Dog the Bounty Hunter gives wife Beth Smith’s ashes to her family to fulfill her mother’s last wish
HONOLULU COUNTY, HAWAII: Duane Chapman aka Dog the Bounty Hunter has reportedly given his beloved wife Beth Smith’s ashes to her maternal family to fulfill the last wish of her late mother.
Beth’s mother, Bonnie Joan "BJ" Johannsen died at the age of 82 on November 20, in Littleton, Colorado, according to her obituary. A rep for Chapman told TMZ that one of Bonnie’s last wishes was to be laid to rest with her daughter, who died before her. When the Bounty Hunter learned about the request, he decided to make it happen.
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The insider revealed that Dog has given some of Beth’s ashes to her sister Melinda Lehmann, who also has Bonnie’s ashes. Beth and her mother shared a rocky relationship, but they made sure to mend fences before she passed away, TMZ reported. The reality TV star died at age of 51 in July 2019, after a long battle with throat cancer.
Following her death, the 'Dog’s Most Wanted' star held a secret paddle-out ceremony in Hawaii to spread her ashes in Waikiki waters. Only a few friends and close members of Beth’s family were told about a memorial on Fort DeRussy Beach, TMZ reported. During the ceremony, Chapman told the mourners that his wife asked to be memorialized in Hawaii since it was her favorite place on earth. "She said, "Please Hawaiian style … please do this right"," the reality television star said, according to Daily Mail. "She loved Hawaii and she loved people. The people mostly she loved."
According to a report by TMZ, Dog used ceremonial ashes for that secret ceremony and spread her actual ashes at other places that were important to her. As for the ashes he still has, Dog told the outlet, "I understand now what rest in peace truly means. I'm hopeful Beth can now rest in peace."
Dog, who is currently married to his sixth wife Francie Frane, recently sold his 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' mansion, where he lived with Beth for more than a decade. The former couple purchased the home in 2009 for just $750,000. The mansion is the same property that was widely featured in Chapman’s reality shows, 'Dog the Bounty Hunter,' 'Dog and Beth: On the Hunt' and 'Dog’s Most Wanted'. Initially listed back in October for $1.69 million, a pending offer was in the works in November following a $95,000 price cut. The home reportedly closed at the asking price of $1,595,000, according to New York Post.