Home Scandal and Gossip U.S tourist missing after going overboard on dinghy in Bahamas

U.S tourist missing after going overboard on dinghy in Bahamas

Christopher Koulouris: About author bio at bottom of article.
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Lynette Hooker husband, Brian Hooker remains jailed as Bahamas authorities mull criminal charges with man's lawyer alluding to potential charge of causing harm resulting in death
Brian Hooker husband of missing Michigan woman remains jailed as he faces potential criminal charges in wife, Lynette Hooker’s ‘overboard’ disappearance in the Bahamas.
Lynette Hooker, Onsted, Lenawee County, Michigan woman, missing at sea, after going overboard on dinghy in Bahamas.
Lynette Hooker, Onsted, Lenawee County, Michigan woman, missing at sea, after going overboard on dinghy in Bahamas. Pictured with husband, Brian Hooker.

Lynette Hooker, Onsted, Lenawee County, Michigan woman, missing at sea, after going overboard on dinghy in Bahamas while making her way with husband, Brian to their yacht. Search and rescue mission underway. 

A 55-year-old American woman is missing at sea after she reportedly fell overboard during a nighttime boat trip in the Bahamas over the weekend, triggering an urgent multi-agency search effort.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Lynette Hooker of Onsted, Michigan, disappeared Saturday evening while traveling with her husband by dinghy near the Abaco Islands. The couple had departed Hope Town around 7:30 p.m., heading toward Elbow Cay where their yacht, Soulmate, was anchored.
Lynette Hooker, Onsted, Lenawee County, Michigan woman, missing at sea, after going overboard on dinghy in Bahamas.
Lynette Hooker, Onsted, Lenawee County, Michigan woman missing at sea after falling off dinghy in the Bahamas.

Husband reported losing sight of Michigan wife amid poor visibility and currents

Authorities say conditions were poor at the time, with Hooker’s husband, Brian Hooker, 58, telling investigators his wife had fallen overboard during the trip. Strong currents quickly carried her away, and he lost sight of her in the dark.

‘Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,’ the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a press release.

American woman vanishes at Bahamas sea after falling off dinghy.
Lynette Hooker, Onsted, Lenawee County, Michigan woman missing at sea after falling off dinghy in the Bahamas

Michigan husband paddles back to Bahamas marina to report wife missing at sea

Lynette Hooker was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy‘s engine to shut off, the press release stated.

Left without power, her husband was forced to paddle for hours before finally reaching a marina around 4 a.m. Sunday. Upon returning, the Royal Bahamas Police Force were notified of his wife having gone overboard.

At the time of her disappearance, Lynette Hooker was wearing a black bathing suit.

Prior U.S State Department warning

A search and rescue mission involving Bahamian and U.S. authorities and volunteers is ongoing, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard launched an aircraft to support the search and rescue.

The U.S. State Department is ‘aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay’ and is ‘working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,’ a spokesperson for the agency said Monday.

The State Department previously warned of potentially deadly boating dangers in the Bahamas. A travel advisory issued in March 2025 states that ‘boating is not well regulated’ on the islands, and ‘injuries and deaths have occurred.’