Authorities continue to search for Lynette Hooker, who has been missing since she allegedly fell off a boat over the weekend

Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker.

Lynette and Brian Hooker.Credit : Facebook

Brian Hooker, the American arrested in the Bahamas in connection with his wife’s disappearance, reportedly told a friend that she attempted to swim back to their boat after allegedly falling overboard, but the winds were too strong.

Brian and his wife Lynette, of Michigan, were on a dinghy, traveling from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on a trip that began the night of Saturday, April 4, when she “reportedly fell overboard” with the boat keys, authorities previously said.

Brian has since been arrested by Bahamian authorities and held for questioning.

In Facebook messages obtained by CBS News, Brian spoke to his friend, Daniel Danforth, who had contacted him on Monday after seeing news reports of the incident.

Lynette Hooker Reported Missing After Husband Said She Fell Overboard Identified
Lynette Hooker.the_sailing_hookers/instagram

Brian, who denies any wrongdoing, told Danforth, “The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown,” per the messages obtained by the outlet.

“I drifted and tried to paddle with one oar for the next 7 hours until I washed up behind the shore of the next Island over and was able to get some help finally,” he reportedly added.

Brian arrived at the Marsh Harbor Boat Yard on the island of Abaco at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning after paddling the dinghy to shore following his wife’s disappearance, Bahamian police have said.

Lynette Hooker; Brian Hooker
Lynette and Brian Hooker.Lynette Hooker Facebook

In the messages to Danforth, Brian claimed that his family was “in hell right now,” adding that search and rescue teams had been looking at “a bunch of areas” with “no joy,” according to the outlet.

Brian then reportedly told Danforth the following day that he’d been staying on his boat, which had been moved back to Marsh Harbor, adding that his sister and brother-in-law were flying in that morning so he would “probably stay with them for a night or two.”

Brian said he was planning on then “heading back out to the site and continuing [the] search,” according to the messages published by CBS News.

He added to Danforth — who told the outlet that he’d met the Hookers three years ago while sailing in the New Orleans area — that he was trying to take things “a day at a time and keep the faith,” before congratulating his friend on a potential sailboat purchase.

Danforth told CBS News he had questioned why Brian was on Facebook while his wife was missing.

PEOPLE has reached out to Brian’s attorney, Terrel A. Butler, for comment on the messages, but didn’t immediately hear back.

Lynette Hooker.
Lynette Hooker.Lynette Hooker/Facebook

PEOPLE previously reported that alcohol could have played a part in Lynette’s disappearance.

Richard Cook, a team leader with the Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, told PEOPLE on Tuesday, April 7, “I believe so alcohol was involved.”

“It was just a lot of bad decisions,” Cook said. “Night time, very windy, no moon out yet, so it was pitch dark and very rough conditions for the small boat they were in.”

At the time of the interview, Cook said officials didn’t suspect foul play, but he declined to clarify when reached by PEOPLE Thursday, April 9, after Brian was taken into custody.

Following his arrest, Brian’s attorney, Butler, told PEOPLE her client “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing.”

Before he was arrested, Brian wrote on Facebook that “unpredictable seas and high winds” had caused Lynette to fall from their boat.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,” he said. “We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”

Police have not announced if Brian will be charged with a crime.