by WILL FOLKS
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The mother of a purportedly missing South Carolina teenager is pushing back against allegations that she kidnapped her son, claiming her former husband has repeatedly threatened her life – and that one of his relatives sexually abused the teen while in his custody.
Jaime Dugan, 41, former star of the Survivor reality television franchise, is challenging reporting in The (U.K.) Daily Mail and The New York Post which claimed she was “wanted” and “facing arrest” by federal authorities in connection with the reported disappearance of her son, 16-year-old Harper Huffman.
“Obviously I’m not on the run,” Dugan told FITSNews. “Who on the run keeps their cell phone on? And the police can trace a cell in five seconds.”
Both the Mail and the Post reported Dugan was the focus of an ongoing Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation related to Harper Huffman’s purported disappearance on August 30, 2026.
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Dugan says she’s not on the run, did not kidnap her son and is not the focus of any criminal proceedings.
According to the prominent Palmetto State social media influencer, she’s being targeted in the media because she reported alleged abuse at the hands of her former husband (Harper Huffman’s father), Erik Huffman.
Dugan also indicated Harper Huffman reported alleged sexual abuse at the hands of his paternal grandmother, Denise Huffman, two days prior to his alleged disappearance.
According to an incident report obtained by FITSNews – and posted by Dugan to her Instagram page – her son told a Beaufort, S.C. police officer he was “sexually assaulted by his paternal grandmother while he was staying with his father in Greenville, S.C. on August 28th, 2026.”
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Two days later, Denise Huffman reportedly appeared in Cayce, S.C. to take custody of her grandson on Erik Huffman’s behalf, according to a police report obtained by FITSNews. Officers declined to force Harper Huffman to leave with his grandmother at this exchange because no documentation of any court order governing his custody was provided to them, per the report.
Dugan also provided FITSNews with a voicemail she stated contained a threat against her life made by her ex-husband, who was her former Survivor co-star.
Take a listen…
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? Just interviewed Jaime Dugan and her son, 16-year-old Harper Huffman, about reports in @DailyMail and @NYPost that Dugan allegedly abducted Huffman. Stay tuned for that report… In the meantime, Dugan provided us with audio of an alleged threat against her life she says came from her former husband (and Harper Huffman’s father), Erik Huffman. Warning, the language is graphic…
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) October 5, 2026
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Dugan declined to provide details as to her whereabouts, citing the alleged threats from Erik Huffman.
“I’m not disclosing my location while he’s threatening to kill me,” Dugan told us.
During our conversation with Dugan, FITSNews was briefly permitted to speak with a young man who identified himself as Harper Huffman.
“I’m finally happy and safe again,” the young man told us. “I don’t want to go back to my dad.”
Both the Mail and the Post cited a September 21, 2026 court order from South Carolina family court judge Todd Thigpen which classified Harper Huffman as “missing and endangered” and sought Dugan’s “immediate arrest” in connection with his disappearance.
FITSNews has not independently obtained a copy of Thigpen’s purported order. We previously attempted to obtain a copy – and other court records related to Dugan’s case – but those files are sealed.
As for the court paperwork cited by the Mail and Post, Dugan insisted she was never served in advance of the hearing that yielded the order against her – and that an attorney who was representing her in another matter improperly accepted service on her behalf.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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