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The husband of missing American mom Lynette Hooker is in an “extremely fragile state” while holed up in Bahamian custody, according to his lawyer, as cops must decide by Monday night whether to press charges.
Brian Hooker, 59, has been detained ever since being arrested last Wednesday – three days after claiming his wife of almost 25 years fell overboard from their dinghy and was swept away by strong currents.
During a three-hour interrogation at a Grand Bahama police station, Brian was quizzed about his relationship with Lynette, 55, and probed “in relation to causing harm which resulted in her death,” his lawyer Terrel Butler told NBC News.
Butler said Brian Hooker, who is being treated as a suspect, was “pretty upset, emotional” and broke down during the interview, which left him “in an extremely fragile state.”
The husband kept reiterating to cops, “I need to know what’s happening,” according to Butler.
“He was uncertain as to why they were questioning him about causing harm or possible murder when they had not given him any information where she is, if they had recovered her,” she said.
Cops didn’t quiz Brian about laptops or cell phones found on the yacht, “Soulmate,” he shared with Lynette, Butler told CNN.
Meanwhile, Bahamian authorities must decide by 7:20 p.m. local time whether to issue charges.
Cops filed an extension Friday that kept him in custody over the weekend, but cannot apply for any further extensions unless he’s charged.
Brian “categorically and unequivocally” denies any wrongdoing linked to his wife’s disappearance.
Before his arrest, he said he was “heartbroken” his “beloved” wife had gone missing, saying the “winds and currents drove us apart.”
They left Hope Town on April 4 with the aim of reaching Elbow Cay where their yacht was docked 4.5 miles away.
Brian didn’t report his missing wife to the authorities until reaching a Marsh Harbour marina on Easter Sunday, but Dimitry Malinsky, the founder and CEO of telecoms company Intratem, speculated he might’ve had some sort of reception while trying to make the crossing – but said it was dependent on location.
“If it’s a remote key, like some of those remote keys in the Bahamas, it would be just as if you’re in the ocean and not by land because if there are no cell tower,” he told Fox News Digital.
Brian’s lawyer said she doesn’t know if he had a cell phone on him at the time of Lynette’s apparent overboard.
But, Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, 28, said her mom and stepfather often carried their devices while at sea.
Bahamian authorities are still continuing to search for Lynette, but the US Coast Guard is no longer assisting with the operation.
The Coast Guard launched a criminal investigation last week.
Aylesworth fears something sinister may have happened at sea, alluding to her stepfather’s alleged violent streak – accusations he strongly denies.
Jordan Plentz, a neighbor of the Hookers, claimed they’d witnessed years of “pretty bad” domestic violence – alleging: “They fought for a long time.”
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