All About Dog the Bounty Hunter's 13 Kids

Dog the Bounty Hunter is the father of 13 children from six different relationships

Meet Dog the Bounty Hunter's huge family.

Dog — whose legal name is Duane Lee Chapman — is the father of 13 children, all of whom he welcomed from six different relationships. In 1972, he welcomed his first child, Christopher Michael Hecht with his then-girlfriend Debbie White.

Many of the A&E star's children were introduced to the public during their various appearances on his reality shows. Among them was Dog the Bounty Hunter, the long-running hit series that follows his pursuit of fugitives from his home base of Hawaii to his native state of Colorado.

Since 1972, Chapman has been married five times. His first marriage was to La Fonda Sue Darnall, with whom he welcomed sons Duane Lee II and Leland Blane Chapman. After their split, he wed Ann Tegnell in 1979 and welcomed three kids: Zebidiah, Wesley and James Robert Chapman.

Related: Dog the Bounty Hunter Reveals He 'Discovered' He Has Another Son as He Wishes Him a Happy Birthday

In 1982, Chapman tied the knot with his third wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain, with whom he shares kids Barbara Katie, Tucker Dee and Lyssa Rae Chapman. In 2006, he wed Beth Chapman. The pair welcomed Bonnie Joanne and Garry Chapman before Beth's death in 2019.

In September 2022, Chapman married a fifth time when he wed Francie Frane in Colorado. The reality star's proposal, which came 10 months after Beth's passing, received backlash from critics at the time.

"My father has gone through so much this past year without my mother," Bonnie began in a lengthy comment on Instagram. "It's been extremely difficult to see one parent pass, and the other so intent on following. My father deserves to be happy."

In June 2022, Chapman revealed in an Instagram post that he had a 13th child on the fourth anniversary of Beth's death. "But God redeemed this day when I discovered my son Jon, who I just met recently, was born on this day," he wrote alongside a tribute to his late wife.

Here's everything to know about Chapman's 13 children.

Christopher Michael Hecht

Chapman had his first child, son Christopher Hecht, in 1972. At the time of his birth, the reality star was serving an 18-month prison sentence for a third-degree murder charge.

Christopher's biological mother is Debbie White, Chapman's then-girlfriend. After White died by suicide in 1978, Christopher was adopted by Gloria and Keith Hecht when he was six years old.

In 2008, Christopher was reportedly arrested in his native Colorado on suspicion of third-degree assault and crimes against an at-risk adult prompted by an argument outside a bar, according to local newspaper The Pueblo Chieftain.

At the time of his arrest, Chapman coincidentally turned in a wanted-Mesa County man. Christopher told reporters, "I don't think he even knows I'm in here. I haven't talked to him in two months."

In February 2021, he was sentenced to three years in prison in Colorado after a menacing arrest, reported The Sun. Outside of his legal troubles, there are little known details on his personal life.

Related: Dog the Bounty Hunter and Francie Frane Are Married

Duane Lee II

Chapman had his second child, son Duane Lee II, in 1973. He welcomed him with his now ex-wife, La Fonda Sue Darnall (née Honeycutt), who he was married to from 1972 to 1977.

Like most of Chapman's family members, the Texas native appeared in several episodes of his dad's TV shows and movies, including 2006's Dog: The Family Speaks, 2008's Celebrity Family Feud and the long-running Dog the Bounty Hunter series from 2005 to 2012.

Similar to his father, Duane II is a secretive bail bondsman who learned the ropes at Chapman's company, Da’Kine Bail Bonds in Hawaii. However, he's kept a low public profile after leaving the hit show over a rumored financial dispute.

Since his departure, Duane II relocated to Florida where he opened up his own bail bondsman business. "Children grow up," Beth, Chapman's ex-wife, told Channel Guide Magazine.

"How long can you work for your mom and dad?" she continued. "At some point, you feel like there's got to be changes made. And we as parents have to be OK with letting our bird fly."

Leland Blane

Chapman and La Fonda Sue welcomed their son, Leland Blane, together on Dec. 14, 1976.

Leland was born in Texas, where he spent much of his childhood before moving to Colorado. Like many of his siblings, Leland worked at his dad's Da’Kine Bail Bonds. Furthermore, he's made appearances in the aforementioned Chapman-led TV shows and movies.

Like Duane II, Leland also left Dog the Bounty Hunter in 2012 over a dispute with Beth. He, too, opened his own business, called Kama'aina Bail Bonds on the Big Island of Hawaii.

In 2006, Leland was entangled in legal troubles when he was arrested in Hawaii alongside his father for allegedly jumping bail in Mexico. CNN reported the men were ordered to "stand trial on charges of unlawful detention and deprivation of freedom, charges which carry sentences of up to four years in prison." However, they were released from custody on bail.

As for Leeland's personal life, he was married twice. In 1995, he wed Maui Chapman, with whom he welcomed sons Dakota and Cobie before their split in 2005. He also welcomed a daughter with ex Lynette Yi, before marrying model Jamie Pilar Chapman in 2016.

Leeland is very active on social media, including Instagram where he shares family-related content with his half a million followers. Recently, he celebrated being a dad on Father's Day.

"Thank you all for all the Father’s Day wishes, that is the best part of my life . By far my greatest accomplishment . Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there I hope you all had a wonderful day," he captioned a post alongside his brood.

Related: Dog the Bounty Hunter Addresses Racism Allegations, Use of N-Word: 'I Thought I Had a Pass'

Zebediah

Chapman had his fourth child, son Zebediah, in 1980. He welcomed him with his second wife, Ann Tegnell, whom he was married to from 1979 to 1982. One month after Zebidiah's birth, the infant tragically died.

Wesley

Chapman and Ann welcomed their second baby, son Wesley (who goes by "Wes"), together in 1980.

After Chapman and Ann split, Wes was raised by his maternal grandparents. According to Insider, he also experienced a lot of trauma during his childhood.

Unlike his siblings, Wes didn't make any appearances on Chapman's numerous series. Until age six, Wes lived with his mother before bouncing between foster homes and psychiatric hospitals. His past shaped his successful future.

"I didn't want to be the kid that didn't have a dad, didn't have a mom, that was abused," Wes said in an interview with Business Insider. "So I just started telling that story over and over in the mirror. It was as simple as that."

By age 19, Wes was consulting for Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft and Costco. He worked as a motivational speaker, often speaking to young students who were experiencing abuse or mental health struggles.

Through his inspirational conversations and personal past, he created A Human Project, an "incubator for scalable solutions to systemic problems in education, health and society." He is also co-founder of The Human Gathering, one of the most exclusive, private communities in the world, per Forbes.

Today — through his podcasts, writings and in-person conversations — Wes has reached hundreds of millions of people all over the globe. He's married to Jodie Chapman, both of which are very active on social media.

James Robert

Chapman and Ann welcomed their son, James Robert, together in 1982. James was born in Denver, Colorado. Like many of his siblings, he made appearances on Dog the Bounty Hunter. Now, however, he chooses to keep a low profile and rarely makes public appearances. Little details are known about his current whereabouts.

Barbara Katy

Chapman had his seventh baby, daughter Barbara Katy, in 1982 in Colorado. He welcomed her with his third wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain, whom he married that same year and split from in 1991.

In 2006, Barbara — who also made appearances on Chapman's self-titled reality show — died in a car crash at age 23 in Alaska on the eve of her father's wedding to his longtime companion Beth. She is survived by her son Travis.

Related: Dog the Bounty Hunter Sells Colorado Home for $1.6 Million — See Inside!

Tucker Dee

Chapman and his third wife, Lyssa, welcomed their son, Tucker Dee, in 1983 in Colorado.

Like many of his siblings, Tucker's followed in his father's bounty hunter footsteps and has made appearances on his reality show. Since the show wrapped, he's maintained a low profile and little details about his personal life are known and he doesn't appear to have any social media accounts.

In June 2022, Chapman posted a birthday tribute to Tucker on Instagram. "Happy birthday to my son Tucker Dee Chapman love you soon," he wrote.

Lyssa Rae

Chapman and his third wife, Lyssa, welcomed their daughter, Lyssa Rae, in 1987 in Colorado.

While she's mostly regarded for her appearances on Dog the Bounty Hunter, the former bondswoman transitioned her title to a businesswoman in recent years. She opened her own self-titled clothing store, called BABY by Lyssa Chapman.

Days after her 15th birthday in 2002, Lyssa welcomed her first child, daughter Abbie Mae Chapman.

Lyssa tied the knot with Brahman "Bo" Galanti on Oahu, Hawaii in February 2009. They welcomed one child together, daughter Madalynn Grace Galanti, before they divorced in 2011. In June 2022, Lyssa married partner Leiana Evensen, announcing the news on Instagram.

Though Lyssa's father, Chapman, was unable to attend the nuptials, she told PEOPLE: "He was of course on the phone with me all morning and during. We FaceTimed him a bunch. He was there in spirit and also electronically."

Though her father has faced allegations of homophobia from Lyssa's half-sister Bonnie (his older child with Beth), Lyssa told PEOPLE he is fully supportive of her and Lei's relationship. "My dad's always just loved me and it's not been something we talk about," she said.

"I think it's really hard for people who are Christian and do have that belief that marriage belongs to a man and a woman," she continued. "But when your daughter falls in love with someone and you love that person, you can't just say you don't believe in it."

Bonnie Joanne

Chapman welcomed his daughter Bonnie Joanne in 1980. He welcomed her with his fourth wife, Beth Chapman, whom he wed in 2006.

Like many of her siblings, Bonnie has appeared in several episodes of Dog the Bounty Hunter and Dog and Beth: On the Hunt. She's maintained a public social media presence since the reality shows wrapped, keeping her thousands of followers in the loop on her day-to-day activities.

In June 2019, Bonnie and Chapman experienced tragedy when Beth died at the age of 51 after being diagnosed with stage II throat cancer in 2017. In the wake of her death, Bonnie opened a boutique as a tribute to Beth.

"At Huntress Boutique, we are driven by the memory of our beloved mother, who lost her battle with cancer. As two sisters united by love and a shared vision, we have embarked on a journey to create a boutique that embodies our passion, celebrates individuality, and honors our mother's legacy," reads the website.

Bonnie came to her father's defense in May 2020 after Chapman shared the shocking news of his engagement to girlfriend Francie just 10 months after Beth’s death.

"My father has gone through so much this past year without my mother. It's been extremely difficult to see one parent pass, and the other so intent on following. My father deserves to be happy,” she wrote in a lengthy comment on Instagram.

“He's still got my mother's name on his chest. He'll never forget her and the love she gave him. She would be happy my father is in love and finding peace... Life has never been easy for my dad, but love is something that comes naturally to him,” she continued in part.

In June 2022, Bonnie posted a social media tribute to her late mother. "Today makes 4 years without you, I am so thankful for all the memories you’ve given to me," she began. "The life lessons you’ve taught me ring in my ear everyday and guide me with good intentions."

She continued, "I do all I do for you and I know without a single doubt you’re proud of me. I’ve stood my ground and stayed true to myself as you’ve taught me my whole life. Today 4 years ago was the last time I held your hand but I know I will see you again."

Related: Dog the Bounty Hunter Reveals He and Fiancée Francie Frane Are Getting Married in September

Garry

Chapman and Beth welcomed their son, Garry, in 2001.

Unlike his siblings, Garry did not appear on his Dog the Bounty Hunter. Though he's no stranger to the public eye due to his family's public profile. According to his Instagram, Garry likes to hunt and travel.

He also shares his admiration for his dad, calling him "one of the best dads I could have asked for" in an Instagram post on Father's Day. "You're always there when I call and always check up on me when I need it most. Hope today treats you well, love you!"

Like his sisters, he often thinks about his late mother and shares tributes to her on social media as well. "Today marks four years since I said goodbye to my anchor, my best friend, my unwavering defender—my mom," he wrote alongside a photo of her in June.

"Her impact on my life is immeasurable, and her memory continues to guide me. Even though she's no longer here, her love resides in my heart, and I find strength in imagining what she would do in challenging times. I honor her today and forever," he continued in part.

Cecily Barmore

Chapman and Beth adopted a third child together, daughter Cecily Barmore. She was born in 1993.

Unlike many of her older siblings, Cecily did not appear on Dog the Bounty Hunter. Along with Bonnie, Cecily operates Huntress Boutique in remembrance of their mom. In June 2022, she posted a tribute to Beth on her Instagram four years after she died.

"The pain of her loss never truly fades, and there are times when it feels as fresh as if it were yesterday," she began. "Yet, amidst the lingering sorrow, I take solace in the knowledge that her legacy lives on through the great things accomplished in her honor."

"From the depths of my heart, I believe that she is watching over those who cherished her, wearing a smile of love and pride," Cecily continued in part. "Mom, your presence may be physically absent, but the love you left behind is an eternal flame that guides me forward."

Jon

On June 26, Chapman shared in an Instagram post that he recently "discovered" he has another son. he shared the family discovery while paying tribute to his first wife, Beth, on the fourth anniversary of her death.

"For the last four years, this day was a terrible reminder of one of the greatest losses of my life," began Chapman. "But God redeemed this day when I discovered my son Jon, who I just met recently, was born on this day."

"So now instead of sorrow, this day has a new meaning," he added, noting that the photo features his son Jon and his wife Jodi. "The whole story of Jon is told in my new book, Nine Lives and Counting, coming SOON," he continued.

"For anyone who has suffered a terrible loss please know God restores and redeems. Happy birthday son, love you both," Chapman concluded.

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