By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-05 06:50:06 | Updated at 2026-10-05 07:43:04
58 minutes ago
The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a former “Survivor” contestant and her 16-year-old son — with the teen’s worried father pleading for his safe return, according to a report.
“Survivor: China” contestant Jaime Dugan, 41, vanished with her son, Harper Huffman, after failing to return him to his father following a weekend visit on Aug. 30, the Daily Mail reported.
The FBI has an open investigation into the pair’s whereabouts, the outlet reported.
The Post has reached out to the FBI for comment.
In a Sept. 21 order obtained by the Daily Mail, Spartanburg County Family Court Judge M. Todd Thigpen held Dugan in direct contempt after she kept Harper from his father and missed later court dates.
The 16-year-old is considered “missing and endangered,” and the judge called for Dugan’s “immediate arrest,” clearing police statewide to take her into custody, according to the order.
As the search continues, Harper’s father, Erik Huffman, said he does “fear” for his son’s “safety.”
“Harper’s safety and wellbeing is my top priority right now, and getting him back safely is extremely important,” he told the Daily Mail.
Huffman said that since Harper came into his care, the two have had “such a good relationship.”
“He was really coming into his own and had a very stable life with me. I hate that he’s been ripped away.”
Huffman, 45, and Dugan, who grew up just 25 miles apart in South Carolina, didn’t meet until they competed on “Survivor: China,” the reality show’s 15th season, in 2007.
They quickly bonded and became the show’s sweethearts — though neither won — and tied the knot in 2009 in an $80,000 dream wedding they won courtesy of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The pair settled back in their home state and welcomed Harper in 2010.
After the show, Huffman built a career as a physician assistant, while Dugan grew a following of more than 70,000 across social media as an influencer under the username “Charleston Blonde.“
What seemed like a fairytale ending came crashing down when the couple then went through a messy public divorce in 2024.
Huffman was awarded custody of Harper in the couple’s eight-day divorce trial, with Dugan getting every-other-weekend visits.
The concerned father said that despite everything, he always wanted his son to have a relationship with his mother.
“Throughout my separation and divorce, I’ve desired for Harper to have a relationship with his mother,” he told the Daily Mail.
However, now his only priority is getting his son back.
“I truly am concerned about her mental stability, and his safety. I feel like I’ve been working night and day on this,” he said.
“I’ve made it my own investigation to try to get answers, driving across South Carolina, speaking to various law enforcement. It’s been a logistical nightmare. It’s been stressful and it’s been tough. I’m very worried about my son.”
After Dugan never returned Harper in August, an emergency court hearing happened on Sept. 15, where she joined remotely despite not being granted to do so by the judge, the outlet reported.
During the hearing, the judge ordered Dugan to reveal her and Harper’s whereabouts, but she refused.
The judge then ordered her to appear in person with Harper at court on Sept. 18, but neither showed up.
The court found her absence was willful and ordered her arrest, according to the Daily Mail.
The judge found her in contempt, suspended her visitation, gave Huffman sole custody and ordered her to surrender Harper’s passport after missing the hearing and ordered her to be jailed at the Spartanburg County Detention Center once arrested.
The order also lays out the allegations that fueled the couple’s original custody fight.
Dugan had accused Huffman of physical abuse and Harper’s paternal grandmother of sexual abuse, reporting both to several law enforcement agencies and the Department of Social Services — but refused to cooperate or make Harper available when investigators sought to interview him, according to the order obtained by the Daily Mail.
The judge deemed the allegations unfounded and ruled they were no excuse for defying custody orders, saying that if Dugan feared for Harper, she had legal options besides hiding him.
Huffman has denied the allegations, calling them “egregious and hurtful,” the Daily Mail reported.
Dugan’s legal woes don’t end there. She faced a 2025 cyberstalking charge in Moore County, North Carolina, accused of repeatedly sending unwanted messages to one of Huffman’s friends, the outlet reported. The charge was later dropped.
Weeks after the divorce was finalized, she sought Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in South Carolina federal court, reporting debts topping $509,000, according to the Daily Mail.
Jonathan Lewis, the attorney who represented Dugan during her divorce, told the outlet that she is “considered innocent if or until she is proven guilty of a criminal offense, or liable of a civil offense, following proper proceedings in a court of law.”
“I join in praying for Harper’s safe return and that this matter will quickly and decisively resolve itself in the best interests of Harper,” Lewis said.
