an April 8 Facebook post, writing that he is 'heartbroken' over Lynette's disappearance. '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 his release, Hooker told the media that he wants to believe his wife is still alive and vowed to go back out to look for her as soon as possible. 'I won't be able to stop looking,' Hooker said, getting emotional. He also told reporters that he 'would never harm' his wife. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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