Roberto Leon / NBC News
A boat believed to belong to Joshua and Sharyn Hakken (second from left with blue cover) sits at a marina in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday.
By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News
A couple alleged to have abducted their two young sons, spurring a search across Southern states and off the coast of Florida, may have fled to Cuba, authorities said.
NBC News? team in Havana reported Tuesday that they made visual contact with the family?s boat as described by law enforcement. Boaters in the marina told NBC News that the family is freely walking around the area ? though this information isn?t confirmed.
Law enforcement officials said late Monday they had information that the family of Joshua Hakken, 35, and Sharyn Hakken, 34, may be on the island nation. The Hillsborough County sheriff?s office in Florida is working with the FBI and State Department to verify the report.
The boys, 2 and 4, were living with their grandmother in Tampa.
Police say Joshua Hakken entered the house in the early morning April 3, tied up the grandmother and took the boys.
The two boys were placed in foster care after Joshua Hakken was arrested in a Louisiana hotel room in 2012 on charges including drug possession, according to police in Slidell, La. Sharyn and Joshua Hakken told officers that they planned to ?take a journey to the Armageddon? at the time of the arrest, Slidell police said.
The children were there when the parents were arrested, police said, and several weapons were taken from the room.
State Department officials in Cuba are working with local officials to confirm whether the Hakkens made their way to the country after evading Amber alerts in Florida and Tennessee last week.
The State Department does not have formal relations with Cuba, but the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba, which acts as a de facto mission on the island, said in a statement it was aware of the case.
"U.S. officials are providing all appropriate assistance to the family," the Interests Section said. "Because of privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any additional information. One of the department's highest priorities is the welfare of U.S. citizens overseas. This is particularly true for children, who are our most vulnerable citizens. The department works with parents and foreign governments to resolve these difficult cases."
Hillsborough Co Sheriff's Office / AP
This undated photo provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows a 25-foot sailboat that was recently acquired by Joshua Michael Hakken.
The Coast Guard searched the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend for the family and issued a bulletin to boaters.
Authorities were on the lookout for a 25-foot sailboat with a blue hull and white sail, according to the sheriff?s office. Called ?Salty,? the boat had a white paw print painted on the hull.
Witnesses saw Joshua Hakken stocking the boat with food and water over several days, Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman? Det. Larry McKinnon said.
NBC News' Craig Giammona contributed to this report.
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