FBI investigating disappearance of ‘Survivor: China’ star Jaime Dugan and her 16-year-old son after she failed to return him to his father: report

The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a former “Survivor” contestant and her 16-year-old son – with the teen’s concerned father pleading for his safe return, according to a report.

“Survivor: China” contestant Jaime Dugan, 41, disappeared with her son, Harper Huffman, after failing to return him to his father following a visit over the weekend of Aug. 30, the Daily Mail reported.

The FBI has opened an investigation into the fate of the two men, the outlet reported.

The Post has contacted the FBI for comment.

In a September 21 order obtained by the Daily Mail, Spartanburg County Family Court Judge M. Todd Thigpen found Dugan in direct contempt after she alienated Harper from her father and missed subsequent court dates.

The 16-year-old girl is considered “missing and endangered,” and the judge requested her “immediate arrest,” authorizing police across the state to take her into custody, according to the order.

As the search continues, Harper’s father, Erik Huffman, said he “fears” for his son’s “safety.”

“Harper’s safety and well-being are my top priority at this time, and bringing him back safely is extremely important,” he told the Daily Mail.

Huffman said that since Harper was placed in his care, the two have had “a really good relationship.”

“He was really thriving and had a very stable life with me. I hate that he was taken away.”

Huffman, 45, and Dugan, who grew up just 25 miles from each other in South Carolina, didn’t meet until they competed on “Survivor: China,” the reality show’s 15th season, in 2007.

They quickly became friends and sweethearts on the show — even though they didn’t win — and married in 2009 in an $80,000 dream wedding they won thanks to the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The couple resettled in their home country and welcomed Harper in 2010.

After the show, Huffman built a career as a medical assistant, while Dugan gained more than 70,000 followers on social media as an influencer under the username “Charleston Blonde.”

What seemed like a fairytale ending fell apart when the couple then went through a messy public divorce in 2024.

Huffman won custody of Harper during the couple’s divorce trial, which lasted eight days, with Dugan receiving visitation every other weekend.

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 wanted Harper to have a relationship with her mother,” he told the Daily Mail.

However, her only priority now is to get her son back.

“I’m really concerned about his mental stability and his safety. I feel like I’ve been working night and day on this,” he said.

“I’ve been doing my own investigation to try to get answers, driving across South Carolina and speaking with various law enforcement agencies. It’s been a logistical nightmare. It’s been stressful and difficult. I’m very worried about my son.”

After Dugan never fired Harper in August, an emergency hearing was held on September 15, which she joined remotely although the judge did not allow her to do so, the outlet reported.

During the hearing, the judge ordered Dugan to reveal where she and Harper were, but she refused.

The judge then ordered him to appear in person with Harper in court on September 18, but neither showed up.

The court ruled that his absence was voluntary and ordered his arrest, according to the Daily Mail.

The judge found her in contempt, suspended her visitation, awarded Huffman sole custody and ordered her to surrender Harper’s passport after she missed the hearing and ordered her to be jailed at the Spartanburg County Detention Center once arrested.

The order also outlines the allegations that fueled the couple’s initial custody dispute.

Dugan had accused Huffman of physical abuse and Harper’s paternal grandmother of sexual abuse, reporting both to multiple law enforcement agencies and the Department of Human Services – but had refused to cooperate or make Harper available when investigators sought to question him, according to the order obtained by the Daily Mail.

The judge found the allegations baseless and ruled they were no excuse for defying custody orders, saying if Dugan feared for Harper, she had other legal options than hiding it.

Huffman denied the allegations, calling them “egregious and hurtful,” the Daily Mail reported.

Dugan’s legal troubles don’t end there. She faced a 2025 cyberstalking charge in Moore County, North Carolina, accused of repeatedly sending spam messages to one of Huffman’s friends, the outlet reported. The charge was later dropped.

Weeks after the divorce was finalized, she filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in South Carolina federal court, reporting debts exceeding $509,000, according to the Daily Mail.

Jonathan Lewis, the attorney who represented Dugan in her divorce, told the outlet that she is “considered innocent if or until proven guilty of a criminal offense, or responsible for a civil offense, following an appropriate proceeding in a court of law.”

“I join in prayers for Harper’s safe return and that this matter is resolved quickly and decisively in Harper’s best interest,” Lewis said.