With promising "new leads" on the horizon in the hunt for missing Tennessee teen Sebastian Rogers, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman upped the reward money for information leading to the boy's whereabouts.
Sebastian, a 15-year-old with autism, vanished from the Hendersonville, Tennessee, home he shared with his mom, Katie Proudfoot, and stepdad, Chris Proudfoot, Feb. 25.
Last week, Chapman announced he's working "new leads from Oregon and New York" and "moving fast on them."
Dog Nation!!! We have new leads from Oregon and New York, and we’re moving fast on them. We are confident that our confidential informants have provided valuable new information about those states, so we’re raising the reward to $175K (ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND… https://t.co/OOGC7QkM8n pic.twitter.com/CflbIDyYIr
— Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) November 5, 2024
"We are confident that our confidential informants have provided valuable new information about those states, so we're raising the reward to $175K," the former reality TV star and bail bondsman posted on X.
The reward previously sat at $125,000.
Chapman joined the effort to find Sebastian, collaborating with the teen's biological father, Seth Rogers, and AtNight Media in September.
Appearing on the YouTube show Break The Case hosted by ex-FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer that same month, Chapman did not shy away from who he thinks knows what happened to Sebastian.
"I just can't believe that... the stepfather would allegedly... run people off," Chapman said, explaining his suspicions the Proudfoots may be involved.
He claimed Sebastian's stepfather was "harassing" volunteer searchers, discouraging the public from helping track down the missing teen, and stating "the cops are... enough" for the search.
Chapman alleged the teen was "stashed somewhere" due to an ongoing custody battle between his parents, according to an interview with NewsNation in September.
"We're seeing a domestic squabble over a child," he purported.
"This is one of the most horrendous cases of missing children that we've ever, ever worked on," added Chapman.
"The bottom line is if you hurt a child like this, you've got a problem, so that is the main motivation for me to be hunting who did this."
