A man arrested over the disappearance of his wife in the Bahamas texted his friend the day after she was reported missing and detailed his version of what happened, according to a new report.
In the text messages obtained by CBS News, Brian Hooker states that his wife, Lynette, was "off" the boat in some choppy waters. "The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown," Hooker wrote.
The text messages were sent by Hooker to Daniel Danforth, a friend of the Hookers since 2023, according to the outlet.
The couple were in an 8-foot dinghy on Saturday around 7:40 p.m. when the incident happened. Brian Hooker has since been arrested by Bahamian authorities but he has not been charged with a crime, Fox News reported.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hooker's attorney said that the man "categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing."
In a social media post, Hooker wrote: "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. 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."
In the text messages to Danforth, he detailed being "in hell" as search and rescue continued searching for his wife. He also wrote that he was "trying to take it a day at a time and keep the faith."
Hooker has said that he wasn't able to start the motor and get to his wife when she was in the water because she had the key. In the text messages, Hooker says he attempted to paddle with an oar, but the winds were too strong. "I drifted and tried to paddle with one oar for the next seven hours until I washed up behind the shore of the next island over and was able to get some help finally."
