An American woman is missing in the Bahamas after she reportedly went overboard while traveling on a dinghy and strong currents carried her out to sea, according to police.
The woman and her husband had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
They were en route to their yacht — dubbed the “Soulmate” — when, her husband said, the woman fell overboard due to poor weather, Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Stafford Patterson said.
A still from video of the search for a missing American woman who reportedly went overboard off the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, April 5, 2026.
Abaco Asian Market
“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a press release.
Patterson identified the missing woman as 55-year-old Lynette Hooker, of Onsted, Michigan. It is unknown if she had a life jacket on, he said.
She was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, police noted.
Her husband, 58-year-old Brian Hooker, subsequently paddled the boat to a marina, arriving at around 4 a.m. Sunday, according to Patterson. He reported his wife overboard to an individual who then alerted police, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.
A search and rescue mission involving Bahamian and U.S. authorities and volunteers is ongoing, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard launched an aircraft to support the search and rescue, Patterson said.
Aerial view of Hope Town, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas
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The U.S. State Department is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said Monday.
The State Department previously warned of potentially deadly boating dangers in the Bahamas. A travel advisory issued in March 2025 states that “boating is not well regulated” on the islands, and “injuries and deaths have occurred.”
ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Rachel DeLima contributed to this report.
