On Season 7 of The Masked Singer, the gold armadillo seen belting out The Clash’s “I Fought The Law” turned out to be none other than Duane Chapman, a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter. He was eliminated in Week 7 after taking a slight tumble on stage, but the reality star only regret was that he couldn't unlock the show’s methods to keeping his co-star’s identities secret, even with his extensive experience tracking down clues and wanted criminals. Following his appearance on the Fox competition series (which streams next-day for those with a Hulu subscription), the notorious bounty hunter has decided to jump into more serious matters: a manhunt over a reported double murder.
Per KUTV, the 69-year-old traveled to Moab, Utah to lend his services to an investigation into the unsolved murders of two local residents, Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner. The two women had been camping in the La Sal mountains nearby but were later discovered dead in the area in August. Speaking at a news conference, Dog the Bounty Hunter shared that was offering his services at the behest of Schultz’s father.
Dog the Bounty Hunter also added that he's visited the crime scene and has spoken to some people of interest in the short time he's been there. Apparently, he told reporters that the double murder was the most horrendous he's seen in his career to date. Accordingly, the reality star is intent on tracking down who's responsible, saying:
I’ll bet you who did this your life that we catch you.
Even before the famous TV personality’s involvement, the pursuit of the culprit generated a major grassroots movement, with locals and people from out-of-state alike donating time and money to assist. Nevertheless, no significant progress has been made in the months since the remains of the two newlyweds were found. Kylen Schulte's father told the outlet that he thinks people with knowledge will open up to Dog the Bounty Hunter about what might’ve happened, and that his presence will help shake the proverbial tree enough that “a rotten apple falls out.”
In the former A&E star’s opinion, the suspect they're looking for is likely someone local and familiar to the victims. Chapman stated,
The murderer had to know them. When you shoot someone six times apiece, that is worse than any hate crime. Usually the only thing that drives someone to kill like that is love.
Prior to the double homicide, and indeed before even his Masked Singer stint, Dog the Bounty Hunter had joined the publicized manhunt for Brian Laundrie. The 23-year-old had mysteriously went missing amidst the police’s investigation into the death of his former girlfriend, Gabby Petitio, in Florida last year. Laundrie's remains were eventually found in November, ending the investigation, with KLFY later reporting that his cause of death was suicide.
Dog the Bounty Hunter claims that he's still gathering info on the ground in Utah and through his tip line at 833-TELL-DOG regarding the double murder. Local law enforcement in Grand County is doing the same, but apparently the two efforts hadn't collaborated as of the time of initial reporting. Still, Dog the Bounty Hunter is offering a “large amount of cash” for leads through his tip line, adding, “This ain’t Crime Stoppers.”
