Amber Alert Update: Hakken Children Might Be on a Boat

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has updated its Amber Alert for Cole and Chase Hakken, two young boys abducted from their grandmother’s Carrollwood area home on April 3.

Authorities now have reason to believe their accused abductor, their father Joshua Hakken, 35, may be traveling with the children on a 1972, 25-foot Morgan sailboat. The boat has the registration number of FL3717BK and has a blue hull.

The boat in question is named “Salty” and has a picture of a paw near the hull on both sides, according to a FDLE media release. The stern also has “St. Petersburg” written on it in white letters. The vessel has a blue Bimini top and when its sail is unfurled it is white with blue trim.

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The search for Chase and Cole Hakken, 2 and 4 respectively, began on Wednesday after they were taken from their grandmother’s Shady Shores Drive home in the Lake Magdalene area of Carrollwood. Deputies have said that Joshua Hakken lost custody of the children just before the kidnapping.

The boy’s mother and Hakken’s wife, Sharyn, 34, is believed to be with her family. Sharyn Hakken’s involvement in the abduction is unclear.

Last night, April 4, authorities found the GMC pickup truck they believed the family was traveling in at a parking garage in Madeira Beach. The vehicle is now being processed for evidence by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office received a tip that Joshua Hakken recently purchased the sailboat that authorities are now looking for, a release from that agency stated.

Joshua Hakken is described as being about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs about 175 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes. The boy's mother, Sharyn Hakken, is 5-foot 4-inches tall and weighs an estimated 150 pounds.

Anyone with information about the Hakkens or who has seen the boat is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200 or 911.

Authorities have described Joshua Hakken as being “armed and dangerous.”