by WILL FOLKS
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Federal authorities are reportedly involved in the search for a missing South Carolina teenager whose parents are at the heart of a bitter, high-profile custody battle.
Our media outlet first reported on the saga of 16-year-old Harper Huffman yesterday, although details regarding the case were limited given the (ongoing) lack of official confirmation from state or federal law enforcement.
And the secretive nature of the Palmetto State’s family court system…
According to reporting by The (U.K.) Daily Mail, however, Huffman’s mother – former reality television star and prominent South Carolina social media influencer Jaime Dugan – is wanted for allegedly kidnapping her son on or about August 30, 2026.
The publication cited a September 21, 2026 court order from South Carolina family court judge Todd Thigpen which classified Huffman as “missing and endangered” and sought Dugan’s “immediate arrest” in connection with his disappearance.
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FITSNews has not independently obtained a copy of Thigpen’s purported order. We previously attempted to obtain court records related to Dugan’s case, but were told they had been sealed.
Online records reflect the case as being sealed, as well, which will no doubt revive an ongoing debate in the Palmetto State over public access to family court files.
In the meantime, it appears as though federal law enforcement assets have been engaged in an effort to locate Huffman and his mother – who have reportedly not been seen for more than five weeks.
Dugan and Huffman were last seen together on August 30 in Cayce, S.C. – a city of approximately 13,500 people located across the Congaree River from the state capital of Columbia. Per the Mail report, the teenager was scheduled to be returned on that date to the custody of his father, Erik Huffman – Dugan’s ex-husband and former co-star on the Survivor reality television program.
Dugan and Erik Huffman have been embroiled in a contentious separation and custody dispute, which was reportedly resolved earlier this year in his favor following an eight-day trial.
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“Harper’s safety and wellbeing is my top priority right now, and getting him back is safely is extremely important,” Erik Huffman told the Mail.
Huffman added that he fears for his son’s safety and is “concerned about (Dugan)’s mental stability.”
As we previously reported, Dugan and Huffman’s breakup was exceedingly contentious – and widely publicized. It included allegations of domestic violence leveled against Huffman in the spring of 2024 following a disturbance call in Spartanburg, S.C. Dugan subsequently accused Huffman of infidelity and spousal rape in a voluminous affidavit submitted in connection with their divorce.
“She laid out a really good case for abuse against him even though there was no proof,” a source familiar with the situation told FITSNews.
We reached out to Dugan seeking comment over the weekend but have not received a reply. An attorney representing her told the Mail she was “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.”
Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised of any new developments in this case…
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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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1 comment
“… social media influencer … and former reality television star…” AKA “self important attention whore”. What are the odds that she’ll soon come out as having hidden her son to protect him from the ex-husband?