Search Continues For 2 Boys Abducted From Carrollwood Area

New details are emerging the case of the two boys kidnapped from their grandmother's home by their father on Wednesday morning, although exactly where the boys may be is unclear.

But what is clear is that law enforcement is aggressively pursuing the whereabouts of Cole Hakken, 4, and Chase Hakken, 2.

Read all stories and information related to the abduction

Officials in Tennessee issued a statewide Amber Alert after receiving reports that the vehicle the Hakkens are traveling in may have been spotted.

"The vehicle may have been seen in the area of Highway 30 and Highway 411 in Etowah, Tennessee last night around 8 p.m.," according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations website.

On Wednesday, their father Joshua Hakken, 35, broke into his mother-in-law's Lake Magdalene home, tied her up and fled with his two sons. Authorities have been on a manhunt since looking for the family. 

The FBI is among the many agencies assisting the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on the case.

"We're working 24 hours a day," said Col. Donna Lusczynski with Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Criminal Investigations Division during a press conference on Thursday, April 4. "These children are a priority and their safety."

FBI Special Agent David Couvertier joined Lusczynski in addressing the media.

"Our only message to anyone who has information is to contact law enforcement," Couvertier said. "Our hope is to reconstitute the family together."

It was around 6:30 a.m. April 3 when Hakken broke into his mother-in-law, Patricia Hauser's home at 14040 Shady Shores Drive in the Lake Magdalene area of Carrollwood. He tied her up with zip ties and fled with his two sons in Hauser's 2009 silver Toyota Camry, according to a sheriff’s office media release.

Hauser's Toyota was later found. And deputies say it’s possible the children are now being transported in a black 2006 GMC pickup truck registered to Joshua Hakken. The pickup has the Florida tag number of U95KT.

Patricia Hauser and her husband had been scheduled to address the media on Thursday, but later declined.

"They felt after discussions with us it wasn't right at this stage," Lusczynski said.

Hakken's parental rights had been taken away by a Louisina court earlier this week after he'd been arrested and charged drug possession, and then tried to abduct his children from a foster home by gunpoint.

After the failed abduction, Cole and Chase were placed in the custody of their maternal grandmother in Tampa.

It is unclear whether Hakken's wife, Sharyn Hakken, had anything to do with the most recent kidnapping.

"She was not there at the incident scene," Lusczynski said.

Law enforcement has received tips from various states. Amber Alerts for the boys have been issued and billboards placed in states across the Southwest and Southeast region of the U.S., Lusczynski said.

It is unclear exactly why the Hakkens utlimately lost custody. The couple had been described as "anti-government." The FBI keeps track of anti-government sentiment organizations across the U.S. who could pose a threat. However, Couvertier said it was not the Hakken's anti-government beliefs that make them concerned for the safety of the children.

"Individual beliefs are a part of our constitution," he said. "It was the matter in which the kids were taken."

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 children is asked to call 911 or the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.

Complete Coverage:

• Carrollwood Amber Alert Details Emerge
• Amber Alert Issued for Brothers Abducted from Carrollwood Area
• ‘Anti-Government’ Parents Abduct Children from Lake Magdalene Home