The Tragedy of Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Daughter, Barbara

Duane Chapman—aka ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’—once had 13 children. Sadly, his 7th child, a daughter named Barbara Katie Chapman, passed away very young. Barbara lived in Alaska and had one child, a four-year-old son named Travis Drake-Lee Chapman. 

In May 2006, a Colorado news outlet, 9News, covered Barbara’s tragic end. According to 9News, Barbara and a companion passed away in a car accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, on May 19, 2006. 

The next day, Dog married his longtime love, Beth, at the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel in Hawaii. She became Dog’s 4th wife. The U.S. Sun reported that Dog held an emotional meeting with his family in Hawaii after learning the heartbreaking news about Barbara. 

9News also reported that Dog and Beth gathered with ten of his surviving children in that family meeting, including the two kids that Dog and Beth had together. Allegedly, the Chapman family discussed whether Dog and Beth’s wedding should proceed on Saturday. 

The family agreed that Dog and Beth should get married. But, their wedding would also include a celebration of Barbara’s life. Hawaii News Now confirmed these details and added that Dog also consulted with the minister performing his wedding ceremony. 

They did not inform guests at their wedding, waiting until the reception to tell everyone else about the news. Hawaii News Now reported that Dog became emotional at the reception while he celebrated Barbara’s life. Many guests were “visibly upset.”

Barbara and Scott May Have Been Driving Under the Influence

9News reported the confirmation of Alaska State Troopers that Barbara was riding in a stolen vehicle driven by Scott Standefer II on May 19th. Barbara and Scott both perished in the accident. They were just 23 years old.

Allegedly, Barbara and Scott also stole a credit card. They attempted to use it at a resort about 50 miles northeast of Fairbanks. It appeared that they failed to rent a room using the stolen card.

Barbara and Scott then left the area in the stolen vehicle, which allegedly crashed for an unconfirmed reason after that. Alaska State Trooper Jeremy Stone told 9News, “There is no clue as to why they left the roadway.” 

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He described the scene of the accident as having “absolutely no skid marks on the road.” Trooper Stone guesses the stolen vehicle Barbara and Scott were in “went off the road, hit an embankment and launched.” 

Sadly, Alaska State Trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson was more convinced that Barbara and Scott may have been drinking or under the influence of substances, contributing to their fatal car accident. 9News confirmed that Barbara and Scott were transferred to Anchorage, Alaska, and toxicology tests had been scheduled to determine if there were substances in their systems.

Lyssa Rae Brittain was Barbara’s mother and Dog’s third wife. In an exclusive interview with the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Lyssa described her daughter’s life and tragic end. 

According to Lyssa, “Barbara had gotten herself into a terrible mess.” But Lyssa also claimed that Barbara was “trying as hard as she could to put her life back together.” 

Dog Joined in the Search for Brian Laundrie

Dog and Lyssa had three children together. Barbara was the oldest, born in June 1982. Tucker Dee Chapman, a son, was born in September 1983, and Lyssa Rae, their youngest daughter, was born in June 1987.

Lyssa Rae is well-known among Dog the Bounty Hunter fans for her involvement in the family’s reality show. She was nicknamed “Baby Lyssa” so as not to confuse viewers with her mom, who was referred to within the family as “Big Lyssa.”

People reported on the background of all of Dog’s children, including his baby son, Zebediah. He was born to Dog’s second wife, Ann, in 1980 but sadly passed away just one month after birth.

The People article included details about Lyssa, such as the birth of her daughter in 2002 when she was just 15. After Lyssa moved to Oahu, Hawaii, she married Brahman “Bo” Galanti in February 2009. They divorced just two years later.

Questions have been asked about why Barbara didn’t go to Hawaii for Dog’s wedding to Beth. Many wanted to know if she was estranged from Dog before she passed away. Dog hasn’t answered these questions directly, but Barbara was allegedly on Dog’s mind in 2021 during an interview with Fox News.

Fox News confirmed that Dog had “joined the manhunt for Brian Laundrie.” This search was connected to the infamous case of the late Gabby Petito, who was allegedly fatally harmed by Brian. Sources alleged that the Gabby Petito case was “personal” for Dog because Gabby passed away around the same age as Barbara.

Lyssa Hasn’t Seen Her Mom Since Barbara Passed Away

Lyssa Rae was interviewed by Fox411 when she was 25 years old after a book about her childhood, “Walking on Eggshells,” was published. As Barbara’s younger sister, Lyssa’s account of her childhood is like a glimpse into what life must have been like for Barbara, too.

Lyssa’s preteen years sadly included being intimately harmed by one of Dog’s former friends, at just 11 years old. At this time, it’s alleged that Dog also suffered from dependence on substances, although Lyssa claimed that Dog “was doing the best that he could at the time,” and he did eventually get clean.

In the Fox411 interview, Lyssa claimed, “My mom still drinks a lot.” Lyssa said it was hard for her to be really close with her mom. Sadly, Lyssa added that she hadn’t seen her mom since Barbara passed away.

Lyssa also described the situation between her parents before they got divorced. She told Fox411, “I feel like my mom had a lot of hurt feelings about my Dad, too.” 

Although Lyssa claimed in the interview that she had “issues” with Beth, she said her relationship with Dog was better than ever. It also appears that Lyssa became closer with Dog and Beth after joining the cast of Dog the Bounty Hunter in Oahu.

Dog Has Temporary Custody of His Grandson

Five years after Barbara’s passing, a report was published by Hawaii News Now. Barbara’s son, Travis, was living with his father, Travis Mimms, in Honolulu, and an upstairs neighbor alleged that Travis Mimms was physically harming his son.

The neighbor allegedly recorded audio of Travis getting lashed with a belt. Dog took Travis Mimms to court, using the neighbor’s evidence to request temporary custody of his grandson.

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Dog confirmed that he and Beth were not seeking permanent custody of Travis Jr. He told Hawaii News Now that he wanted Travis Mimms “to get help and take parental classes” before the authorities returned his son to his home. 

He also wrote a statement to the court and described the last phone call he ever had with Barbara. Dog alleged that Barbara begged him, “Please, Daddy, take care of Travis. Don’t ever let anything happen to him.” 

Dog added, “We all hope and pray that Travis Sr. will be able to raise his son with the love and respect he deserves because it’s in everyone’s best interests for them to have a proper father-son relationship.”