This morning Joshua and Sharyn Hakken sit in separate jail cells, secluded fromother inmates, waiting for their first court appearance where they will facecharges of kidnapping and child neglect. Their sons, the little boys at thecenter of what became an international custody battle are now back at home withtheir grandparents after a five-day, 318-mile trip aboard this boat, “The SaltyPaw”, which their parents purchased before heading from Tampa to Cuba last weekWednesday. 

 

“We wereconducting searches both on land and sea. ”

 

Now police say the crucial tip that led them to the family and this Cubanmarina came from the person who sold them that 25-foot boat.

 

“Just shocking!”

 

Overnight, Sharyn Hakken’s former boss spoke to ABC News, saying the woman heknew was a good mother who quit her job to spend more time with her son. 

 

“She was avery normal, very mild-mannered, kind of laid-back person dedicated to her kidsand family. ”

 

That’s a far cry from the picture investigators now paint of Hakken and herhusband.

 

“They areunder the state custody. He’s not supposed to be near them. ”

 

They said the couple tied up the boy’s grandmother who had legal custody justtwo hours before taking off with the children. Police say the couple who wereboth engineers lost custody of their sons in June after they were found in a Louisiana hotel roomwith drugs and guns, allegedly telling police they were travelling across thecountry to “take a journey to the Armageddon.” 

 

The couple now faces life in prison and that boat，well, it’s still in Cuba. Cuban authorities reportedly found gunsonboard, including an assault soar rifle.