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FBI
International
Parental Kidnapping Case
Partnerships, Publicity Key to 9-Year-Old’s Rescue
07/27/15
When 9-year-old Billy Hanson didn’t return to Pennsylvania after
spending the summer with his father in Seattle, the boy’s mother called
her local police department, setting in motion an international
kidnapping investigation that led FBI agents halfway around the world
to a tiny island in the South Pacific.
What would eventually bring the case to a successful conclusion was the
extraordinary collaboration between local, federal, and international
law enforcement and other agencies. But on that September day in 2014
when Billy was not on the flight he was supposed to be on, his mother
“was obviously very concerned,” said Special Agent Carolyn Woodbury,
who led the investigation from the FBI’s Seattle Division.
Johanna Hanson had agreed to let her son spend that July and August
living with his father, Jeff Hanson, aboard a 30-foot sailboat named
the Draco. But after Billy arrived in Washington, she began receiving
text messages from her estranged husband suggesting that Billy would
not be returning in the fall—a clear violation of their court-approved
custody agreement.
Johanna called the Hazelton Pennsylvania Police Department, who, in
turn, contacted the Port of Seattle Police Department. In August, a
welfare check was conducted, which showed that Billy and his father
were on the boat in Seattle, and all seemed to be well. A week later,
however, the airplane ticket Billy’s grandfather had purchased for his
return to the East Coast was never used—and the Draco was nowhere to be
found.
The FBI-led Seattle Safe Streets Task Force, which includes the Seattle
Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, was called for
assistance. Task force members who went to the marina and elsewhere to
conduct interviews learned that 46-year-old Jeff Hanson had given away
some of his personal belongings, that he had previously sailed the
Draco around the world, and—most significantly—that he had a six-day
head start on investigators. In other words, he was likely on the open
sea and could be headed anywhere. Investigators also learned another
troubling fact, Woodbury said: “We were told that Billy didn’t know how
to swim.”
On September 12, 2014, a federal warrant was issued for Jeff Hanson,
and Woodbury and task force members worked quickly to “get the word
out” about the kidnapping. FBI offices up and down the West Coast were
alerted, along with the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children. The Coast Guard and U.S. Navy were notified, and hourly
announcements about the kidnapping were made on maritime radio
channels. In addition, the FBI’s investigative publicity team
distributed posters online and on social media networks showing
pictures of Billy, his father, and the Draco.
“Our investigation suggested that Jeff Hanson would likely sail either
to Mexico, South America, or the South Pacific,” Woodbury said. The
FBI’s legal attaché offices—known as legats—were contacted, and in
Australia, Legat Canberra disseminated fliers and other information to
the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre, an organization of
police, customs and immigrations, and other agencies whose goal is to
gather and share intelligence to stop transnational crime in the South
Pacific. Meanwhile, news reports about Billy’s kidnapping were being
broadcast everywhere.
On October 29, 2014, Legat Canberra reported that Billy and his father
had been seen on the remote island nation of Niue, located about 1,500
miles northeast of New Zealand. The island has fewer than 1,200
residents, but a woman recognized Billy and his father from news
reports and contacted the local chief of police.
Jeff Hanson was detained on immigration charges, and FBI agents from
Seattle began the long trip to Niue, which is said to be one of the
least visited places on the planet. There are only two flights on and
off the island per week.
“The irony for Jeff Hanson,” said Woodbury, “was that he was
immediately recognized in one of the most remote places in the world.
For law enforcement,” she added, “it illustrates that collaboration and
asking for the public’s help were the absolute keys to solving this
case.” Woodbury had particular praise for the international assistance
provided by the Niue Police Department, the New Zealand Police, and New
Zealand Customs Service.
After his harrowing odyssey, Billy was reunited with his mother. “This
was no carefree adventure for him,” Woodbury explained. “It was a
traumatic experience.” Investigators learned that shortly after the
Draco left Seattle, the dinghy that carried most of the food and water
for the trip was lost at sea. By the time Billy and his father reached
Niue after 60 days aboard the Draco, the 9-year-old had lost 30 pounds.
On November 11, Jeff Hanson appeared in federal court in Seattle to
face international kidnapping charges. He pled guilty in March 2015 and
was sentenced last week to time served, which was about seven months in
prison. As for the Draco, which was Hanson’s residence, it remains in
Niue in dry dock—some 5,500 miles from Seattle—accumulating dock fees.
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