NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It’s been roughly nine months since Sebastian Rogers, 15, disappeared from his Hendersonville, Tennessee, home, launching extensive search efforts by several law enforcement agencies. A celebrity bounty hunter, who recently joined the search for Sebastian, says it may be time to expand it internationally.
In the first few months after Sebastian’s February disappearance, agencies continued to actively search for the teen but never came across any sightings of him. Law enforcement has since pulled back to focus on the “investigative side.”
However, Seth Rogers, Sebastian’s biological father, never stopped searching.
In September, Duane Chapman, also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, joined the search efforts. His first act was to raise the reward money for information from $50,000 to $100,000.
“This is one of the most horrendous cases of missing children that we’ve ever, ever worked on,” Chapman, well-known for his TV show, “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” previously explained.
Last week, Chapman raised the reward amount for information again to $175,000 after his team said he received “valuable” information and leads in Oregon and New York.
Bryndis Davis, the lead high-task force investigator for AtNight Intelligence Agency and Dog the Bounty Hunter, told Nexstar’s WKRN she hopes the increase in reward money will develop further assistance from the public.
“We want to motivate anyone with information to please step forward and potentially help break the case wide open,” Davis expressed. “We are signaling to the public that help is crucial right now.”
However, investigators with Chapman’s team are not ruling out any possible leads in Canada and along its border.
According to the AtNight Intelligence Agency, two notifications were issued requesting immediate awareness on ports of entry into the United States and Canada.
“We have pinpointed some credible leads in Oregon and New York, near the Canadian border,” Davis said. “There are several active investigation zones where we are working on the case closely with locals and initiated a rapid reach notification to all U.S. towns that border Canada.”
The documents request vigilance from national law enforcement agencies with specific attention to motels, hotels, bus stations, and similar public facilities.
“It’s about how seriously we take these new leads and our dedication to using every tool at our disposal to find answers,” Davis concluded.
In the meantime, the investigative group is looking to add more team members by February and March.
Anyone who has any information concerning Sebastian’s whereabouts can call Chapman’s tip line at 833-835-5364, call the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office at 615-451-3838, or contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or [email protected]. You can also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.