Dog the Bounty Hunter Is Tracking Brian Laundrie and a New Reality TV Series at the Same Time
Duane Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, was made famous by his television show Dog the Bounty Hunter on A&E. That series ended in 2012 after eight seasons. Still, he’s popped in and out of the news in recent years. A 2019 attempt at a new show was scrapped, but Dog isn’t ready to walk away from television just yet. According to recent reports, the famed bounty hunter is tracking down Brian Laundrie while still hunting for a new reality TV show. The search for Laundrie could potentially be covered on the show, too.
Duane Chapman started searching for Brian Laundrie in late September
Chapman began searching for Laundrie in late September. While on his honeymoon, the famed bounty hunter stopped by the North Port, Florida, home of Laundrie’s family. From there, he began investigating the fugitive’s whereabouts. He has actively spoken about the case on social media and several news programs. Chapman said he believes Laundrie may be on the Appalachian trail and not inside the nature preserve that FBI agents have spent the better part of two weeks searching.
Laundrie, 23, is considered a person of interest in the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito, 22. Laundrie and Petito left Petito’s family home in New York in July for a cross-country road trip. Petito’s family was unable to reach her for several days and reported her missing on September 11. Laundrie reportedly returned to his family home in Florida two months early and without Petito on September 1. Petito was found dead near a campsite at the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Petito and Laundrie shared their travels on social media. They began dating in 2019.
Dog the Bounty Hunter is looking to revitalize his reality TV career while searching for the fugitive
While Chapman believes he’s hot on the trail of the 23-year-old fugitive, he’s also hunting down a new reality TV show. According to Variety, Chapman is working with a production company to pitch a new show to various networks. According to the publication, the show would potentially follow Dog’s day-to-day life, including what he does when on the job. While neither Chapman nor the media company has confirmed it, Variety believes Dog’s search for Laundrie could be featured on an upcoming show, depending on how the investigation unravels. He has been recording much of the search.
Chapman has kept followers informed of what is going on while he searches for Laundrie on the ground in Florida. He has been regularly posting videos to Instagram since getting involved in the investigation. The Laundrie family reportedly called the police when Chapman knocked on their North Port door and refused to speak with the bounty hunter. He has seemingly not had contact with them since.
Dog claims his tipline is lighting up about Brian Laundrie
Dog isn’t tracking the potential whereabouts of the fugitive alone. The bounty hunter has not been shy about his progress since he joined the search. He has plenty of interested parties to keep informed, too. The social media world and true crime aficionados were gripped by the case long before Chapman joined the search. It looks like they might be sharing information. Chapman claims that his tipline is lighting up with information about Laundrie. However, he has made it clear that he isn’t sharing that information with the police. He also is not aware of the leads that the FBI is getting about the missing hiker.
According to The New York Post, Chapman said he doesn’t tell the police what he is doing. He said they don’t tell him what they are doing, either. In short, he is not working with the police or the FBI on the search. The police have not commented on Chapman’s involvement.
