Bahamas police search for missing US woman at sea

Police in the Bahamas said they are searching for an American woman who disappeared after reportedly falling overboard from a small boat while on holiday with her husband in the Abaco area.

Authorities said the woman went missing on Saturday at about 19:30 local time (00:30 BST). Her husband told investigators she fell from an 8ft (2.4m) hard-bottom dinghy and was then carried away by strong currents, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

The husband told police the couple had departed Hope Town for Elbow Cay on Saturday evening when the incident occurred. He reported that she had the boat’s keys with her when she went into the water, a detail that left him unable to operate the vessel normally, officials said.

Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue chief Troy Pritchard told CBS News that the woman “apparently bounced out of the boat.” In its own account, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said strong currents carried her away and that her husband lost sight of her.

Officials said the husband, who is also a US national, paddled the dinghy to shore and reached the Marsh Harbour Boat Yard at about 04:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Sunday. Police said he informed a person at the boat yard that his wife was missing, and that the authorities were then notified.

In a social media statement, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said it is investigating the circumstances and that multiple agencies are involved in the search. Police told CBS News that “U.S. counterparts, volunteers, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force” are assisting.

Local authorities identified the missing woman as Lynette Hooker from Michigan News. The incident comes against the backdrop of a March 2025 travel advisory in which the US State Department warned of potentially deadly boating issues in the Bahamas, stating that boating is not well regulated and that injuries and deaths have occurred.

The search effort highlights the operational and coordination demands that maritime incidents can place on local emergency services in a major tourism destination. Officials have not provided further details on the woman’s condition or the precise circumstances of the fall, and the investigation remains ongoing.