Authorities continued to investigate the death of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter's commanding officer, whose body was found Sunday in his cabin on board the ship while in its homeport of Kittery.

According to a release issued this afternoon, the cause of Cmdr. Keith Willis death remains unknown. His body was found in the officer's cabin on board the cutter Tahoma around 10 a.m. Sunday. His body was taken ashore Sunday night and brought to a local funeral home, to be transported to the state medical examiner's office in Augusta for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Coast Guard Investigative Service are investigating.

Willis, 44, leaves behind a wife and two children. He was a native of Frisco, N.C., and had assumed command of the Tahoma in May 2007. The Tahoma is home ported at the U.S. Naval Shipyard Portsmouth in Kittery, and was most recently deployed off the New England coast where it conducted various law enforcement and marine safety missions until returning to port Jan. 28, according to this afternoon's statement.

An honor guard of 12 brought Willis' body ashore Sunday, according to the Coast Guard statement.

"The honor guard was made up of members of the ship's crew, including the executive officer, Cmdr. Greg Stanclik," said Capt. John Davis, chief of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area cutter forces staff in Portsmouth, Va. "Commander Stanclik has temporarily assumed command of the cutter until a permanent relief can be assigned."

"The thoughts and prayers of the entire crew are with Commander Willis' family. This has been difficult for everyone, but being able to pipe the skipper ashore under appropriate military honors last night meant a lot to everyone."

Before his assignment on the Tahoma, Willis most recently served as the Coast Guard liaison officer to Commander, U.S. Navy Second Fleet, after having served as the assistant Coast Guard liaison officer at U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Joint Forces Command from August 2004 through August 2006.  He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., in 1989 with a bachelor of science in government.