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Father of missing boys recently bought sailboat

Amber Alert
Posted

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Officials say the father accused of kidnapping his two young sons from their grandparents' house recently bought a 25-foot sailboat.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Friday that 35-year-old Joshua Michael Hakken recently bought the 1972 Morgan sailboat with a blue hull. The boat's whereabouts are unknown.

A pickup truck owned by Hakken was found abandoned Thursday night in a Madeira Beach parking garage.

Officials are searching for clues to help them find 4-year-old Cole Hakken and his 2-year-old brother Chase.

Authorities say Hakken and the children's mother, 34-year-old Sharyn Patricia Hakken, are prime suspects.

The Hakkens lost custody of the children last year after a drug possession arrest in Louisiana. Authorities say he later tried to take them from a foster home at gunpoint.