Newly uncovered court records show that Brian Hooker, whose wife Lynette Hooker disappeared while the couple was boating in the Bahamas earlier this year, had previously faced allegations of abuse and threats during his first marriage.

According to court documents from Michigan obtained by the Daily Mail, Hooker’s former wife, Elizabeth Hoseth, sought a personal protection order (PPO) against him during their divorce proceedings in 1999. Hoseth, who died in June 2024, alleged that Hooker had threatened her by suggesting she could have “an accident.”

In an October 1999 court filing, Hoseth wrote that Hooker warned her not to “mess with him.”

“In our most recent phone conversation, he suggested that I not mess with him, that there could be an ‘accident,'” she wrote.

She said that when she asked him to explain what he meant, he replied, “Everyone knows how I am, there could be an accident.”

Hooker and Hoseth married in February 1997 in Kentwood, Michigan. A little more than two years later, Hoseth filed for divorce.

Although her initial request for a personal protection order was denied, a second application filed in November 1999 was granted by the Kent County Circuit Court.

In a handwritten statement submitted to the court, Hoseth alleged that Hooker had a violent temper and described what she said had been a pattern of abuse throughout their marriage.

She claimed he had been verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive, accusing him of kicking, pushing, and spitting on her, as well as damaging household property during angry outbursts. She also alleged that he mistreated her two children from a previous marriage and forged her signature to cash a home equity check.

Under the protection order, Hooker was prohibited from contacting or threatening Hoseth, entering her residence, or taking their child without authorization.

The couple’s divorce was finalized in October 2000. The court awarded Hoseth physical custody of their daughter while granting both parents shared legal custody.

Court records from 2001 later indicated that Hooker had begun a relationship with Lynette, who eventually became his second wife.

Lynette Hooker, 55, disappeared on April 4 while the couple was returning to their yacht in the Bahamas aboard a small dinghy. Brian Hooker told authorities that she accidentally fell overboard in rough water.

Despite extensive search efforts, Lynette’s body has not been found.

Hooker was detained and questioned by Bahamian authorities following her disappearance but was released after five days without being charged. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

In recent weeks, investigators completed a major forensic dive operation and seized the couple’s dinghy as part of the ongoing investigation.

Lynette’s family has publicly expressed concerns about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, although no criminal charges have been filed against Hooker.

He has recently retained defense attorney Crystal Marie Hause, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney. She has not publicly commented on the case.

The investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance remains ongoing.

Source: New York Post