The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a former “Survivor” contestant and her 16-year-old son, while the teenager’s concerned father is urgently appealing for his safe return, according to a report.
Jaime Dugan, 41, who appeared on “Survivor: China,” disappeared with her son, Harper Huffman, after she failed 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 withheld Harper from his father and failed to appear at subsequent court hearings.
The judge classified Harper as “missing and endangered” and ordered Dugan’s “immediate arrest,” allowing police across South Carolina to take her into custody, according to the court order.
As authorities continue searching, 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,” he told the Daily Mail.
Huffman said he and Harper have shared “such a good relationship” since the teenager 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, just 25 miles apart, but did not meet until they competed on “Survivor: China,” the reality series’ 15th season, in 2007.
The two quickly connected and became the show’s sweethearts. Although neither contestant won, they married in 2009 after receiving an $80,000 dream wedding from the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The couple returned to their home state, where they welcomed Harper in 2010.
Following the show, Huffman established a career as a physician assistant. Dugan, meanwhile, built a social media audience of more than 70,000 followers as an influencer using the name “Charleston Blonde.”
Their seemingly fairytale story unraveled years later, ending in a highly publicized divorce in 2024.
After an eight-day divorce trial, Huffman was awarded custody of Harper, while Dugan received visitation every other weekend.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Huffman said he had always wanted Harper to 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.
But with his son now missing, Huffman said his sole focus is bringing him home.
“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.
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