A federal arrest warrant was issued for Jeffrey Ford Hanson on Sept. 12 after he was charged with international parental kidnapping. (FBI)
Billy Hanson, 9, was last seen with his father on Aug. 30. Investigators believe he may be in danger. (FBI)
Officials in a joint investigation believe that a 9-year-old boy who has been missing since late August may be traveling with his father on a sailboat somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, the FBI said on Thursday.
Billy Hanson is thought to be with Jeffrey Ford Hanson, 46, on a 1976 White Cooper sailboat named Draco heading toward Mexico or islands in the South Pacific, however, “the possibilities are endless,” according to the FBI.
Hanson has been charged with international parent kidnapping; A warrant was issued on Sept. 12 for his arrest in U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington.
Billy was last seen with his father on Aug. 30, according to the FBI. He had been staying with his father at Seattle’s Shilshole Bay Marina and was due to be returned to his mother in Pennsylvania on Sept. 4, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Billy never boarded his flight home, the release said.
The FBI has issued a wanted poster for Hanson. He is 5-foot-5, 160 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. Billy is about 4 feet tall, weighs 90 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black knee-length surf shorts with no shirt or shoes.
The white sailboat has a 6-inch red stripe along the side and the Washington ID number W N 6 7 5 3 N Z
Investigators request that the public report any possible sightings or information on the location of Billy, Hanson and/or the sailboat. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
The joint investigation combines the resources of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Seattle Police Department’s Major Crimes Task Force, the Port of Seattle Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to the FBI.