10 Oct 2014

FBI asks for Pacific help in kidnapping case

7:34 am on 10 October 2014

U.S Authorities are appealing to communities in the Pacific for help in capturing a man wanted for kidnapping his son.

The FBI says in September, 46 year old Jeffrey Ford Hanson, set sail from Seattle with his nine year-old son in a sailboat called 'Draco', and neither have been seen since.

The FBI says Hanson is a known drug abuser with a volatile personality.

The U.S. Coast Guard has advised the FBI that, based on the boat and Mr. Hanson's sailing abilities, it's possible for him to have sailed a great distance in the Pacific, including the Hawaiian Islands.

The federal agency is extending the outreach to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and all nations of the Pacific.

The FBI is appealing to the Pacific nautical and sailing community to be on the lookout for the sailboat and to contact authorities with leads.