A US woman has been identified after she was reportedly carried out to sea in the Bahamas when she allegedly fell from a boat during an evening trip with her husband.
The Michigan resident is thought to have entered the water while the couple travelled roughly 2.5 miles from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on Saturday April 4.
In a statement shared online, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said the man ended up alone on the water after they set off at about 7:30pm, and later had to make his way back without power.
“He lost sight of her,” the police force said in its statement. “He then paddled the vessel to shore.”
The husband reportedly told investigators that his wife had the keys to their 8-foot hard-bottomed dinghy in her pocket when she went overboard.
It’s alleged the engine then cut out and, with his wife apparently pulled away by a ‘strong’ current, he paddled until around 4am to reach the Marsh Harbour Boat Yard — a trip that would normally take around 40 minutes by ferry from their starting point, according to FerryHopper.
The missing woman has since been named in reports as Lynette Hooker, who is married to Brian Hooker, according to WIC News.
Police on the island of Abaco said a search effort is underway and an investigation has been opened as teams work to locate Lynette.
CNN reports the 55-year-old from Onsted and her 58-year-old husband were returning to their yacht, ‘Soulmate,’ when she “bounced” out of the dinghy.
“She apparently bounced out of the boat,” Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue chief Troy Pritchard told CBS News on April 6.
Officials said she was wearing a black bathing suit at the time, and Pritchard added that search crews have continued working in the area.
“They’ve been out again today,” he told the outlet. “We still haven’t found anything.”
Hooker reportedly said the last he saw of his wife was when she was swimming toward shore after falling overboard while wearing the engine safety lanyard.
Richard Cook, Fire team lead with Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue told CNN: “Mr. Hooker then tried to row but the winds were 18-22 kts and (he) could not make headway.”
Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has also spoken publicly, urging that the circumstances be fully examined. She told Fox News Digital: “I have been privy to very little information. 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.”