The FBI is investigating the disappearance of former “Survivor” contestant Jaime Dugan and her 16-year-old son, as the boy’s father makes an urgent appeal for his safe return, according to a report.
Dugan, 41, who appeared on “Survivor: China,” reportedly disappeared 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 opened an investigation into the whereabouts of Dugan and Harper, according to the outlet.
The Post has contacted the FBI for comment.
In a Sept. 21 order obtained by the Daily Mail, Spartanburg County Family Court Judge M. Todd Thigpen found Dugan in direct contempt of court after she allegedly kept Harper from his father and failed to appear at subsequent hearings.
The teenager has been classified as “missing and endangered.” The judge also ordered Dugan’s “immediate arrest,” authorizing law enforcement agencies across South Carolina to take her into custody, according to the court document.
With the search ongoing, Harper’s father, Erik Huffman, said he is deeply worried about his son’s “safety.”
“Harper’s safety and wellbeing is my top priority right now, and getting him back safely is extremely important,” Huffman told the Daily Mail.
Huffman said he and Harper had developed a close bond since the boy came to live in his care.
“He was really coming into his own and had a very stable life with me. I hate that he’s been ripped away,” he said.
Huffman, 45, and Dugan both grew up in South Carolina, only about 25 miles apart, but did not meet until they were cast on “Survivor: China,” the reality show’s 15th season, in 2007.
The two quickly connected and became known as the season’s sweethearts. Although neither won the competition, they married in 2009 after winning an $80,000 dream wedding through the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
They returned to South Carolina, where they later welcomed Harper in 2010.
Following the show, Huffman pursued a career as a physician assistant. Dugan, meanwhile, built a social media audience of more than 70,000 as the influencer behind the username “Charleston Blonde.”
Their seemingly picture-perfect story unraveled during a contentious and highly publicized divorce in 2024.
After an eight-day divorce trial, Huffman was granted custody of Harper, while Dugan received visitation every other weekend.
Despite the split, Huffman said he had always hoped Harper could maintain a relationship with his mother.
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“Throughout my separation and divorce, I’ve desired for Harper to have a relationship with his mother,” he told the Daily Mail.
For now, however, he said his sole focus is bringing his son home.
“I truly am concerned about her mental stability, and his safety. I feel like I’ve been working night and day on this,” Huffman 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.
