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Former ‘Survivor’ star faces arrest, FBI probe after vanishing with son following nasty divorce — as dad pleads for son’s safe return: report

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Cite

Pollina, R. (2026, October 5). Former ‘Survivor’ star faces arrest, FBI probe after vanishing with son following nasty divorce — as dad pleads for son’s safe return: report. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/05/us-news/fbi-investigating-disappearance-of-survivor-china-star-jaime-dugan-and-16-year-old-son-after-she-failed-to-return-him-to-his-father-report/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-05 · by Richard Pollina

Quick Summary

Jaime Dugan, a contestant from "Survivor: China," is facing arrest after failing to return her son Harper Huffman to his father following a visit on August 30, as ordered by the court. The FBI is investigating their whereabouts, and Judge M. Todd Thigpen of Spartanburg County Family Court has issued an order for Dugan's immediate arrest due to her contempt of court. Harper’s father Erik Huffman fears for his son’s safety and prioritizes getting him back safely, stating he wants a relationship between Harper and his mother but is now focused solely on the boy’s wellbeing.
Written by AI on 2026-10-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Jaime Dugan, a former Survivor contestant from the season "China," faces arrest and an FBI investigation after failing to return her 16-year-old son Harper Huffman to his father, Erik Huffman, following a custody exchange on August 30. The couple met during their time on the show in 2007 and married two years later but divorced this year amid a bitter dispute that led to a judge granting Erik full custody of Harper. On September 21, Spartanburg County Family Court Judge M. Todd Thigpen ordered Dugan's "immediate arrest" after she failed to return Harper as mandated by the court and missed further hearings.

Dugan has since denied being on the run, stating her phone is active, but she claims Harper fears returning to his father’s care. She handed the phone to Harper, who said he was happy and safe. The case has garnered significant attention in South Carolina and online, with a Facebook page called "Hope for Harper" set up to appeal for information on their whereabouts.

The FBI's involvement underscores growing concerns about Harper's safety, prompting authorities and the public to remain vigilant.

Written for “Survivor Star Wanted By FBI” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Survivor Star Wanted By FBI
Crime & Law · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Independent
Hedges 3 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
36
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
4 of 36 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15592 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Richard Pollina
27 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Richard Pollina
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 27 articles by Richard Pollina →

Topics

Carolina FBI Post Spartanburg County Family Court the Daily Mail

Subjects

Harper PERSON · 14× Dugan PERSON · 9× Huffman PERSON · 6× the Daily Mail ORG · 6× FBI ORG · 2× Harper Huffman PERSON · 1× Jaime Dugan PERSON · 1× M. Todd Thigpen PERSON · 1× Post ORG · 1× Spartanburg County Family Court ORG · 1×

Narrative

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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-05
🔮 The court found her absence was willful and ordered her arrest, according to the Daily Mail.

Claims (36 extracted, 4 hedged)

“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. asserted
Mail → vanish → Aug.
The FBI has an open investigation into the pair’s whereabouts, the outlet reported. asserted
outlet → have → whereabouts
The Post has reached out to the FBI for comment. asserted
Post → reach → 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. asserted
she → obtain → 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. uncertain
judge → consider → order
As the search continues, Harper’s father, Erik Huffman, said he does “fear” for his son’s “safety.” asserted
he → continue → 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. asserted
he → get → Mail
Huffman said that since Harper came into his care, the two have had “such a good relationship.” asserted
two → say → relationship
“He was really coming into his own and had a very stable life with me. asserted
He → come → me
I hate that he’s been ripped away.” asserted
he → hate → ?
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. asserted
they → grow → 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. asserted
they → bond → Bureau
The pair settled back in their home state and welcomed Harper in 2010. asserted
pair → settle → 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. asserted
Dugan → build → username
Huffman was awarded custody of Harper in the couple’s eight-day divorce trial, with Dugan getting every-other-weekend visits. asserted
Dugan → award → visits
The concerned father said that despite everything, he always wanted his son to have a relationship with his mother. asserted
son → say → mother
“Throughout my separation and divorce, I’ve desired for Harper to have a relationship with his mother,” he told the Daily Mail. asserted
he → desire → Mail
However, now his only priority is getting his son back. asserted
priority → get → son
I feel like I’ve been working night and day on this,” he said. asserted
he → feel → this
“I’ve made it my own investigation to try to get answers, driving across South Carolina, speaking to various law enforcement. asserted
it → make → enforcement
I’m very worried about my son. asserted
I → ’m → 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. asserted
outlet → return → judge
During the hearing, the judge ordered Dugan to reveal her and Harper’s whereabouts, but she refused. asserted
she → order → whereabouts
The judge then ordered her to appear in person with Harper at court on Sept. 18, but neither showed up. asserted
neither → order → Sept.
Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. asserted
Report → start → news
The court found her absence was willful and ordered her arrest, according to the Daily Mail. uncertain
absence → find → 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. asserted
her → find → Center
The order also lays out the allegations that fueled the couple’s original custody fight. asserted
that → lay → 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. uncertain
investigators → accuse → 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. asserted
she → deem → him
Huffman has denied the allegations, calling them “egregious and hurtful,” the Daily Mail reported. asserted
Mail → deny → them
Dugan’s legal woes don’t end there. asserted
woes → end → ?
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. asserted
outlet → face → friends
The charge was later dropped. asserted
charge → drop → ?
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. uncertain
she → finalize → 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. asserted
Lewis → represent → Harper
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