Why Dog The Bounty Hunter Is Ending His Search For Brian Laundrie

When Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, joined the search for fugitive Brian Laundrie, most people were understandably confused. As People reported at the time, the eccentric reality star lent his skills to the ongoing FBI manhunt after, according to Chapman, being encouraged to do so by an untold amount of fans. 

He even showed up at Laundrie's parents' house in Florida, telling Fox News that his reasoning was simple. "I carry a reputation with me," he said. "The reputation is, 'He gives you a second chance. He's gonna get you, but he gives you a second chance.'"

The self-styled bounty hunter has been, by his own estimation, doing this kind of thing for the past four decades. Chapman suggested in a 2020 interview with The New York Times that he'd captured around 10,000 fugitives to date. 

Laundrie would be one of his biggest gets ever. The travel influencer has been missing since Sept. 17, 2021, and is wanted in connection with the death of his fiancé, Gabby Petito, whose body was found on Sept. 19 (via NBC). Laundrie is believed to have gone on a hike on Sept. 14, and authorities — as well as Chapman — have been searching for him throughout Florida.

However, it seems that Chapman is giving up the hunt, at least for the time being.

According to TMZ, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman is leaving Florida without Brian Laundrie because the reality star hurt his ankle while tackling some rough terrain. Chapman wants to go to his normal doctor in Colorado, so he's traveling back there for treatment. For the time being, his search for missing person-of-interest Laundrie, fiancé of the slain Gabby Petito, must be put on hold. 

However, Chapman hasn't fully given up and continues to raise funds for the team he's putting together to mount the search. Florida locals will be serving as his eyes and ears while Chapman recuperates at home. Dog the Bounty Hunter previously claimed to be hot on Laundrie's trail but has yet to produce any evidence as such. 

Likewise, it's also been widely suggested that the former reality star is eyeing a return to TV, but, until he can walk again, those plans are on hold, too. Chapman's daughter Cecily reckons he's only getting involved in the Laundrie case in a desperate bid to stay relevant, but the man himself told the Daily Mail that he'd already received "thousands of tips." He said: "I can't tell you more, but we are getting leads every ten minutes."

If nothing else, Chapman's other daughter, Lyssa, believes he'll eventually catch Laundrie. She tweeted: "Not giving up. It's common that we (include you all) put so much heat on a fugitive they dig down, he will pop up again. Bait is set."

Social media is convinced Brian Laundrie is, if not directly responsible for Gabby Petito's death, then at least involved in it somehow, and Dog the Bounty Hunter is doing nothing to assuage those fears. In an interview with The Sun, the man born Duane Chapman revealed he had discovered "terrifying" information on Laundrie's Facebook page that's led him to believe the young hiker might even be a "serial killer." According to the reality star, Laundrie's account is loaded with "pictures of demonic angels standing there with the sword, and the throat bleeding. There is blood squirting from their eyes." Chapman frequently uses social media to track fugitives, but he found these posts particularly concerning.

According to the bounty hunter, Laundrie is also a voracious reader of "serial killer books." Chapman believes the Florida native may even have learned his alleged skills from them. As he explained, "This is what happens when your kid is looking at those kinds of things, it catches on, and it's demons and it's blood and it's this and it's that, look what that led to." Chapman doesn't believe Laundrie was born a killer, rather he's become radicalized by his exposure to these dodgy materials. However, although the FBI is actively looking for Laundrie, he hasn't been named as a suspect in Petito's killing, purely a person of interest. (The travel influencer was confirmed to have died by strangulation, via CBS News).

Although initial reports suggested Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman was headed home to Colorado to get his ankle injury looked at, according to Newsweek, he's actually staying put in Florida for the time being. The reality star told WFLA-TV he'd had a "change of plans and couldn't bring himself to leave." Chapman is eager to continue his independent search for Brian Laundrie. A spokesperson confirmed his daughter Lyssa and team member Greg Zecca were "managing the search logistics and researching leads from Hawaii and Colorado, respectively." Chapman also appealed to fugitive Laundrie directly during his appearance, while accusing the Laundrie family of aiding and abetting "a murderer," particularly given Gabby Petito's official cause of death.

Chapman stated firmly, "The coroner's report isn't good for the entire Laundrie family." He added, "Brian's only chance is to turn himself in. He cannot run forever. The Laundries have stonewalled Gabby's family because they knew what Brian had done. And it looks like they've helped him run." The reality star went on to argue that "strangulation is not an accident." Authorities are narrowing their search to the Carlton Reserve and surrounding areas, where Laundrie's car was discovered soon after he initially disappeared. There have been suggestions he's no longer alive, due to the dangerous terrain, but it's also possible somebody is harboring the fugitive. For his money, Chapman told TMZ he believes Laundrie is hiding out in the marshland.