MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas — Lynette Hooker’s daughter had a cutting response to her stepfather Brian Hooker’s decision to flee the Bahamas after he had insisted he would stay to help authorities look for his missing wife.

“I think it shows his character. He somehow lost my mom at sea and cries on camera saying he’ll never stop searching, then leaves the next day,” Karli Aylesworth told The Post.

Aylesworth also told CBS that her longtime stepfather’s sudden departure “shows he’s not much of a man of his word.”

Karli Aylesworth speaking with a police officer while Steven stands nearby in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.
Karli Aylesworth and her partner, Steve Hansen, arrive in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, to look for her mother, Lynette Hooker, on April 16, 2025.Matt Symons for NY Post

Karli Aylesworth and partner Steven arriving in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.
Aylesworth had a cutting response to her stepfather Brian Hooker’s decision to flee the Bahamas after insisting that he would stay to help authorities look for his missing wife.Matt Symons for NY Post

Brian Hooker with his missing wife, Lynette.
“I think it shows his character. He somehow lost my mom at sea and cries on camera saying he’ll never stop searching, then leaves the next day,” Aylesworth told The Post of Brian Hooker.Facebook/Brian Hooker
Aylesworth, 28, and her boyfriend arrived in the tiny island town of Marsh Harbour on Thursday to search for her mother.

Lynette’s daughter said she doesn’t believe Brian Hooker’s version of events from the day her mother went missing from the waters between Hope Town and Abaco Island.

She has vowed to get to the bottom of it while visiting the remote island paradise.

 

“My sole concern is to find out what happened to my mother and make sure a full and complete investigation is performed into her disappearance,” she told CBS.

Aylesworth and her boyfriend, Steve Hansen, were seen speaking to a uniformed police officer after arriving at the small airport about 100 miles north of Nassau, before being whisked off in a white taxi van.

Another family member told The Post Aylesworth looked “visibly distraught” upon learning that Hooker, whom the daughter has known since she was just 4 years old, was leaving the Bahamas on Wednesday.

Karli Aylesworth and Steven arrive in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, greeted by a police officer.
Aylesworth and Hansen were seen speaking to a uniformed police officer after arriving at the small airport about 100 miles north of Nassau, before being whisked off in a white taxi van.Matt Symons for NY Post
It was a clear reversal of his vow to stay and find his wife of 25 years, who he said was swept off their dinghy in rough water.

“That just pissed [her] off real bad,” the relative said.

Hooker was released from Bahamian police custody after no charges were brought against him by Monday evening, though authorities say the investigation is ongoing and there’s a possibility he may be rearrested.

Brian Hooker leaving custody in the Bahamas.
Hooker was released from Bahamian police custody after no charges were brought against him by Monday evening, though authorities say the investigation is ongoing and there’s a possibility he may be rearrested.Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital
The family member said Hooker’s excuse for the sudden departure — to take care of his “very ill” mother, his lawyer has said — was understandable, albeit convenient timing.

“His mom has been ill for a while, so it’s not like this is news. So he was just doing it to get out of Dodge,” the relative said, adding that his mother is suffering from kidney failure.

“His mom is terminally ill, so we’re not saying he shouldn’t go back there — that is his mom, which Karli doesn’t have now. He should go back to her before she dies, which Karli doesn’t get with her mom.

“Karli was so visibly upset about [him leaving] because of that fact …like, ‘Oh, you can go get to your mom before she dies, but I don’t get to see my mom. I don’t get to say goodbye.’

“He had an extra 30 or 40 years with his mom, that [Karli] will never get” with Lynette, the source said.

The source echoed Aylesworth’s previous claims that Hooker allegedly abused his wife — and that he has a short fuse, which is worsened by alcohol.

Karli Aylesworth speaking during a phone call.
The source echoed Aylesworth’s previous claims that Hooker allegedly abused his wife – and that he has a short fuse, which is worsened by alcohol.KMBC
“Part of us knew that he was probably going to keep hurting her physically and emotionally, because we know he belittles her and talks s–t and all that stuff, especially when he’s drinking,” the relative said.

That character flaw even led both Lynette and Hooker to allegedly become sober for nearly a year and a half — but they started drinking again about a year ago, according to the family member.

“That’s when we had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. But we didn’t think that she was going to disappear.”

When asked if Aylesworth plans to ever talk to Hooker again, the family member didn’t hesitate or mince words: “No.”

“With the information she has and her gut feelings, it’s a definite no, as of right now.”

While in the Bahamas, Aylesworth and her boyfriend — who was sporting a hat emblazoned with “Bahamas” upon their arrival to the island Thursday — plan to retrace Lynette and Hooker’s last movements and dinghy route leading up to her April 4 disappearance, the relative added.

On Wednesday, the US Coast Guard joined Bahamian authorities in the search mission — which has been reclassified as a rescue mission.

MARSH HABOUR, Bahamas — One of these “pirates” may still be on the hook.

The first photos of the scruffy boat that Lynette Hooker and her husband, Brian, were sailing before she mysteriously vanished were captured by The Post in the Bahamas — and it’s still flying a flag that declares, “A Pirate’s Life for Me.”

The 45-foot sailboat, the Soulmate, was anchored in a cove off Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, not far from where the 55-year-old Michigan mom disappeared under suspicious circumstances on April 4.

sailboat
The sailboat, the Soulmate, in Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas.Matt Symons for NY Post

The Hookers
The Hookers sailing before Lynette went missing.Facebook / Lynette Hooker

Lynette Hooker, wearing a blue beanie and red glasses, smiles while taking a selfie with her husband Brian Hooker, who is wearing a black beanie and grey sweater, in the background.
Lynette Hooker with her husband, Brian, in an undated photo.Facebook / Lynette Hooker
The Post got an exclusive look at the boat as it was anchored in the harbor — and it provided a peek into the tragic couple’s daily life.

The vessel was carrying two paddle boards, a grill and workout equipment along with a sail with an image of Cookie Monster.

It was also decked out with a tattered American flag, a Buddha statue, conch shells and an aloe plant.

The Hookers stocked her with everyday sailing items, such as bungee cords and waterproof shoes.

Husband Brian Hooker, 59, told authorities his wife, Lynette, disappeared after falling off an 8‑foot dinghy while traveling back to the sailboat in rough waters near Elbow Cay.

The sailboat "Soulmate" with a Cookie Monster sail cover, in calm waters.
A Cookie Monster sail on the Soulmate in Marsh Harbour.Matt Symons for NY Post

View of the outside of the "Soulmate" boat showing ropes, a pirate flag, and buoys.
The Hookers’ boat also flies an “A Pirate’s Life for Me” flag on the back.Matt Symons for NY Post

sailboat
Lynette Hooker was on her way to this boat when she mysteriously vanished.Matt Symons for NY Post
He was detained last Wednesday in connection to her disappearance and released on Monday after investigators failed to file charges against him.

Authorities have said he may face more charges as the investigation continues.

The captain of a boat that ferried The Post to the harbor Thursday said there’s something fishy about Brian’s story.

sailboat
Close-up view of the Soulmate.Matt Symons for NY Post

Interior view of the "Soulmate" boat with a buddha statue, conch shells, and folded clothes, seen through bungee cords.
A statue of the Buddha placed behind a collection of shells and an ashtray on the Soulmate.Matt Symons for NY Post

Clutter inside "Soulmate" the boat, including a "24 pack" container, an "ON OFF" device, and various cords and containers.
Items on the Hookers’ boat in the Bahamas.Matt Symons for NY Post

Miscellaneous items and equipment inside the boat "Soulmate".
A bag from the grocery store Aldi sitting among other items.Matt Symons for NY Post

Dumbbells, a blue cushion, and a soap dispenser visible inside the boat "Soulmate".
Dumbbells left on the Soulmate.Matt Symons for NY Post
“This is the calmest side of the island,” he said, referring to water in the cove, which is generally just 3 to 14 feet deep.

“And it was a predominantly calm weather day.”

Besides that, “there is no reason to take a dinghy out here — I’ve never seen anyone do it and I’ve never done it. It makes no sense to take a dinghy out here,” he said.

the soulmate
The boat was equipped with paddle boards and a grill.Matt Symons for NY Post
“There are always a lot of boats out here, so someone would have been out here and helped them if they called for help, absolutely.”

Brian left the Bahamas Wednesday reportedly to deal with another family emergency, one day after he vowed that his “sole focus” was finding his wife.