Photo: Getty Images/Placer County Sheriff's Office
Duane 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Chapman is reportedly receiving tips in relation to the disappearance of 16-year-old Kiely Rodni in Northern California, but is reluctant to get involved after receiving public backlash for taking similar action in the Gabby Petito murder investigation last year.
A representative for Chapman told TMZ that tipsters have sent vague clues to the reality television star -- which he'd use to develop solid leads in past cases -- and that he's also gotten a slew of emails asking him to get involved with the case because of his history locating missing individuals.
Chapman inserted himself into the search for Brian Laundrie -- Petito's fiancé and lone suspect in her death whose remains, along with a written confession, were later found by authorities in Florida -- while honeymooning in Florida in 2021, which many viewed as meddling in a police investigation.
Chapman said he won't get involved in a missing person investigation unless he's invited to do so by law enforcement and/or a family member of the missing individual, or if 21 days have passed since the person was declared missing, as many cases go cold once that deadline is exceeded.
Authorities announced a new phase in their ongoing search for Rodni, who was last seen at a party near the Prosser Family Campground on August 6, earlier this week.
"We are moving into a more limited but continuous search-and-rescue effort," Capt. Sam Brown of the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said during a press briefing on Monday (August 15) via ABC News. "We are going to have to switch modes and kind of focus on the investigative end and try to figure out where do we go from there.
Upwards of 300 people were reported to have attended the party where Rodni was last seen.
The 16-year-old was reported to be driving her silver 2013 Honda CRV, which has California license plates, as well as a sticker of a ram located below the rear wiper blade, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office, the department leading the search and investigation into her disappearance.
Authorities said Rodni's cellphone has been out of service since August 6.
Detectives have not ruled out a possible abduction, though Placer County Sheriff's Office public information officer Angela Musallam specified that "right now we don't have any evidence that supports an abduction," via ABC News.
"We're considering everything," Alford said. "This is a missing person's case, this is a search-and-rescue effort."