The husband of missing American boater Lynette Hooker said he was “heartbroken” over her tragic disappearance at sea hours after his stepdaughter claimed he had a darker side.
Brian Hooker broke his silence in a Facebook post Wednesday, four days after Lynette fell out of a small boat in the Bahamas while the couple was trying to reach their yacht Saturday night.
“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 online.
“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.”
His comments come as Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth claimed she believes “something might have happened” to her mom, insisting she was an experienced mariner who likely would not slip into the sea.
She alleged in a Fox News interview that Brian had made previous threats against his spouse.
“There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard,” Aylesworth claimed. “So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”
The search for Lynette, 55, has turned into a recovery mission after a rescue effort failed.
Local authorities told CBS News that Brian has not been accused of wrongdoing.
