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Carly Aylesworth
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Hey, everyone, I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead serious. Got another piece of the puzzle for you tonight. The more I learn about Brian Hooker, the more I can't stand this guy. But tonight I want to show you, and I'm recording this on Friday night on the 24th of April. I've discovered the photo of the dinghy parked at the Abaco Inn. The infamous dinghy. The last picture of the dinghy before Brian says they made off from the shore to head towards their yacht and she bounced off the back. If you're just coming into this story, we've got a playlist for you to get you caught up to this incredible mystery. I call it Paradise Lost in the Bahamas of Brian and Lynette Hooker. Brian says Lynette just bounced right off the back of that there dinghy in two to four foot high seas and a screaming wind and everything we found since says horseshit. It's just not true. There were not two to four foot seas and the wind was not screaming on the lee side of Elbow Key. Yeah, on the windward side it was crazy. Maybe 18 knots, white caps and crash and surf. And then on the leeward side, snorkeling weather for some. We even saw glass next to the shore as a little dinghy was pulling out. And then maybe a ripple as you head out even further. But hell to the no, with the seas and the wind and the current and I can't find my wife when she fell off the back. So get yourself caught up to speed. If you're just joining us, if. And by the way, subscribe, subscribe, it would really help. But folks, this dinghy business, it's important because it's connected to a bigger story. So we're showing you the picture of Brian and Lynette, stingy, parked at the Abaco Inn. He swears they left at 7:30. And they got, you know, into the sea of ABACO after about six minutes of, you know, driving towards their 12 minute destination, which was Soulmate, the boat they were on, living on. And out she went. So this dinghy is parked exactly where I showed you on the dock, where I sort of did a walk and talk and showed you where they would tie up and what ladders they would walk up to, head up to have drinks at the Abaco. And it was parked on that dock, on the south dock. We know that now cause we see the picture. It was parked next to another dinghy. And that other dinghy belonged to some folks who were up having drinks at the Abaco Inn on Saturday night, April 4th. And those folks saw Brian and Lynette and remarked something about Brian and Lynette. Something stood out to them specifically that they looked very closely at Brian and Lynette at the pool and witnessed some odd behavior. First of all, I'm going to tell you about the behavior that these witnesses relayed to us. And they were not interested in going on camera. My apologies. I tried everything to do an interview, but they just didn't want to get involved. And I get it, a lot of people have said that in the Bahamas and even stateside. But this is the account that we got. Brian was sitting way over on the right in the picture that we've seen. They have the same account. They were sitting way overlooking this scene. Brian is way over on the right, facing out to the Atlantic Ocean, facing east into the wind. And what they said was pouting. It said he looked like he was pouting and that he never moved and he never changed positions, staring straight out to sea. Lynette was all the way at the left hand side of the picture at the northern end of the pool, taking selfies and dancing by herself for a while. Like dancing by herself at the pool, enjoying herself, but alone, far away from Brian. And not for a short amount of time. It seemed to be that they characterized it for like almost half an hour that they were witnessing this, this scene. And the way it was relayed to us was that it was not normal at all. We asked everyone that we knew who was at the bartender, one of the employees there, other people who were there, who we've encount, if they witnessed this couple and if they made a scene, if they were fighting, arguing, if anything stood out. And everyone said no. It was really kind of nondescript. But I think I Know why? If you're in the bar at the Abaco Inn, it really kind of like faces towards the west to the sunset. The pool is actually out of the view of the bar for the most part. There are some tables on the outside of the bar where you can see the pool. But if you're in the bar, you don't even know there's a pool. I actually was talking to somebody in that bar and mentioned the pool. And they said there's a pool. So you'd have to go out and then walk back to the Atlantic side to sort of then start seeing the pool that is, you know, down some stairs. It's not super easy to see. So it's possible that people didn't remark about the couple because if you're in the bar, you don't see them. And you wouldn't notice their behavior because it's out of sight, out of mind. But these people who spoke with us, they were out at those tables overlooking the pool. So they would have had a view of the only people who were down at the pool and acting in this way. Lynette is over dancing by herself. Brian is staring straight out to sea, whatever that means. It's another piece of this puzzle. But why did it stand out to them so much other than kind of odd behavior? This is the story that comes back to us from one of the people who was there and witnessing the scene. The friends that he was with had been in another bar on March 31, so about four days earlier. And that bar's on a whole other island. The memory is it's perhaps it's Nippers, another bar that's not far from Elbow Key, but you gotta take a boat. But that these friends of his were annoyed by a guy who sure resembled Brian Hooker. That this guy that they think is Brian Hooker was pestering them at this bar, shaking a vial and saying, let's party. And like they felt uncomfortable is the way they described it to the person who's at the Abaco Inn with them relaying this to us. And the reason that this couple at the pool stood out to them was because immediately they said, there's that fucking guy. There's that weird guy that was pissing us off in Nippers four days ago. Now, could they be mistaken? Yes, they could be. Honestly, a lot of sailors tend to start looking alike if they're in their late 50s and they've been out in the sun a lot and they're got their shirt off, gray hair, pot belly, deep tan. But they seem to think it was the same guy. And that's why they fixated. And watch this odd behavior playing out in that pool area. He's way over there staring straight out to sea, pouting. She's over here on the far end dancing by herself and taking some selfies. They thought that was that guy from four days prior. Nippers, they think it's Nippers acting weird, making them uncomfortable, saying let's party anyway, that's why the memory really stands out for them. So that was their dinghy parked beside Brian and Lynette's dinghy. So this is significant. Let me give you the times. Okay? The picture of Brian and Lynette's dinghy is taken at 5:41pm so Brian and Lynette are still at the Abaco Inn for another hour and 15 or so minutes, hour and 20 minutes because we've got them walking down alone at 7:20. We don't know where Lynette is at this point, but the selfie picture was taken at 5:44. So it's interesting. The picture that is towards the dinghy and the picture facing west of the dinghy is 5:41. And three minutes later you can see Lynette taking a selfie at the pool. But these folks left in their dinghy and saw Brian and Lynette's dinghy as they pulled out, thinking that that belongs to that, that couple. So they had a good idea of what was going on and that, that, that, that, that Brian and Lynette, stingy, was still tied up when they were pulling out sometime around 6:30pm that's when they said they pulled out. So Brian and Lynette are still there and the photographic evidence seems to prove it. They pull out at 6:30 and they leave. Presumably Brian and Lynette's the only dinghy left there. So you know, they're staying late, they're staying later than the average boater. But again, it's still light out until 7:45. I mean by 7:45 I wouldn't want to be out in a dinghy without running lights. But since I'm closer to shore than all the bigger boats, I probably would still be okay with it. But I'd probably want to leave by 7:30 and be on board my boat by 7:45. And when it's dark at 8, I don't want to be out there at all unless I got running lights. So just a sort of a fascinating few pieces to the puzzle. Just a few more things that have come into this bizarre mystery. Few other pieces of information I want to give to you as well.
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Carly Aylesworth
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Shop now on Amazon.com the bartender Ken told me that Brian, when he first arrived and ordered his first round of rum and Cokes Cuba libres, was wearing a blue and white striped shirt in his recollection, not. Not wide stripes, not very bold stripes, but it's kind of like, you know, maybe it was pattern, but. But it seemed to be blue and whitish and stripey. Interesting, because the next time Brian came back to him, he said he was wearing no shirt at all. So Ken's got a good memory. Look, bartenders. I was a bartender for six years. Bartenders have good memories. We know what people drink. We know a lot about them because sometimes they're assholes, sometimes they're awesome. Sometimes you're trying to figure out if they're gonna be assholes and you're not gonna get tipped. But we do tend, we. It's been 38 years since I've been a bartender. But I do know that bartenders have very good memories and can seem to have great memory. He's been a bartender for decades at the Abaco Inn. So he remembers the shirt is sort of a blue and white stripe maybe. And he comes back, he's not wearing a shirt. There is another witness recollection of Brian at the bar with Lynette because we did not know that Lynette had come into the bar at any time. It seemed that Brian had just ordered the drinks and taken them back to the pool. Turns out at some point in the evening, Lynette actually sidled up to the bar with Brian. And if you know the Abaco Inn, I'm just going to tell you it's the north end of the bar, kind of next to the seating group. And I'll show you the picture. Like I shot a picture of Ken the bartender walking into the bar and walking up to the bar and then kind of stopping at the edge of the bar. That's where Brian and Lynette were actually seated. And this is according to someone who shared a photograph with me that caught Brian at 7pm walking down by himself. No Lynette, towards the dock. We don't know if he got into the boat at any time at that point. All we can say is that he's already crossing the street and he's about to hit the path towards the docks where his dinghy was parked. And she told me that when she spoke to the Bahamian police about her photo, they showed her some of the surveillance video from the bar that night. And wouldn't you know it, this witness told me Brian and Lynette are seated at that north end of the bar, right, right up against the wood. And he is wearing a gray or tan solid color shirt. Well now I'm fascinated, right, Because Ken says when he first showed up, 4:30 or so, ordered his first round of drinks, he's got the blue and white ish, patterny kind of shirt. And then he goes to the pool, comes back without his shirt for the second round of drinks. And this witness says she's seen surveillance video of them both sitting up at the edge of the bar. And he's got a. Her description as a gray or tan colored, solid, solid colored, no pattern shirt. Did Brian have two shirts? It's not weird. Every time I would ever get in a tender, go ashore from a boat or a sailboat or a motorboat, I might pack Two things, because something might get wet on the way or you might go swimming and something might get wet or you might want longer sleeves for later in the day. So it wouldn't be weird if Brian came ashore with two shirts. It wouldn't be weird which would, if you believe Brian should have him floating across to Marsh harbor with dose shirts, one he's wearing and one in his dry bag. Had eaten. Not supposed to get back to the soul mate, Right? Brian, if you only had one shirt, where'd the other shirt go? The witness said they saw you in a tan or light gray shirt at the bar. And actually it's on video, apparently, according to this witness on surveillance video, Abaco in please at some point reconsider releasing that surveillance video. I know that the Royal Bahamian police have told you not to, but it's really causing a lot of problems because it could solve a lot of these issues for everybody involved investigating this, okay? Off my soapbox. So it wouldn't be weird if Brian had two shirts coming ashore. But since Brian's story is, is that he never made it back to soulmate, neither did his wife, you better better bloody well have those two shirts in your stuff in your dry bag. Speaking of the dry bag, something stinks in Denmark. Let me tell you what I know, okay? There are witnesses obviously to Brian washing ashore, right? Because he came for help at the boatyard. Like, hey came, you know, I just washed up on shore and I need help, right? There are human people at that boatyard. There are Bahamians and locals who had eyes on Brian when he said, I got marooned. I've been floating all night. And he was carrying a yellow dry bag. Thing is, he washes up on Shore around 4 o' clock in the morning, says all these things on tape, right? On a recording, saying, oh yeah. And then I went through all the thicket of the woods and had to go get, get some help. So two and a half hours later, three and a half hours later, around 7:30 in the morning, that's when he steps on board the fire and rescue boats, right? The fire and rescue boat has fire and rescue personnel. They're volunteers, shout out, these guys are saints. And they have Bahamian cops on board. So fire and rescue welcomes Brian onto their vessel off the shore of Marsh harbor, where three and a half hours earlier, he was marooned. Here's what's just batshit crazy. One of the fire and rescue guys can't remember what color dry bag he was carrying. Another fire and rescue guy remembers it being Aqua colored. I'm gonna get to why he's so certain it was aqua. A third fire and rescue guy says it was bluish, which could be aqua, right? Aqua's kind of a blue green. And a fourth fire and rescue guy says it was yellow and banana. Yellow ain't blue, ain't aqua. So there's something hinky about what color dry bag was Brian Hooker carrying when he stepped off of Marsh harbor onto that rescue vessel to start going around and helping them look for Lynette and telling them where it all happened? Here's the Aqua story of the dry bag. That's Aqua. The rescuer that remembers Aqua has a good memory of it being aqua for this reason. You ready? Pour a drink. Here we go. That's root beer. When they picked him up from Marsh harbor, they crossed way back over four miles to Elbow Key, where Brian says, ah, my wife went out, bounced right out the back of the boat, pulling with her the lanyard that was hanging off straight up and down from the engine that pulled the key off and her dry bag. Out she goes, meanwhile, her hands on the tiller she's apparently driving. But she bounces out and she's able to grab her dry bag and grab the lanyard with the key and out she goes. And the dry bag has the extra key and. Oh no. Brian is left with no engine. I can't save her. It's too windy and the waves are too big and I can't see her any more. Bullshit. None of that's true. The wind and the waves were nothing like that. And it wasn't that dark either. It got dark at 8, so you'd have to be swimming on your back to. To make it that long before suddenly you were in a position where you couldn't see your wife anymore. Dinghy would have taken all of about six to eight minutes to get to the position where you said your wife bounced out. And even at 67 38, it wasn't that dark. So, okay, so when the fire and rescue guys first got Brian on board, they went right across to Elbow Key, four miles away from Marsh Harbor. But they sidled up next to the soulmate, okay? And they tied up next to soulmate Brian and Lynette hooker's yacht, their 46 foot catch. And this is what the rescue guy with the aqua memory, it's an aqua dry bag. This is why he remembers the aqua dry bag so well. He says, Brian tossed the aqua dry bag up on the back, like kind of above the transom, probably where the I'M guessing I haven't been inside the boat, but I'm guessing it's the master cabin is below there, and then forward of that is the cockpit. And then forward there is the doorway down into the. Into the cabin. And he remembers this. This rescuer remembers drawing Brian throwing the aqua dry bag up on the back of Soulmate and then messing around with what looked to them like an air conditioning unit for about a minute. And then turning around with the one police representative that got on board with him. And they went down below for about an hour. And these other guys just stayed on board the rescue vessel, bobbing along, no holds, Tied up next to soul bait. And then up came the detective. Not the detective, but the royal Bahamian police representative and Brian and got back on board the rescue vessel. Why was he tampering and mucking about with this air conditioner Heidi key? He said something to Blaine Stevenson on his recording like, I had to break into my own boat. That's how he said it. So my assumption is his hyperbole of breaking into his own boat is actually just messing with the air conditioner to get the heide a key. Because if you lose your dry bag and you lose your. And you can't get back into your locked cabin, it's a very expensive problem. But if you have a Heidi key, he was probably disconnecting this air conditioning unit. What looked to be to one of the witnesses on board the rescue vessel, it looked to be a small window air conditioning unit. Whether it is or not, I don't know, but that's what it looked to be. Disconnecting it maybe to get a hide a key, and then down they went. So broke into your own boat, you got your hide a key. But the rescuer with the memory of the aqua dry bag remembers Then Brian getting back on board the rescue vessel, tied up next to Soulmate and leaving his dry bag back up next to where he had tossed it on the back of the transom area. Right? Not before the little before the transom. Right transom. Sort of slanted, but the description is almost like, dumbass, you left your dry bag, right? Dumbass, left your dry bag. That's why it sticks in the rescuer's mind that it was aqua colored. So that's a big memory. An aqua colored dry bag. But I am trying for the life of me and please comment if you have figured this one out and help me help you. I mean, I'm at this point where I'm like, what the witnesses at the boatyard early in the Morning, they're seeing him with a banana yellow dry bag. Three of the rescuers on board the rescue vessel, the fire and rescue vessel, see, I don't know, see aqua ish and bluish. And the fourth one sees a banana colored one Banana colored dry bag. This is really. It's making me struggle. There is a bluish dry bag in one of these social media images, and it looks pretty blue. And in fact, the first rescuer who told me the description said royal bluish. And they were. This rescuer was great with his memory. I mean, he said royal bluish dry bag, bluish slides and a Hawaiian cut shirt that was a fabric of like sailing or fishermen. Sort of like, you know, a tech shirt that had a pattern of sort of a bluish and white kind of pattern. Sounds a little like Ken the bartender's recollection too. But that memory was very specific. It sure as shit wasn't banana yellow dry bag. So there's something there. There's some there there, I think. I know that witness memories can be all over the place, but these guys are pros. Aqua slash bluish green dry bag guy had a very specific memory of it going up on the back of Soulmate. And dumbass left his dry bag up there. Maybe the one that saw the banana yellow dry bag, maybe that rescuer, even though he really believes that it was like from the beginning, that's how. From the beginning, I think he had a yellow dry bag. Maybe the memory is from the beginning of the search, which came after they had pulled up to Soulmate. Then they went out to start pointing out where did this happen? And Brian's like, oh, I was so confused. I was so confused. Bro, you're a mariner. You're a former marine. You're always a marine. You were a marine. It wasn't that windy and it sure shit wasn't that wavy. So why were you so confused? You had two drinks. Yo, they weren't doubles. I asked Ken. They were standard singles. You had two drinks from 4:30 till at least 7, maybe 7:30. You weren't hammered. In fact, the rescuers asked you about that. You know, you never mentioned anything about being hammered. Oh, and you never mentioned that your wife was wearing a green cover up when they said, what was she wearing? We really need to know what we're looking for. You never mentioned the green cover up, the blue scarf on her head, the sunglasses, maybe even the black fanny pack that she's photographed in and her apple watch. Look at yesterday's episode. If you missed it, it's a doozy. Yeah. She was wearing an apple watch in her last photos and there was a pink apple watch that was seized on board, so that might suck for Brian.
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Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on your father not being emotionally available because his father wasn't emotionally available and so on. And now that you're calm and healing, you're probably driving better too.
Carly Aylesworth
Liberty. Liberty.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Liberty. Liberty.
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Podcast Host / Interviewer
So yeah, the rescuers, the fire and rescue guys were, were pretty specific about their memories and about their work and trying to figure out what are we looking for? What is Lynette wearing? And he doesn't even say, doesn't even say blue scarf, you know, green colored bathing suit, cover up. All he says is black two piece bathing suit. That's it. Black two piece bathing suit. It's a lot to not remember about your wife that you're desperate to find who fell overboard. I don't know. Everybody's different, but that's a lot to not remember. All of these things are just so unsettling. Like every single time we see a new photo that shows where they were, what they were doing, where the dinghy is now. It's the first time we've seen this. This is an exclusive picture that we were able to get. It just brings up so many more pieces to the puzzle. It's very, very helpful to us. I will ask you again. Thank you so much. For you who have been watching and Sending us these tips and these photos and information. You are invaluable to us. You are invaluable to the investigators. Thank you so much. I'm going to ask you again if you think you know anything about this case. If you have friends in the Bahamas, if you are in the Bahamas, April, the night before Easter, were you anywhere near the Abaco Inn? Do you have photos or video of that beautiful sunset? It was gorgeous. Please send them to Drop dead serious infomail.com Again, drop deadserious infomail.com in a minute you're going to hear from Steve and Carly. Carly Aylesworth is Lynette's daughter. She's got a lot to say about all the stuff that we've uncovered. And Steve Hanson is her boyfriend who has been taking note of absolutely everything. He's got some things to say. But if you have any surveillance video, if you have a security camera either facing off of Elbow Key into the west and seeing the beautiful sea of Abaco, because you might want to watch it while you're in America or you might live there and you might just want security, please, for the love of God, look at your security video. Look at your surveillance video from. I'll just say this 7pm local time in the Bahamas right through till 8pm and then keep on looking right through till midnight to see if you see a flare go off. Because Brian swears he fired off a flare. We've seen no evidence of that. I've looked at video, other surveillance video from across the way at Lubbers Quarters, another key, and I haven't seen that yet. If you have surveillance video anywhere around the Abaco Inn, if you rent a house, if you have a house, if you have rented a house, drop dead serious info@gmail.com. reach out to us because you may have actually captured the critical piece of evidence. The dinghy. Did it really. Did this really happen the way he said it did? You may have it on camera. Did they keep going all the way to Soulmate and something happened there instead? You may have it on camera. Is there a flare that went off? You may have it on camera. It's all critical information. If you don't want to send it to me, totally understand. I appreciate that. Please send it to the Coast Guard who's investigating this. CGIS tips. C G I S Tips. It's their. It's their app and it's anonymous. You can just download that app and it's anonymous. You can send your tips in. If you just want to go to a website Instead, you don't want to download an app. You can do that too. The Coast Guard has a website where you can put in tips. It's P as in the letter P3, the number three tips.com P3tips.com and we've got a QR code on the screen as well. We need your help, y'.
Carly Aylesworth
All.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
If you have friends who live in the Bahamas, call them, ask them. Were you at the Abaco Inn the night before easter? Anytime around 4:30 till 8:00 clock at night, anytime in that vicinity. Check your cameras, check your videos. You may have captured Brian and Lynette. You may have captured a critical clue. Again, if you live or if you have friends who live on Elbow Key and you face westward. If you can see the Sea of Abaco and your beautiful images that you like to see, please for the love of God, send that to us. Drop deadserious info gmail.com. all right, I want you now to hear this interview that I conducted with Carly Aylesworth and her boyfriend Steve Hansen about everything that we've been learning so far and what they have to say about it. And it's pretty insightful. Here it is. How are you guys doing?
Carly Aylesworth
I'm sad. I feel like all day I've been having like anxiety attack almost. It just, it's. I'm starting to wrap my head around. Felt very surreal at first, but I'm starting to come to terms with reality.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
I can imagine it's frustrating being here and being so far away from where this happened and feeling a little helpless.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, definitely.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Let's talk a little bit about some of the things that we have found in this case, particularly that picture of Brian walking down to the dock at the Abaco Inn by himself. Is there anything that struck you with that photo?
Carly Aylesworth
I don't know why they were separated. They're almost never separated unless they're fighting. So I don't know why. Maybe she went to the bathroom. Maybe she forgot something. So I don't know it was. Or.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Or maybe he did. Maybe she was down at the boat already and he had gone back up to use the bathroom and was coming back down. But it was 7 o' clock that it just changes the timeline a little.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah. So 20. They had about 20 minutes in between when they left Abaco in till him walking to the boat.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So there's still a 20 minute time period that seems to be missing. Did you have any feelings when you saw the picture of Brian walking by himself down to the dock?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, I thought that was really sketchy. And I started like shaking because I could all it started. I just started thinking about all the
Podcast Host / Interviewer
what ifs, what was sketchy about it?
Carly Aylesworth
Just why weren't they together? Because they are always together. So the only reason when they're not is when they're fighting or when they have to go to the bathroom. Otherwise they're together.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But seeing that image somehow had the effect on you that you. You began to shake.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, because I saw them leave before 7. Now at 7, he's walking by himself and my mom is suddenly gone. So it just brought up a lot of feelings.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Understandable. Was there anything about the way he was walking, what he was wearing, anything at all that that stood out to you?
Carly Aylesworth
I did notice his bucket hat. He does wear bucket hats a lot. You can even see in the pictures him always wearing a bucket hat. And then he has his yellow bag with him. So I wonder if he bought something at the shop. I don't know what color bags they use or who around there. Maybe that's another thing to look into. Maybe what bag that's from in that town, I don't know.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So the yellow dry bag. I've seen the yellow dry bag in some other social media posts, but I've got some questions about some varying reports about the color of the dry bag that he was carrying the morning that he was marooned, you know, washed up on the beach at Marsh Harbor. I'll get to that in a minute. And it's very, very odd and a bit troubling, and I'm going to talk about that in a moment. But I don't, I don't want to leave this issue of him at the, at the, you know, walking towards the docks of the Abaco Inn. Did that picture look like the very short snippet of surveillance video that you guys were able to see when you were at the Abaco Inn?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, that definitely looked like him. Because how. What's the chances of another giant guy built like him with a bucket hat on is walking toward that dock? So I'm pretty sure 99% that is him. So.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But what about the place where he's walking? Because you and I have both been there. The three of us actually walked up that walkway together. We walked down that walkway and met right at the road. We talked, you know, the three of us talked on the road and then crossed the road together as he's crossing the road and we walked down towards the docks. The video that you saw on the surveillance images at the Abaco Inn, it seemed to be that you Remember it being around 6:38, but this is 7:00 clock on an iPhone. So does this look like the same walkway that he was on when you looked at the images on the surveillance video?
Carly Aylesworth
On the surveillance video, it just showed them walking down the pathway on Abbot in Abaco Inn. This, the picture was him on the street out like past the walkway.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So Maybe like about 20, 30 yards back was the, Was the image that you. You saw with, with Brian and Lynette together.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And yet Here he is 20 minutes later walking down that same area, but he's just a little further along.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, it looks like he was walking from the golf carts or something.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So perhaps he is the one that came back up to the Abaco Inn, maybe to use the lavatory, or maybe he'd forgotten something and he was retrieving it and walking back down to the, to the boats, maybe. And Steve, did you feel pretty comfortable that the time stamp on the piece of video that you saw at the Abaco inn was around 6:38?
Steve Hansen
It was. Yeah, we don't, we don't think it was on their direct way out, but we think it was around the approximate time of when they were heading out. And I, I think one or both had to use the restroom. They got halfway down, they go, hey, yeah, I don't want to take a boat ride and I have to use the restroom. So maybe one or both did we. It would be a good explanation of what the 20 minutes is. Is two people using the restroom or walking or someone looking at, you know, knickknacks or looking at something in the gift shop or seeing something on TV or. Could be a plethora of things.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But you do agree that the, the surveillance video at least showed them walking down the path towards the boats at around 6:38, and that this photo shows Brian walking the exact same direction, the exact same pathway, but a little bit further at 7pm Correct.
Steve Hansen
He was further along. I don't know why it would take 20 minutes to do that. But like I said, there, there could have been. It could have been lots of things, but we're not gonna, we're just. Yeah, I don't know what to say. We're just waiting to see what other information we. You will end up getting because you've been getting all kinds of information. I'm figuring you'll fill in the gaps here and there. So we're trying, we're just waiting on you.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
We're trying. Let me tell you. Let's talk about that. That picture of your mom at the pool, doing selfies. She's at the left hand side of the, of the pool and he's all the way over on the right hand side of the pool. Was there anything that struck you about that photo, Carly?
Carly Aylesworth
Honestly, not really. She liked taking pictures and videos, so it doesn't strike me as odd that she would be doing that. So no.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did it look like she had a black fanny pack on? Because I was trying to figure out what that there's something that looks like a black fanny pack on her and then there's something that's black that's on the sun chair in front of her. Did you see that?
Carly Aylesworth
It might have been like, I don't know. I thought it was like a shirt at first, but if it was a fanny pack, then I definitely can see that because I know she likes fanny packs. So I don't know.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
When you were there, did you see her have a black fanny pack or use a black fanny pack or use a fanny pack at all when you were visiting her several weeks ago?
Carly Aylesworth
I don't recall her ever using one.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But she definitely carried her dry bag?
Carly Aylesworth
Yes, definitely.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did she often put the fanny pack into the dry bag, do you think, or put anything like that into the dry bag?
Carly Aylesworth
Maybe.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But you can't recall her doing that.
Carly Aylesworth
I don't remember her ever putting on a fanny pack. I know she's talked about it before, that she liked it, but I don't remember her ever wearing one when I was down there with her.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
It wouldn't be out of the ordinary because she had on that bluish green bathing suit cover up. And so it kind of looked like the black fanny pack was sticking out from the bottom and she wouldn't have a, a black shirt that would make all that sort of mass at the front. It doesn't seem like it would be an extra piece of fabric, does it to you?
Carly Aylesworth
Oh, yeah, that's, that's a fanny pack that looks like a fanny pack.
Steve Hansen
Yeah, she. We see it now. It's hard. We've gotten so many. But yeah, no, it looks like that or yeah, she's like tied on a sarong or whatever it's called or something along those lines. But yeah, no, it does look like a fanny pack. It's a lot of extra looks.
Carly Aylesworth
Like her bathing suit bottoms cover everything. See, like she like doesn't really like stuff being shown, like her stomach or her butt. So she was always like covered.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
You never saw her wearing a black wrap around her bottom. And I mean the bathing suit cover up would be it yeah. Okay, well, that's helpful, because that maybe lends to it being a fanny pack more than anything.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, definitely.
Steve Hansen
No, that's what it looks like.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah.
Steve Hansen
Yeah, it looks like it's a belt that goes all the way around.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
What are your thoughts about the fact that she seems to be wearing that pink apple watch in that picture right there?
Carly Aylesworth
So it's sketchy that it was on the boat because I doubt her tan line would be that prominent.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did you ever see her tan line being that prominent?
Carly Aylesworth
No. She's a pretty tan person, like, as it is. So having it that white. She's not that white. Okay.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Because you only. I mean, you saw her in. Is it February? It would take a lot. Maybe not, but it might take a lot to time. So she was very tanned when you saw her.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, but.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So it would be hard to have a very white line underneath because she was already very tanned.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So my question to you is, did you ever see your mom get back on the boat and take her watch off early in the day or early in the evening?
Carly Aylesworth
Probably, because it probably died on her.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
What time of day would it usually die on her when you were with her?
Carly Aylesworth
She said she can't wear it at night because it dies before then. So she always has to charge it at night.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But when does night start? Like, around what time of night would she be putting it on the charger? Because it was already dead.
Carly Aylesworth
Probably after dinner time. Okay.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Like after 6, 7. So it's possible if your mom came back to the sailboat and did not fall off the dinghy, as Brian says, she might have actually taken that Apple watch off.
Carly Aylesworth
Probably.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Maybe put it on the charger. Yep. And that might be the watch that the. That the Bahamian police seized off the boat.
Carly Aylesworth
Most likely.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And she. I think you and I have spoken before. She synced her watch to her phone. I think you said that she used Find My Phone a lot. Right.
Carly Aylesworth
All the time. She loved that feature.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
I do, too. I lose my phone all the time, so I use it, too. I'm like your mom, definitely. Well, that would be very interesting if that. If that watch made it back on board. It probably connected to the WI fi to their starlink.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah. Can. Can they track the WI fi history?
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Oh, yeah, they sure can. And. And listen, if I were a betting man, they've probably filed every warrant to get every piece of electronic data called digital exhaust that. That they have. So that would be really helpful in terms of solving this as to whether Brian and Lynette made it back to Soulmate and if something happened on board Soulmate, and then in the dark of night, if something happened to conceal anything that might have happened on board Soulmate. I'm not saying it did. I'm just saying that these things have to be explored because everything else doesn't really add up. As you know, there's another person who was at the Abaco Inn who saw Brian and Lynette and said that Brian was wearing a, quote, big ol. Hat. Does that make sense to you? Like, did Lynette have a big old hat? Big, wide brim hat? Did. Did the hat that you saw Brian wearing, does that sound like a big old hat?
Carly Aylesworth
Was it straw or was it like fabric or straw?
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Unfortunately, they didn't give a description of whether it was fabric or straw. The only description I got was big
Carly Aylesworth
old hats because he does wear bucket hats, and she wears straw hats with a brim. And I bought her some on Amazon before I went down there because she lost her first one. And so it could be either one of their hats, but the one you
Podcast Host / Interviewer
saw him walking down the path with that still photo timestamp 7:00pm that's not what you would consider one of Lynette's big old hats. Right?
Carly Aylesworth
That's what I had to question at first. When I saw that, I'm like, was he wearing my mom's hat? But I couldn't really tell if it was straw or fabric. So that's what I was wondering, if anybody had a description on that.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Okay. There is another description, which is really odd. The bartender who served the drinks that night remembers Brian wearing a bar blue and white striped shirt. Okay. But not wide stripes. Sort of like really narrow, almost like almost indiscernible. And it could have even been plaid, but he just remembers some kinds of stripes in blue and white. A woman who was there that night was shown some of the surveillance video by the Bahamian police because they were trying to get a description. And she says on the surveillance video, he was wearing a white. Sorry. He was wearing a gray or tan shirt that had no pattern on it, just a standard gray. It was either gray or it was tan.
Carly Aylesworth
Probably gray. I've seen pictures with him wearing gray sleeveless shirt.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
This was it. This was a short sleeve, almost like a fisherman's, you know, shirt or a. A sailor's shirt or a fisherman's shirt. It wasn't a tank top.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah. Like, was it sleeveless?
Podcast Host / Interviewer
No, it had sleeves, but it was a solid pattern. No stripes, no blue and white. And that made me wonder, do you know if When Brian and Lynette would pack their dry bags to go up on shore and hang out at a resort or anything. When you were with them, would it be normal for him to take two shirts?
Carly Aylesworth
Probably. If he knew he was going in the pool, yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Would it be normal? Or did you ever see him putting an extra shirt into the dry bag before heading to shore?
Carly Aylesworth
I didn't. I don't recall. But that I wouldn't put it past them because they're pretty prepared. Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Yeah. Did you ever see your mom putting an extra shirt in the dry bag?
Carly Aylesworth
The only time I think they brought extra clothes is when we went snorkeling at mermaid beach or something. And I think that's the only time I saw them bring extra clothes when I knew. When they knew they were gonna go swim.
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Carly Aylesworth
Liberty. Liberty.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Liberty.
Carly Aylesworth
Liberty.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Another question I wanted to ask you about. And Steve, maybe you can weigh in here as well because I know you went aboard and got some of the personal effects for Carly, helped her get some of the personal effects when you guys were in the Bahamas. She's seen. Lynette is seen on that photograph of where she's taking the selfies with a bright blue headscarf. Did you guys ever see the bright blue headscarf on board anywhere?
Carly Aylesworth
No. And I grabbed, like, all of her headbands that were on the hook and none of them were blue.
Steve Hansen
When we looked through the picture, we only had a couple pictures in a small video And I. I looked through it, but it was nothing like that that we saw.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And is it possible that that blue headscarf could be back on board, but you guys just missed it? Or do you remember seeing something bright blue and thinking, well, it's insignificant, or anything that. Is there anything that tweaks your memory that maybe there was something bright blue like the color of that headscarf onboard Soulmate?
Carly Aylesworth
I think the only bright blue thing was we saw a Columbia shirt, but I think that was Brian's.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But definitely no bright blue headscarf.
Carly Aylesworth
No, but I never went into their bathroom, so it could have been in their bathroom. I just went to the room and grabbed the headbands that were on the hook.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
What would Lynette's normal behavior be once you had been out all day and got back up on board? Soulmate. What was her normal, or did she have a normal routine, having been out all day and getting back on board?
Carly Aylesworth
Well, in the mornings, I know they have, like, technology time or something, so they play on their computer and send emails, whatever. And then they do their thing throughout the day, and then at night after dinner time, because they usually eat out, I'm guessing. So then after dinner time, then they just sit on the boat on their phone out on the deck area underneath the bimini.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So if. And tell me if you witnessed this at any time you. You guys all went out, maybe you were ashore, maybe you were out swimming or snorkeling, or you went to Tahiti beach, and then after a long day, you come back on board. What might be your mom's first few things that she would do? Would you. She go down to her cabin and take off her watch and maybe wash her face or hands or. What would be the normal thing that your mom would do the minute she would get back up on board?
Carly Aylesworth
Oh, like when we went snorkeling right after we got on board, she immediately took a shower and changed.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Where would that be?
Carly Aylesworth
In their bathroom. They have a shower in their bathroom and a washer in their bathroom. So she just immediately went down there and showered to get all the salt off. Off.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
How many times did that happen? Was that a regular thing?
Carly Aylesworth
It was just that once. It happened so fast. I saw her hair wet, and I was like, you took a shower? She's like, yeah. I'm like, okay. And she was done.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And then what about being on her phone or doing any technology, checking voice messages, emails, texts? Would she do that immediately upon getting back on board?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, because that's when she'd get wi Fi again. Again, if they. But they usually have it at the restaurant too, but she doesn't have it in between there.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
She have a habit in the evenings of. Of doing social media and editing or working on her phone?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, because she liked to edit her videos that she took out through the day.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And that would be every evening? Almost
Carly Aylesworth
just about. Yeah, she liked to play on her phone or just watch videos and go through. Through TikTok or Facebook.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
This was a regular thing that she would do in the evenings.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, they would sit on their phone and watch TV in their. In the cabin area.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
It's really interesting. And it stands to reason. You never saw black fanny pack on board the boat, right?
Carly Aylesworth
It didn't stand out. No. I didn't know to look for one.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
There was one other detail I noticed on the boat, and it was a half of a case of Corona bottles of beer. And then up in the V berth, I think I noticed a box of sans beer. Did you guys. Were you guys able to jostle it or know if it was an empty box or a full box?
Carly Aylesworth
The Corona on the couch was a 12 pack and only four were gone.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Okay, and what about the sans beer box of it up in the V berth?
Carly Aylesworth
I didn't. I don't remember. I just grabbed the picture and walked out.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did it strike you as unusual that there was all that beer on boat? Because I think they had told you they'd stopped drinking, right?
Carly Aylesworth
I didn't know they stopped drinking, so that's news to me. But I guess they did. And last I knew they were drinking, so that's why they were at the ABCO Inn. I don't know.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Was it surprising to you that there was beer on board or did it just look like that's just normal?
Carly Aylesworth
They always drink beer. So I didn't strike it as unusual.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Was there anything else in the video that. Or at least was there anything. Was there anything else in the pictures that I've been able to get from the Bahamas? That is the picture of your mom taking the selfies at the pool or the other picture of Brian walking alone towards the boat. Was there anything else that stood out to you that just wasn't what you thought it might be, or that was just, you know, significant?
Steve Hansen
Well, not the pictures, just the videos you sent that we. You can hear the water in the background, and it's not like it's a typhoon out there. It's not like it's a heavy rain out there. You can. You can hear there's waves, but it's kind of like a babbling brook. You can hear the difference between a raging river and a babbling brook. It didn't sound like a typhoon was happening out there.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Yeah, I mean we got surveillance video at 6:15 at the Firefly Inn which is just not even a quarter mile away. It's just north of the Abaco Inn and the water is glass as a little dinghy is going out through, you know, heading towards their boat. I've spoken to the woman on board that dinghy, if you can believe it. And she said that all day Saturday they were up and down the whole coast of, of Elbow Key all the way to Tahiti beach, past the Abaco in the white sound channel and all the way to Firefly. And she said they never would have gone out in the dinghy if the conditions were as bad as Brian made them out to be. She said those conditions were nowhere near like that. There wasn't even one foot seize.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, that's what I saw. And it's like the only waves that were happening were just because of other boats.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
I mean this must be extraordinarily frustrating to see piece by piece. The stories that Brian has been telling pan out to be perhaps not true.
Carly Aylesworth
Yep, everything he says is like coming up as debunked so far.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Do you have a message for Brian if he's watching?
Carly Aylesworth
Well, I know he's not gonna change his story because he's pretty good at playing this game I guess. But he. I just, I don't understand why you couldn't just leave her and you had a do this and put every everyone that cared about her in more through pain. So I just don't understand.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
How do you feel about Brian?
Carly Aylesworth
Well, there's not enough facts for it to be a hundred percent true, but after seeing Rachel's interview, I didn't know it was that bad. And I've been in that type of relationship before and I finally left after eight years of going back to him and I finally got sick of it and said no, no more. And she just never got there. So it just gets worse and worse and it's just a cycle and I wish things were different.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But what are your thoughts about Brian?
Carly Aylesworth
Sorry, my brain is everywhere. My thoughts on Brian right now with the facts that I know and, and my gut feeling and seeing other people's point of views like Rachel, who was close to my mom. It's just I'm kind of disgusted. Especially after you're smirk looking so happy with yourself after you got out of jail. That was kind of gross. It Was disgusting to me, so good luck to you.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Do you want to see him arrested?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah. Honestly, I don't want him to be a free man.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
I can understand that. I want to ask you a little bit about some other videos that I've been looking at and trying to get my head around. There's a video of your mom on the back of the boat dancing by herself. Tell me a little bit about that.
Carly Aylesworth
I had a gut feeling that they were fighting, because the only time they separate, like I said, is when they're fighting. So I had a gut feeling something was off. And then she posted the video of her dancing on a boat. Miss you guys. Like, I think that was just. I don't know, that's. That was just strike me at odds as. As odd. So I texted her that that night. I said, how are you guys doing? And she didn't respond. She left me on red. And then suddenly they were back together and where they were both texting me again. So I was just like, okay, I guess I'm just not gonna be included on what was going on. So I just kind of went along with my life. What do you.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
What do you make of the fact that she's dancing alone on the back of the boat? Anything.
Carly Aylesworth
Like she knew problems were they were having before she left for the Bahamas, and then she still goes out of country with him. Dennis, I don't feel like that's very
Podcast Host / Interviewer
smart, but was it in character of your mom to dance alone?
Carly Aylesworth
She likes to. She. I think she just really wants to enjoy herself and enjoy being in the Bahamas and on a boat. I think she really wants to try to enjoy that, but she's with somebody that doesn't want that for her.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
There's a witness who saw your mom and Brian at the pool. Brian is over on the right, just like the photo shows. And. And the witness says it looks like he was pouting as he was looking out to see and said your mom was over on the left hand side of the pool at the place where she was taking the selfie, and she was dancing alone. And I just wondered what your thoughts would be about that. Would that be in character for her? Out of character?
Carly Aylesworth
It seems in character for them, because what I'm gathering, they're not the same couple that I. That they put on for me as they are in private. So seeing my mom dance by herself in a boat, in a different boat that's not hers before they left for Bahamas. And then I hear that she was dancing by herself at that pool that night. It doesn't strike me as odd. It sounds very like my mom trying
Podcast Host / Interviewer
to enjoy herself, but enjoy herself more away from Brian.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, like she obviously knew she had to leave him. She's always questioned and she bought a plane ticket, so she knows. But something just keeps her going back.
Liberty Mutual Announcer
From ESPN's 30 for 30 podcast, this is Murder at the U.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did you say someone got shot?
Liberty Mutual Announcer
November 2006, a college football star on his way to NFL dreams, gunned down in broad daylight.
Steve Hansen
Just born crying. And he said, coach, they killed him.
Liberty Mutual Announcer
No weapon, missing witnesses, conflicting accounts, and for years no arrest.
Steve Hansen
She insinuated that the Miami PD had
Podcast Host / Interviewer
done nothing and it became a little bit more accusatory.
Liberty Mutual Announcer
The case goes cold, rumors spread, and the truth gets buried. Until now.
Carly Aylesworth
This world could come crashing down.
Liberty Mutual Announcer
According to him, it was over the ending. Something no one saw coming. Because this story isn't over yet. From ESPN's 30 for 30 podcast, this is Murder at the U. Bench the full season right now, wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
I want to ask you about the dry bags. When you were on board Soulmate with Brian and Lynette back in February, did you ever make note of the colors of the dry bags that they carried?
Carly Aylesworth
Mom always had a dry bag with her. She always had it, her stuff in there. So I think that was, was green and then Brian had a yellow one.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did you ever see an aqua colored dry bag, bluish green?
Carly Aylesworth
Probably they have a few. I don't remember the color, to be honest that well.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did you ever see either Brian or Lynette carrying an aqua blue green dry bag?
Carly Aylesworth
Not. I don't remember. Not that I can remember.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And do you recall seeing a dry bag of that color on board Soulmate hanging up anywhere or stashed or stowed somewhere?
Carly Aylesworth
I'm sure they do because they have several dry bags, different types, different sizes. So I wouldn't, I wouldn't say that's not possible.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Steve, do you ever remember seeing a bluish green aqua dry bag?
Steve Hansen
I was looking for like life jackets and see if there was any flares or stuff like that. I, I did see life jackets. I did see the beer. I did see some other things, but I, I remember seeing a dry bag, but I, I could have swore it was more of a clear. But it, it was dark down there. It's not like it was bright. There was no lights on. It was just the porthole windows that you could actually get light in, but it wasn't really that light. So right off hand I, I remember, I thought it was a Clearish one. But if it could have been aqua, it could have been. I remember seeing something that was opaque.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
We'll go with how big? One and a half foot by one foot. Sort of the same size as the dry bags they were carrying.
Steve Hansen
Yeah, it was a decent sized one. It was. Yeah, it was. I would say, like a. Like a big, decent sized purse.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But you definitely feel like you saw a dry bag on board.
Steve Hansen
I remember there was a dry bag, but it was like a. Not so much clear, but it was opaque. And it could have had some color to it, but it was dark in there, and I don't remember it. It was just. Yeah, it was just a dry bag.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Trying to get to the bottom of this report that some of the rescuers who saw Brian on the morning that he was washed up on Marsh harbor, they said they saw him carrying a banana yellow dry bag, which we've seen in photos. And Carly, you've seen him carry the yellow dry bag. And some of them said they saw him carrying an aqua blue, blue green dry bag all on that same morning.
Carly Aylesworth
That must have been my mom's then.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Well, no, it wasn't bright, bright green. It was definitely on the bluish aqua color spectrum the way they described it.
Steve Hansen
And apparently they didn't look through either of them. Or did they?
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Well, the rescuers were looking for Lynette, and this was in the morning when everyone thought that what Brian said maybe was true before. The investigations have proven that a lot of what he said is untrue. And so that's why I'm wondering if you ever saw another dry bag that's a different color. I'm trying to get my. I'm trying to put the pieces together, and I'm having a tough one with the two different colors of dry bags that. That the rescuers witnessed him with that morning.
Carly Aylesworth
Because I know they had a bunch of different dry bags and, like, different sizes.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Because I'm wondering. I'm wondering if he had the yellow. The. The yellow dry bag and the blue dry bag was inside it. And then for whatever reason, after 4am he pulled things out and stuck the yellow one into the blue one. And that's why they're seeing a blue one.
Carly Aylesworth
Probably less to carry.
Steve Hansen
Yeah, the blue one looks like you'd carry clothes in. Yeah, you have different. And it's probably not as good of a dry bag as the smaller ones, but it's still just a keep basically splash off of it.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
But that definitely looks like a dry bag that Brian would be carrying and not Lynette.
Carly Aylesworth
Yep, I remember now. Now that I saw that it brought back. Yeah, I remember you recall that.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
That blue. Blue bag. Did you guys find her wedding ring on board?
Steve Hansen
No, we're really looking for it, but
Carly Aylesworth
hey, I didn't see it at all.
Steve Hansen
Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And you looked for that specifically.
Carly Aylesworth
I feel like I would remember seeing a diamond, her diamond, because she would. She would always, like, play with it.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So single solitaire diamond.
Carly Aylesworth
She had the normal band and then one with a diamond. I'm guessing that's engagement one.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So the band was a precious metal, and then the. The engagement ring was the precious metal band. Then one single diamond, no additional diamonds anywhere. And you guys looked everywhere and never, never saw it.
Carly Aylesworth
I didn't go in her bathroom, though, so it could have been on the sink, but I didn't think to check.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Steve, you didn't see it anywhere?
Steve Hansen
Not to my recollection, no. I was looking for sentimental little knickknacks for her, like, you know, the picture. Picture frames, that kind of stuff.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Did she ever take her wedding rings off?
Carly Aylesworth
Not that I remember. And plus, I remember Brian gained some weight, so his ring was like, tight around his finger. It would, like, take a lot to take it off.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Yeah, but your mom wasn't in the habit of taking her rings off on board. She would wear them to sleep, to my knowledge.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Okay. I want to ask you guys something about what Brian's lawyer said in that ABC interview. What did you think about that?
Carly Aylesworth
Be open minded to the fact that just because Carly and Darlene are making these claims, there's absolutely no evidence to support any of the allegations. Absolutely none. There is evidence on everything that I've said.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Every.
Carly Aylesworth
It's been backed up, everything that I've said.
Steve Hansen
Just because you weren't convicted or a guilty verdict doesn't mean you're not guilty of doing that thing they accused you of. When it happens and several other people saw it happen, you can't say it didn't happen. It's just. Just because they say it's not child abuse for choking your kid one time doesn't mean you still didn't get choked.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And your mom has photographic evidence that she says is bruises on her back as a result of having been choked by Brian on the boat and having her back pressed up against the back cockpit of the sailboat.
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah. So my mom, she may have done some whatever, questionable stuff, but she does not lie. She has never lied. Even my dad can contest to that. She has never lied once. Like, she's done some stuff that's like what? But she has doesn't lie about it. So. Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And you've witnessed. But Carly, Carly. Have you witnessed Brian getting aggressive with your mom?
Carly Aylesworth
Yes.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Like what kind of things?
Carly Aylesworth
I saw her choke her and throw her out of my room, but otherwise I haven't seen anything else.
Steve Hansen
To be fair, he was actually defending Carly at that point. Point when it happened. So we're not saying it still happened though. You can't say, hey, I'm a good guy, but I did this. You choked her and you threw her out of the room while he was defending Carly at the time. It still doesn't change the fact that he still has on numerous occasions, choked her, choked the daughter, choked. And that's what was told to Carly directly by Lynette.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
And didn't you, Carly, witness Brian putting his hands on his 12 year old daughter around her neck and that actually resulted in charges and you testified in court about it?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, I was a witness in third grade.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So you have seen Brian being violent?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
So the fact that his lawyer is suggesting that you might be making stuff up is just. I don't understand.
Carly Aylesworth
When it's all documented in court documents, isn't that like not proof she may
Podcast Host / Interviewer
have spoken too soon?
Carly Aylesworth
Yeah, she doesn't know all the facts, obviously.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
What do you want to say to that lawyer?
Carly Aylesworth
Just good luck, I guess. You know, whatever happens, happens. Just know all your facts, I guess. First I've been saying it everywhere. Everything has been backed up. I even told you Lieutenant or the Inspector Lewis of the Bahamas and he even agreed, like, yeah, everything you said has been backed up because he even asked me about Brian's allegations that he said about me. So I told the Bahamian police everything and it's all been backed up. That's all I have to say.
Podcast Host / Interviewer
Guys, thank you very, very much for taking the time to, to talk to us. And we'll continue to, to press for answers for you.
Carly Aylesworth
Thank you so much. I appreciate all that you guys have
Podcast Host / Interviewer
done and it's our pleasure. My great thanks to Carly and Steve for talking to us. This is not easy. Just imagine, you know, Lynette's mom, Darlene is going through all of this as well. They don't know where. She doesn't know where her daughter is. Carly doesn't know where her mom is. They don't know what happened. And they've got this mystery. And Brian, who's spoken a zero to either of them. Now if she really bounced off the back of your dinghy, wouldn't you be talking to her daughter and her mother. Non stop bupkis. They've heard nothing from him. In my line of work that says one thing. Sketchy. Brian, why aren't you talking to the daughter, the. The stepdaughter who's been in your home almost her entire life? Why are you not dogging. She's just lost her mother. Why are you not talking to your mother in law? She's just lost her daughter. Is there a reason? Because innocent people don't, don't behave like that. They just don't. Folks, thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for watching and love that you like and subscribe and do all those things that help us continue this, this podcast and keep it going. I am like a dog with a bone on this case. I'm not letting it go. I'm doing all sorts of things in the Bahamas trying to figure stuff out. You know that the Coast Guard doesn't have jurisdiction there, right? They gotta, they gotta work at the behest of the Bahamians. And the Bahamians, I mean, I don't know how they operate. I'm just coming into week four of this and it's like, really? Because after we pass Saturday, that's tomorrow. We're going into week four. Tomorrow will be three weeks since Lynette disappeared. And I know again, the duck paddles feverishly under the surface and looks very calm above. And that may be what we're seeing in this investigation, you know, this multi jurisdictional investigation, but tick tock, Brian Hooker. Tick tock. I've got more episodes coming. I've got more information I want to show with you. Just trying to run down a few things, clear a few things and enhance some video that's in the episodes that are upcoming again. Please like and subscribe. I know it's a weird thing to say. All the kids say it like and subscribe. But it does help. So subscribe, please. And this Sunday at, at 5:00pm, that's April 26th, we're doing another member event, a Q and A. It's ask me anything. So if you want to be a part of that and you really can ask me anything about this case, you can ask me anything about anything. Just join. You have to be a member in order to be able to be a part of the member event. Because I'm doing that exclusively for our members. Sometimes I do this. I do these. Ask me any things with wine or sometimes more than just wine. I'm wondering what I'm going to have this time. Maybe rum and Coke. Anyway, this Sunday, 5pm, April 26th ask me anything. Please join if you want to be a member. Please subscribe as a member mentioned before and and hit the like. And thank you again. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you justice for Lynette. Just everybody get your mind on that. Remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.
Podcast: Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Episode Date: April 25, 2026
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Notable Guests: Carly Aylesworth (Lynette Hooker’s daughter), Steve Hansen (Carly’s boyfriend)
In this episode, Ashleigh Banfield continues her investigation into the disappearance of Lynette Hooker from a yacht in the Bahamas, examining disputes in eyewitness accounts, timelines, and material evidence. The show features new photographs, surveillance details, and exclusive testimony from Lynette’s daughter, Carly, and boyfriend, Steve, dissecting Brian Hooker’s version of events. The tone is deeply investigative, irreverent, and direct—mixing expert crime reporting with personal insight and skepticism toward the key subject, Brian Hooker.
Significance of New Dinghy Photos:
Disputed Weather and Alibi:
Odd Behavior and Witness Testimony:
Witnesses saw Brian and Lynette at the pool behaving peculiarly: Brian pouting and staring out to sea alone; Lynette dancing and taking selfies far from Brian.
"It was not normal at all... Brian is way over on the right, facing out to the Atlantic Ocean, facing east into the wind... Lynette was all the way at the left hand side... dancing by herself... for almost half an hour." (06:40)
Their behavior was memorable because witnesses believed they recognized Brian from a previous unsettling encounter at a bar, where he allegedly shook a vial and said, "let's party."
Shifting Shirt Descriptions:
The Mystery of the Dry Bag Color:
Critical Point:
Critical Timestamps:
Surveillance Gap:
Ashleigh’s Analysis:
Apple Watch and Tan Lines:
Fanny Pack, Coverups, and Routine:
Headscarf Disappearance:
Wedding Rings:
On Brian’s version of the weather:
“Everything we found since says horseshit. It’s just not true. There were not two to four foot seas and the wind was not screaming on the lee side of Elbow Key.”
— Ashleigh Banfield, (02:10)
On photographic evidence vs. narrative:
“Just piece by piece, the stories that Brian has been telling pan out to be perhaps not true.”
— Ashleigh Banfield, (55:28)
Carly on seeing Brian walking alone:
"I thought that was really sketchy. I just started thinking about all the what ifs. Because they are always together. The only reason when they're not is when they're fighting or when they have to go to the bathroom." (33:33–33:45)
Carly on Brian’s behavior post-incident:
"He just never got there. So it just gets worse and worse and it's just a cycle and I wish things were different ... especially after your smirk looking so happy with yourself after you got out of jail. That was kind of gross." (56:20, 56:51)
Steve on the sea conditions:
"You can hear there's waves, but it's kind of like a babbling brook ... not like a typhoon was happening out there." (54:13)
On the importance of tips and evidence:
"If you have surveillance video anywhere around the Abaco Inn … you may have actually captured the critical piece of evidence."
— Ashleigh Banfield, (29:30)
Ashleigh Banfield’s relentless pursuit underscores the unresolved nature of Lynette Hooker’s disappearance. The new evidence, interviews, and listener tips are vital as both the family and investigators seek clarity and justice in a mystery that is drop dead serious.