Tragic Details About Dog The Bounty Hunter

Duane "Dog" Chapman is about as unlikely a celebrity as they come. An ex-con who shifted to the other side of the law, he began using his tracking skills to capture accused criminals who jumped bail. His success in those endeavors hit its zenith in 2003 when Chapman captured Andrew Luster — heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, who'd fled to Mexico after being convicted of rape.

The story made headlines, spurring curiosity about the flamboyant Hawaii-based bounty hunter whose bodybuilder's physique and long blonde hair made him instantly identifiable. Chapman caught the attention of A&E, which signed him to a deal and began filming his exploits for his own reality show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Debuting in 2004, the show was an out-of-the-box phenomenon, with the series premiere raking in more 3.2 million viewers to tie another reality hit, "Growing Up Gotti," as A&E's most successful new show ever. When the show ended its eight-season run in 2012, Chapman and his wife, Beth Chapman, returned in the CMT series "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt," which ran for three seasons. Next came "Dog's Most Wanted," airing just 10 episodes in 2019. 

As fans of Chapman and his various TV series well know, the success he's experienced — both on television and with capturing fugitives in real life — has been tempered with many hard times and sad situations. To find out more, read on to discover some tragic details about Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Despite the appearance of a typical middle-class upbringing in Denver, Colorado, Duane "Dog" Chapman's childhood was not nearly as bucolic as it may have appeared from the outside looking in. "As a young boy, I never knew that other kids didn't get hit by their dads," Chapman wrote in his 2008 memoir, "You Can Run But You Can't Hide." According to Chapman, as a kid, he'd assumed the beatings his father regularly doled out were a normal part of child-rearing. "I simply didn't know anything different," he added. 

These were no ordinary spankings; according to Chapman, his father used a paddle he'd created from a piece of wood flooring. His father would repeatedly strike him on his bare bottom and the backs of his thighs, leaving welts and bruises. "As a way to toughen me up," Chapman recalled. "Just thinking of the abuse I endured can make me cry," he added. 

Behind it all was a father's twisted notion that his abuse was somehow benefiting his son by making him more resilient and a young boy's desperation to earn his father's approval by sucking it up and enduring those painful beatings. "I never understood that none of his abuse was my fault," he wrote. "I just thought that was how all dads treated their sons ..."

While Duane "Dog" Chapman skyrocketed to fame by capturing criminals on "Dog the Bounty Hunter," he's also got his own criminal history. That skeleton in his closet came to the forefront in 2012, just as he was about to hop on a jet and fly to London to appear as one of the celebrities on the British version of "Big Brother" — and was denied a visa to enter the country.

The reason was his 1977 conviction on a murder charge. As Chapman told The Associated Press, it all stemmed from a 1976 incident that took place in Pampa, Texas. While waiting in a car as a friend purchased marijuana from a drug dealer, that business transaction took an unfortunate turn that led to Chapman's friend shooting and killing the dealer. Although he didn't pull the trigger, Chapman was charged with murder. "In Texas in the '70s, if you were present, you were just as guilty," he explained. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, ultimately serving just 18 months.

That criminal conviction continued to haunt him as the years passed, even though he was a far different person than he'd been more than three decades earlier. "It's something that follows you the rest of your life, no matter who you become or who you are," he said of his criminal record. "I'm not proud of it."

When Duane "Dog" Chapman was a teenager, he'd been involved in a relationship with a woman named Debbie White. What he didn't know at the time — while in prison — was that he'd fathered a child with her, Christopher. When Christopher's mother took her own life, the child was adopted by Keith and Gloria Hecht. Chapman finally learned Christopher was his son in 1994, and he reached out to Hecht to offer help with raising him.

As viewers of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" may recall, Christopher appeared on a few episodes of "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt." However, the relationship between father and son has been strained over the years due to Christopher's brushes with the law. This included a 2008 arrest in Pueblo, Colorado, on charges of assault and again in 2020. He was sentenced to three years in prison for the latter, convicted of menacing. 

According to his adoptive mother, Christopher had struggled with drugs and also had a difficult time with Chapman — something that she blamed on friction with Chapman's wife, Beth. "She did not treat Chris good [sic], and they did not like each other at all," Gloria Hecht told The Sun. She also indicated that her son's troubled behavior was his attempt to be noticed by Chapman. "He has tried everything possible to get his attention," she added. "Fighting, being nice, he tries. All he wanted was to know his father."

As of 2024, Duane "Dog" Chapman has been married six times — most recently tying the knot with Francie Frane in 2021 – and fathered 13 children. He married La Fonda Sue Darnall in 1972, and that marriage produced two sons, Duane Lee II and Leland Blane Chapman. They divorced, and in 1979, he married Anne M. Tengell. Chapman and his second wife had three children. Tragically, their first child, son Zebediah, died just 30 days after his birth. Chapman and Tengall had two more children — sons Wesley Chapman and James Robert Chapman. Ultimately, the marriage didn't survive; the couple divorced. 

Chapman went on to get married again in 1982 to Lyssa Rae Brittain, with whom he had three children: Barbara Katie, Tucker Dee, and Lyssa Rae Chapman. That union ended and was followed by a brief marriage to Tawny Marie Chapman. In 2006, Dog married the love of his life, Beth Chapman, who remained by his side throughout "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and his subsequent TV series. 

Sadly, son Zebadiah wasn't the only child that Duane "Dog" Chapman lost. In May of 2006, he was just about to exchange vows with future wife Beth when, on the night before their wedding, a tragedy occurred: his 23-year-old daughter, Barbara Katie Chapman, lost her life in a car accident, which took place near her home in Fairbanks, Alaska. 

Chapman's publicist, Mona Wood, revealed that the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star didn't learn the news until the morning of his wedding, which took place on the Hawaiian island of Kona. Unsure of how to proceed given the circumstances, Chapman discussed the situation with the minister officiating the ceremony; the consensus was to continue with the wedding as planned. The bride and groom decided not to tell guests what happened until the reception, which doubled as a celebration of his daughter's life. 

Sadly, the circumstances behind the accident were more than a little unsavory. State troopers in Alaska claimed that Chapman's daughter and a companion were driving in a stolen SUV when it went off the road, causing the crash that took both their lives. Shortly before they died, the two had attempted to book a hotel room using a stolen credit card. At the time, alcohol and/or drugs were suspected to be a factor.

As the father of 13 grown children, Duane "Dog" Chapman is also a grandfather. In 2018, he became the temporary guardian of one of his grandchildren, and the circumstances surrounding the situation were horrific. As RadarOnline reported, Star magazine obtained an audio tape that was submitted in court, in which the boy — nine-year-old Travis Mimms — is apparently being beaten, with the abuser alleged to be his father, Travis Mimms Sr. The boy — son of the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star's late daughter, Barbara Katie Chapman — can be heard crying and begging for mercy. "No more, Daddy, please," he said, captured in the audio recording.

When officials were notified, an estimated seven police cars arrived at Mimms' home. The boy was removed from his father by officers, with custody then given to his grandfather. Chapman, having similarly experienced physical abuse from his own father, was sympathetic to the situation. "I don't want to take my grandson's dad away from him," Chapman told the tabloid. "I want him [Mimms Sr.] to take parenting classes. We had to get Travis [Jr.] out of that situation." 

Chapman's wife, Beth, agreed. "This is all about protecting a little boy, not about hurting his dad," she explained. "We're doing what we have to do. We want Travis Sr. to get help."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Duane "Dog" Chapman hasn't always had the smoothest relationships with all his children — such as his strained dealings with estranged daughter Cecily Chapman. However, he's also worked with several others over the years; sons Tim Chapman and Duane Lee Chapman Jr., along with daughters Lyssa and Bonnie, are among his offspring to appear with him on "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and his other TV shows.

His relationship with Lyssa, however, has had some decidedly rough periods over the years. That was particularly evident in 2013, with the publication of her memoir, "Walking on Eggshells." Speaking with Fox News, Lyssa recalled having a highly contentious relationship with her dad when she was young, which led her to make a serious — and seriously untrue — allegation against him. "I [falsely] accused my father of raping me when I was 11," she said during an interview with Fox News. "I had been molested by a friend of his."

She and her father ultimately mended fences when she grew older, a far cry from the way they'd fought during her childhood. "But I have a great relationship with my dad, as healthy as we can be," she said, admitting she'd come to understand the challenges he faced as a parent. "He was doing the best that he could at the time."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Anyone who'd watched "Dog the Bounty Hunter" or any of Duane "Dog" Chapman's other TV shows will certainly have been struck by the affection demonstrated between the gruff skip tracer and his beloved wife, Beth. Their love story was struck a major blow in September 2017, when she received a devastating medical diagnosis: stage 2 throat cancer. 

She broke the news in a letter to friends and family that was eventually published in Us Weekly. The prognosis was not good, with Beth revealing she had a tumor at the back of her throat that was obstructing her breathing. "My doctors are suggesting immediate treatment and surgery before the disease progresses," she wrote.

In a subsequent interview with People, she was both defiant and realistic. "Cancer is a terrible, deadly disease that can take away your faith and your hope," she said. "You've got to fight it like hell." Interviewed by Fox News, she explained that she was presented with the choice of treating the cancer with radiation therapy or via surgery. She ultimately chose the latter, believing that radiation would damage the parts of her body that were still healthy. "I put my faith in the surgeon, not the radiologist," she said. 

In 2019, Duane "Dog" Chapman's worst fear came to pass when beloved wife Beth died. She was just 51 years old. He announced the sad news in a tweet, recalling how Beth would start most days by hiking up Oahu's Koko Head. "Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven," he wrote. "We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."

The day after he announced his wife's death, Chapman spoke with Hawaii News Now. "It's terrible, the most terrible time in someone's life," he said in the televised interview. "You kind of try to remember that you're celebrating life, but right now we're mourning the death, so it's not good." While Chapman knew that the end was coming, it nonetheless took him by surprise when it happened. "It came very unexpected, really fast," he told People, revealing that even right up to the end, her faith remained rock-solid. "One of the last things she said [was] 'It's a test of my faith,'" he said. "She had faith, and that was it."

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Chapman recalled the final few moments of her life, when she called him to join her in their bathroom and demanded that he look at her — really look at her. "And I did," he said. "I always saw Beth, and she said, 'Please, let me go.'" Before he could even respond, she stopped breathing.

Months after losing Beth, Duane "Dog" Chapman was struck with a health scare of his own. He began suffering chest pains at his Colorado home. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, with the initial report indicating he might require surgery for some kind of unspecified heart problem. An update cited sources claiming he may have suffered a heart attack, while a rep for the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star told TMZ, "I can confirm Dog is under doctor's care and is resting comfortably."

Chapman subsequently appeared on "Dr. Oz," where he revealed that the cause of his chest pain was a pulmonary embolism, in which an artery — or possibly arteries — had become blocked. As Chapman explained to physician/TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, he'd spent the last few years entirely focused on the health of his ailing wife and had neglected to take care of his own. 

Oz performed a full examination, which showed that Chapman had high blood pressure and he revealed one key behavioral change that would immediately improve his health: quitting smoking. "Smoking's a major driver of it," Oz said of Chapman's hypertension, while also identifying further complicating factors such as a poor diet, not getting enough sleep, and all the stress that he'd been under regarding his late wife's illness and death. "I understand that you're having it," Oz said, "but you're body's committing suicide without you realizing it."

Viewers of "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt" and its follow-up, "Dog's Most Wanted," had come to know David Robinson, who assisted Duane "Dog" Chapman on his various bounty-hunting exploits. 

Chapman faced another painful loss in 2022 when Robinson died at age 50, suffering a sudden medical issue while on a Zoom call. His estranged wife, Rainy Robinson — who'd been seen alongside him on the show — confirmed he'd died in a brief Instagram tribute. Paramedics responded to what was described as a "medical emergency" but were unable to revive him. "David was very healthy and was on a work call in our dining room at home when he collapsed ... David died in my arms," Rainy told TMZ. "I'm shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of David Robinson, my right-hand man of many years," Chapman told the outlet. "Until we meet again, brother." The cause of death was subsequently determined to be coronary artery disease.

The sad story took a litigious turn the following year, when Rainy was hit with a lawsuit by Bonnie Chapman and Cecily Barmore — the daughters of her best friend, Beth Chapman — claiming that she'd set up a memorial fund in the late star's name purporting proceeds would go to her daughters, who alleged she'd kept all the money raised for herself.

Bonnie Chapman is one of two children from Duane "Dog" Chapman's relationship with his late wife, Beth. While the father and daughter have had their issues over the years, there's no doubt that the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star was saddened to receive some terrible news when Bonnie's house burned down in 2023. Not only did she lose most of her possessions the fire also took the lives of all of her pets.

"I lost my home and most of my belongings in a devastating house fire," Bonnie told Entertainment Tonight. "What's even more heartbreaking is that I also lost my six beloved pets: Merlyn, Plum, Azriel, Nyssa, Sophie and Stokley ... I am deeply grieving their loss." All the animals — including a dog, three cats, a snake, and a gecko — perished from smoke inhalation. 

The fire was reportedly sparked by an issue surrounding the home's electrical system. According to Bonnie, she rushed into the burning house to retrieve as many valuables as she could manage. While she lost some irreplaceable family photos, she was able to rescue the most precious item in the home: her mother's ashes. "I was able to salvage my ashes that I have of my mother, and that was one of my main worries," she added.