Brian Hooker grinned at photographers as he left a police station in the Bahamas, after cops declined to charge him in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette.
The Michigan boater, wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and dark pants, appeared relaxed as he left Central Police Station in the Bahamian capital, Freeport, on Monday night, after cops reached a 7:20 p.m. deadline to charge him.
Hooker, 59, stonewalled questions about the jail conditions and refused even to issue a message for his missing wife, who disappeared on April 4.
It remains to be seen whether he can leave the Bahamas amid the ongoing search or whether he will be re-arrested.
He had been in custody in the Caribbean tourist hotspot since Wednesday, after originally going in for questioning.
Hooker was described as “a bit drained and tired” by his lawyer, Terrel Butler, who spoke to Fox News Digital
She said she was unsure if Brian still had his passport and confirmed she was planning to speak to him and the authorities about his next steps.
Butler claimed Hooker plans to go back to where the couple’s sailboat is moored and continue the search for his missing wife.
“I won’t be able to stop looking,” Hooker said the morning after his release, insisting he “wants to” believe Lynette is still alive, in an interview Tuesday with CBS News.
Hooker told police that his wife fell overboard off of a small dinghy as the couple returned to their yacht, named “Soulmate.”
He claimed she had the dinghy key on her when she fell, forcing him to paddle back to shore after his wife was swept away by strong currents.
Hooker told a boat yard worker that he set off two flares, which were ignored by two boats.
He has denied any wrongdoing in connection with his wife’s disappearance.
Lynette’s mother said her daughter had left Hooker multiple times in the past, and had been planning to quit the marriage for good when she went missing.
She alleged Hooker could be “mean” and “hateful” when drinking, and said she had long feared for her daughter’s safety during an interview with Ashleigh Banfield’s “Drop Dead Serious” podcast.