Leland Chapman Opens up About First Hunt Without Stepmom Beth

Beth Chapman’s step-son Leland opened up about his first hunt without her in a recent interview, revealing how hard her passing hit him. Leland is one of Chapman’s oldest children at 42 years old, and he has known Beth for decades. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier, he admitted that working as a bounty hunter without Beth is difficult.

“I’ve already noticed the difference,” he said. “We’ve only been out for one day. And you know I was thinking to myself, man, if Beth was here, she would be yelling, ‘Come on, let’s go already,’ telling my dad, ‘Shut up, you talk too much. Let’s go.’ You know what I mean? …There’s definitely a different aspect around.”

Leland comes from Duane “Dog” Chapman’s first marriage to La Fonda Sue Darnall. He is less than ten years younger than Beth, and he grew up in the family trade. As hard as his stepmother’s death has hit him, he has faith that the family can pull through.

“But you know, I think we’ll pull through,” he said. “We’re a strong family and it’s terrible that we had to go through that, but like I said, I know our bond is strong and we work together, which makes it even stronger. And I believe that Beth ran such a tight ship and that it just became — when you do something over and over and over again and it’s just rhetorical, it just becomes natural, you know?”

“And I think that it’s already instilled in all of us, and that’s why it works so well, is because of all the years of grinding on us,” he went on. “You know what I mean? Do this. Do that. You know? And now, you know, you got the finished product.”

The interview included several other members of the Chapman family, including the two youngest kids, Bonnie and Garry, as well as Duane himself. It was a tearful, vulnerable conversation, matching the tone of Chapman’s unflinching take on life near the end.

In that interview, Duane spoke briefly about their upcoming reality show Dog’s Most Wanted on WGN. He said that producers are still trying to decide how much footage of Beth to include, as some segments have already been shot. He admitted that seeing it made him emotional.

“So, I mean, I’ve already looked at some of them, OK, and I see her and I hear her and I freaking start bawling ’cause it happened,” he said. “I just instantly start crying … so, I think it’s also therapeutic that you have those. You know, if you lose a loved one, then you have the little pictures you look at. But I have her alive in that show.”

Dog’s Most Wanted is due out on WGN some time next year.