FBI reportedly investigating Survivor alum Jaime Dugan and son Harper after custody order defied

Mixed · 2Jaime Dugan, a former "Survivor: China" contestant, is accused of failing to return her 16-year-old son, Harper Huffman, to his father, Erik Huffman, after a weekend visit on Aug. 30. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Daily Mail reported that the FBI has an open investigation into their whereabouts. The New York Post and The Independent both relay this report. The Post said it had asked the FBI for comment. 1 2 Left · 1An FBI spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly the bureau does not comment on whether an investigation exists. The spokesperson said anyone who sees Dugan should contact local authorities or 911. 2

Mixed · 2In a Sept. 21 order obtained by the Daily Mail, Spartanburg County Family Court Judge M. Todd Thigpen held Dugan in direct contempt for keeping Harper from his father and missing later court dates. The order authorized her "immediate arrest" and called Harper "missing and endangered". 1 2 Right · 1According to the Post's account of the Daily Mail report, Dugan joined an emergency hearing on Sept. 15 remotely without the judge's permission and refused to disclose where she and Harper were. She then failed to appear in person with Harper on Sept. 18. The court found her absence willful, suspended her visitation, gave Huffman sole custody, and ordered her to surrender Harper's passport and be jailed at the Spartanburg County Detention Center once arrested. 1 Right · 1The order also recounts that Dugan had accused Huffman of physical abuse and Harper's paternal grandmother of sexual abuse, reporting both to law enforcement and the Department of Social Services. According to the order, she did not cooperate or make Harper available for investigators' interviews. The judge deemed the allegations unfounded and said they were no excuse for defying custody orders. Huffman denies them, calling them "egregious and hurtful". 1

Left · 1Dugan told the Daily Mail, "I am absolutely not on the run," and said the FBI has not contacted her and that Harper has done wellness checks with four officers. She has posted updates on her Instagram account, including that Harper has a cellphone and can contact his father. 2 Mixed · 2Huffman, 45, said he fears for his son's safety and is concerned about Dugan's "mental stability". He added that he has always wanted Harper to have a relationship with his mother. An Instagram account set up to find Harper says the boy was last seen Aug. 30, has autism spectrum disorder, and that Huffman has primary custody. 1 2 Mixed · 2Dugan and Huffman met on "Survivor: China" in 2007, married in 2009 and had Harper in 2010. After a public divorce in 2024, Huffman was awarded custody, with Dugan getting every-other-weekend visits. The Post, citing the Daily Mail, also reports that a 2025 cyberstalking charge against Dugan in Moore County, North Carolina, was later dropped. It adds that she sought Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection after the divorce, reporting debts above $509,000. 1 2

Mixed · 2Dugan's divorce attorney, Jonathan Lewis, said she is considered innocent until proven guilty and joined in praying for Harper's safe return. Both outlets rely largely on the Daily Mail, and Harper's whereabouts remain unreported. 1 2