Dog the Bounty Hunter chips in $10k to $180k reward to catch Brian Laundrie as cops told he may be on Appalachian Trail

DOG the Bounty Hunter has added $10,000 to the reward being offered in the search for Brian Laundrie, as cops are told he may be hiding on the Appalachian Trail.

Duane "Dog" Chapman, who joined the hunt for Gabby Petito's fiancé last week, announced on Friday that he and his family would donate the money in hopes of receiving information that leads to Brian's capture.

A rep for the Bounty Hunter told TMZ of the money added to the reward, which was previously set at $170,000.

Most of the reward money has been donated by individuals to the Petito family.

News of Dog's donation comes as North Carolina police have been receiving information of sightings of Brian near the Appalachian Trail.

Officials from the Watauga County and Avery County sheriff’s offices told WSOC-TV on Wednesday they have received several tips of alleged Brian sightings over this week.

Officers in Watauga County even pulled over a car after receiving a tip, but found nothing relevant to the search for Brian.

They are continuing to monitor social media after many claimed to have seen Brian in Boone, North Carolina, but nothing has been verified so far.

Read our Brian Laundrie live blog for the very latest news and updates…

“If there’s something legitimate, we’ll check it out. And if there’s something more to it, then the FBI will be contacted, but not on every call," said Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman.

While Dog has been focusing his search in Florida, some of his investigatorsmay have also followed leads in North Carolina, as earlier this week his daughter Lyssa tweeted the team was "looking for experienced HIKING/SURVIVALIST near the Appalachian Hiking trail in North Carolina."

Alyssa also asked her followers to show Brian's picture to people who live in the "backwoods" of North Carolina, and pleaded with hunters and those who live near the Appalachian Trail in the state to check their game cameras.

One of Gabby's friends, Rose Davis, previously said she believes Brian could be hiding out on the trail because he knows how to survive alone in nature and has done it before.

She told the DailyMail.com: "I know he lived in the Appalachians for what I believe was three months, and he did it by himself, so I know he's skilled at it."

Meanwhile, private investigator Bill Warner exclusively told The Sun that "mastermind" Brian is alive and on the run on the Appalachian Trail.

"This is usually what people on the run do," he said on Thursday about Brian's disappearance.

"They just go dark, hide everything. They don't take a car, they don't take a phone. They don't take any ID, but they can't be identified."

Brian has now been missing for more than two weeks.

He was reported missing by his parents on September 17, three days after they last saw him.

The Appalachian Trail is one of the most famous hiking spots in the US.

Located within 14 states, the trail attracts over three million visitors per year.

The entire trail takes up over 2,190 miles from start to finish and can take about five to seven months to hike.

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