Update: On Friday afternoon, the Bryson City Police Department issued a statement on its Facebook page, declaring that Gary has been found and is no longer considered a missing person.
“GARY WAYT HAS BEEN LOCATED,” the statement reads. “No further information available at this time. Case is Closed.”
The police department had previously stated that Gary would remain a missing person until he reached out to law enforcement to confirm that he is OK, so that’s likely what has happened. (Gary is an adult so, obviously, he is allowed to go where he wants. If he wants to leave, he is able to do so.)
Amber has not spoken out publicly since Gary was declared to be found.
According to TMZ, the search for Gary was called off when he called Bryson City PD on Friday and confirmed he was OK.
The saga of Amber Portwood‘s missing fiancé continues, as it appears that he is alive and on the move.
Gary Wayt— who recently proposed to the Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star — has been listed as a missing person in North Carolina since Monday. As The Ashley previously reported, Gary (not to be confused with Amber’s baby daddy Gary Shirley) was in North Carolina with Amber to attend the wedding of Amber’s brother Shawn last Saturday. After Amber and Gary got into some sort of disagreement on Sunday, Gary took off in his car–without his cell phone— and hadn’t been seen since. Amber has begged fans to pray for her fiancé, whom she claims she has a “beautiful relationship” with. She also denied having any part in Gary’s disappearance.
On Thursday, however, news broke that Gary was spotted alive in Oklahoma— 900+ miles away from Bryson City, North Carolina, where he was last seen. The Sun broke the news of the Gary sighting, stating that Amber’s betrothed was seen on-camera at an Oklahoma Verizon phone store.
Amber’s manager confirmed to The Ashley on Thursday that police have been able to verify that the man on the Verizon store video was, indeed, Gary.
Amber’s manager also confirmed, though, that Gary has not contacted Amber or his loved ones. His reason for driving all the way to Oklahoma is unknown at this time.
“He might not even know he’s a missing person at this point since he hasn’t had his phone and only took his wallet and the car,” a source told The Sun.
Various news outlets have reported on Gary’s disappearance since he was reported missing earlier this week.
Amber, who went Live on YouTube with Elle Bee this week to talk about Gary’s disappearance, has vowed to stay in North Carolina until Gary was located. In fact, her ‘Teen Mom’ co-star Catelynn Lowell confirmed on Wednesday that Maci Bookout was heading to North Carolina to be with Amber in her time of need.
Catelynn also defended Amber against people online who were speculating that Amber was responsible for Gary’s disappearance and insinuating that Amber hurt him.
“I’ve known Amber for 15 years, ok?” she said during a Live stream with TikTok user @crime.n.missing. “She might fly off the handle sometimes but she’s not going to f**king kill somebody. Come on now. If you guys think that about her, you’re ridiculous…”
Catelynn also denied that she is an “enabler” for Amber.
“I tell her how it is,” Cate insisted. “Me, her and Maci, we’ve known each other for so long that we can tell each other, like, ‘Hey dude, that was f**ked up’ or ‘You shouldn’t have done that’ or whatever. And we listen to each other. Of course, MTV is only going to put on [the show] what they want to put on there.”
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Catelynn then revealed that MTV is actually chomping at the bit to film about Amber’s missing fiancé.
“They’re asking me to film myself talking about this whole situation and I’m like, ‘No, I’m not. I’m not exploiting the situation and what Amber’s going through.’ I’m not doing all of that,” Catelynn said. ” I’m going to help her and be a friend.”
After going Live on Wednesday, Catelynn posted on Instagram Stories to clarify that she wasn’t trying to bash MTV during her Live.
“I did a live on TikTok earlier today talking about the situation with Amber’s fiancé and MTV asking me to talk about it,” Catelynn wrote. “I DID NOT mean anything bad about what I said! Actually @MTV has helped a ton with trying to help us and help the situation. So please don’t get that part twisted. We are all just wanting to find Gary alive and safe!”
Catelynn went on to state that Gary and Amber have been engaged longer than the public was led to believe, and that she and Maci were even present when Gary popped the question.
As of press time, Gary is still listed as a missing person by the Bryson City Police Department. Police are asking the public to contact them with any information regarding Gary’s location.
UPDATE! On Thursday night, TMZ provided more information about the sighting of Gary in Oklahoma. According to Bryson City PD Asst. Chief Wayne Dover, Gary was seen Tuesday morning in Weatherford— a town about an hour from Oklahoma City. Chief Dover stated that witnesses who identified Gary said he “did not seem in distress and had a calm and nonchalant demeanor.”
(Photos: Bryson City PD; MTV; Facebook)
62 Responses
Last night’s episode: someone was HIGH. not calling her out by name, but TRUST ME. I’ve always thought maybe….but I’m positive. She still needs help.
That’s great he was seen! Since he was in a phone store, I assume to buy a new phone, that must mean he has no intention of going back to Amber anytime soon or possibly ever. Does anyone know where he’s from or where his parents live? Seems like a long ways to go. I would love to hear his side of the story.
It’s crazy Cate and Maci run to Amber’s side every time she fukks up. Maci really goes hard for all the wrong people like Ryan and Amber and I can’t understand why, I used to think she had a decent head on her shoulders but not so much now after the last year. Cate I can kinda understand because of the mother she has, she’s spent her life around toxic people and April has improved so Cate is probably waiting/hoping Amber will change too. And it’s stupid for Cate to think Amber isn’t capable of kllling someone when she literally chased a man with a machete. Murder really isn’t far off here and we all know her brother would hid a body for her without question and happily defend her.
Maci’s a jobless alcoholic who drank while pregnant, doesn’t pay her taxes, and exploits Bentleys every move…
They both live in Indiana
I guess im confused about why he was reported missing when he willingly drove off with his car? lol seems like if he had his wallet and maybe accidentally left the phone behind in the heat of the convo. But if hes at a phone store doesn’t sound like he wants to return and i can’t imagine he knows he’s a ‘missing person’
For someone like Cate who was physically and verbally abused by her mother and her mother’s boyfriends during her childhood, I can’t believe she is defending Amber.
I think its gross that people are/were saying Amber must has offed him. Not okay.
But for Cate to say that she has known Ambie for 15 years and she’s not going to k!ll someone is ignorant.
Cate and Maci and a lot of other people, didn’t think she was capable of what she did to Andrew, but if Andrew didn’t have video evidence, Cate would have sad that same thing. A lot of abusers are able to get away with it because they are pillars of their community, they are the nicest people, always willing to help, and behind close doors they are a monster. Just because you see someone during the daylight, doesn’t mean you know what happens at night.
Imagine if Cate told someone my mother abused her, and the person was like,”oh I have known April for 15 years, she’s sometimes gets passionate, but she would never hit you. That’s not who she is.” See how that’s not okay….
Amber is a terrible person, and the stats show that someone who has already been abusive, will escalate. So, we have seen her hurt Gary S in front of Leah, we heard Matt speak about her abuse, and we saw her hurt Andrew in front of James. And she has faced very little consequences for her actions. She went to jail, but not for the DV, for failing multiple drug tests during her probation, she faced no consequences with Matt, nor Andrew. Amber’s only consequence is loss of custody of her kids, but seeing for Amber, its like a reward. Se doesn’t want to parent, she got a get out of jail free card, literally.
Cate would have been better off, just saying, I’m here to help in the search and am willing to do whatever I can to help bring someone I care about fiance home. Done.
It’s “gross” that people thought Amber may have done something to him? Are you ignoring the fact that she went after an ex with a machete? Had Amber done something, That literally would have been brought up at her trial. You literally say “stats show that someone who has already been abusive, will escalate”. No shit. That’s why it wasn’t farfetched to think maybe Amber may have harmed Gary.
I don’t blame this guy for running. Amber is a train wreck, until she gets proper help, sort her life out & puts her kids first noone is going to take her seriously. She’s a disaster. They had an ’emotional conversation’ no Amber, you threw your weight around again & bullied this man like you’ve done with all the others, let’s be honest now. Poor guy. Lucky escape if you ask me.
I think there’s more to it! Because now the FBI is involved, Even after he was sighted at Verizon
I’m not buying the whole sighting thing. Nobody can actually provide photos or video evidence of this alleged sighting. The BCPD still has Gary listed as missing and given how much media coverage this is getting, they will likely provide an actual statement and change the status of the case.
I also have a few issues with the alleged sightings.
This guy is driving a 2009 Nissan Rogue that eats up gas and travels over 900 miles. A Verizon store in the middle of America is the FIRST sighting of him? What about the rest of the road trip? You mean he used cash that whole time? What are the chances this guy had a wad of cash on him after a wedding that would be enough to trek half way across the country on a whim?
His family and friends haven’t heard from him still. So he goes to a Verizon store, doesn’t buy a phone? If he buys a phone, was it cash or card? Maybe he buys one but doesn’t contact his family? Blah blah blah he may not know he’s missing. Okay. Remember Amber said he’s super close to his family and helps care take for them. Not a peep? Missing or not, not a peep?
And if he was using cash this whole time, are we going to get a sighting of him getting more cash or him using his card? He can’t just withdraw it from his butt.
My point is, people actually believe he is alive and well because all of the major gossip outlets are saying it. It may not actually be him. If law enforcement could truly verify it, they would change the status of the case. He’s still considered missing by law enforcement until told otherwise. Remember Gabby Petitto had several “sightings” too.
All I’m saying is people need to listen to actual law enforcement and verified law enforcement officials and not click bait gossip websites. He’s listed as missing still for a reason…
This poor guy.. maybe he just wants to disappear? Who knows but they were there for her brothers wedding and of course amber makes that about her by getting in this situation while at her brothers wedding! Typical amber. Gary, please come home safe!
‘I’m not doing all that’, Catelynn says as she proceeds to do exactly ‘all that’.
I’m starting to believe this is an elaborate bullshit scheme Ambie had cooked up for a story line.
Cate is an enabler. I laughed when she said she wouldn’t exploit Amber but she exploits her kids and especially Carly and her parents on the reg. Typical hypocrite
So they’ve been engaged for “longer than the public knows” then why would she wait until the day after she was God awful on teen mom episode? And a day before her brother’s wedding. Got to make sure everything is about her. Gross!
If the cops in North Carolina had proof that it was Gary in the video footage from Oklahoma, the missing persons thing would likely be cancelled. Maybe not, maybe they actually want to speak to Gary and make sure he is okay. Maybe Gary just needed to get away from Amber and her psychopathy, and while not checking in with his family at the very least is alarming, maybe the guy just needed to be on his own for awhile. Nobody will know until he is found and chooses to speak about what happened.
Catelynn, shut up. Shut all the way up. While it doesn’t surprise me that Amber has someone pushing the whole “Innocent Amber” angle, and it really doesn’t surprise me that Cate is the mouthpiece for her, it’s annoying nonetheless. I understand standing up for your friends, but if Cate and Maci were really good friends of Amber’s, they would check her ass when she is wrong and not continue to sell the “Innocent Amber” narrative. When we all know that Amber definitely has something to do with Gary just up and leaving like this.
Well said
Very well said! Maybe they young man needs time in his own space. And had a change of heart and in reality owes zero explanation. But I hope the best for him! And if he just wants a peace of mind he well let somebody know. I hope he finds where he will be comfortable last time I knew we can travel anywhere we want in this country. Amber needs to grow up and realize maybe he doesn’t want her after all hard fact yeah but it happened.
They can’t just cancel the missing person. Police actually have to make contact with him to confirm it’s him and that he’s not hurt etc
This is 100% true. My husband also suffers from BPD. He was a hot mess at one point and just drove off, turning his phone off so he couldn’t be contacted. I filed a missing person’s report due to his history and when he contacted me and said he was coming home to get help )my friend picked him up), I notified the detective who would not deactivate the report until my husband was physically back at our house. Once he made it home, we called the detective who only
Then cancelled the report.
Good for Cate and Maci. No matter what they do, they get hate. Sure they have their faults, but don’t we all. IMO they are good friends to be supporting Amber right now. Maci traveling to be with Amber is really nice and being a good friend. I don’t have a friend that would travel for me like that. And Cate – she can’t win. If she did film about it, everyone would be trashing her for it. But she doesn’t film about it, and she still gets attacked. Cate has a good heart. She had a shit childhood with non-stop trauma, but she’s a kind, accepting person and just a nice girl. Again, she has her faults, but she came out a hell of a lot better than most people would in her situation. Amber is lucky to have those two. I think it’s very cool that those 3 are close and supportive of each other because of the shared experience they have.
As for Gary 2.0, he was at Verizon so I’m assuming he got a new phone….if he knows he was reported missing or if he has 20 missed calls from his parents and still isn’t calling them, that’s really shitty. I get it if he’s mad at Amber, but at least call your family to tell them you didn’t drive over a cliff in the mountains, damn.
Standing beside and in defense of someone with a proven history of violence is not being a good friend, full stop.
There is no defense for the things Amber has said or done in the past. People who attempt to defend those kinds of actions are themselves of questionably character. I’d say that about anyone. In fact, someone who was my best friend from preschool right on up until about 6 years ago was someone I would vehemently defend and stand by, until or unless she crossed a line. Ties were cut between us when she chose to not only stand by but also defend someone who is a lot like Amber. If that was the hill she was willing to defend, I didn’t want to be on that hill with her. We no longer speak, and it’s made me question a lot of things in our past despite having been friends for 90% of our lives. I can’t fathom why she’d defend that person, any more than I can fathom why Cate and Maci defend Amber. There is no defense for ANYONE who commits DV, harms others, or even treats others the way Amber (and she’s not alone, of course) does.
People like Amber don’t need “supportive friends” they need locked up, and some serious mental health help. At the very least, they need people around them willing to tell them they’ve fucked up, hold them accountable and not make excuses or coddle them! She was willing to wield a machete against another around her own baby…..do you not get how fucked up that is and why defending that-along with everything else-is also fucked up? I don’t care what kind of past a person has had, no justification makes that defendable. Anyone defending it, for any reason, needs to get their head examined. I don’t care what Cate or Maci’s pasts are, at least not as it pertains to this matter, it has no bearing on it whatsoever. They’re both shit people for defending her.
2 words Catelynn
Fuck off
Don’t believe the sightings, the video would have been out if it were really him. He’s still listed as missing by the the police in NC police, they just said the sightings are not confirmed that it is him.
The police are the ones that confirmed he was at Verizon and that it was him from his ID and account at Verizon.
Amber is SCUM! Amber is incapable of being in any kind of healthy relationship. Don’t believe me? Look at the bit*h she was to Leah on her birthday! And what about her son in CA??? Yeh I’m sure she’d give us a head scratching, “Oh yeh huh? What was his name again??” Amber if this plays out as a storyline in your pathetic show “Teen Mom… Who did Amber hurt now”, you will continue your legacy of being not only unstable, but an effing poor excuse of a decent person. Ps YOU’RE 35!!! And still connected with identifying yourself with “Teen Mom”. You peaked a looong assssss time ago.
Care should go back to her couch and shut up . Amber gets what she deserves I hope he played her
Something sketchy about this whole thing. Why didn’t he go straight home? Why is he in Oklahoma? Sounds like he’s just skipping out on everyone.
Right. Clickbait Cate would never exploit this situation. Yet here she is jumping on tik tok and podcasts discussing and exploiting the situation.
I really hope that Gary was spotted in Oklahoma. Someone on Reddit said that Cate did a live claiming he was spotted in New Mexico this morning. I hope that he is safe and can contact his family quickly.
Fly off the handle? I think chasing someone around with a knife or machete is a little more substantial than “flying off the handle.” I hope this man is found safely but trying to sugar coat someone’s pattern of disturbing behavior and minimizing the impact of their mental health struggles around these near and dear to her is doing a disservice to the people she has harmed.
I agree
Right! Amber is absolutely capable of killing someone! She chased a dude holding her baby!! Oh it’s her mental illness…blah blah blah
She’s had more than enough time and resources to get it under control.
Ah yes someone who has pulled a machete on her 2nd baby daddy would definitely not kill anyone. Ok.
At least, he has been spotted! Gary could be having some type of mental breakdown. Of course, Maci and Catelynn rush over to defend Amber. I hate to say it but the most stable Amber has ever been was when she was with Matt. Yes, they never got off the couch but Amber seemed happy in the first year or so of their relationship.
if this man was spotted in Oklahoma at the phone place, then shouldn’t the police be able to get a phone number for him? or at least the phone company could call him, if he bought a new phone, so they could at least make sure the man is OK
Someone help me out cause I’m genuinely confused. If the sighting of him within the last few days is confirmed to, in fact, be him then why is he still being considered a missing person? Does he have to actually contact law enforcement for him to not be considered missing anymore?
I believe the police have to confirm he’s okay.
The way people are speculating on mental health issues and possible violent crimes is just weird. Y’all are so quick to jump online and say damn near anything without knowing what’s really going on. We don’t know what actually happened. We don’t know why he left. We don’t know what their situation is. Just relax and let things unfold as they happen. Sitting here and jumping on all these people you don’t know is such a weird move.
No actually it’s not weird. Amber is out of control and that is a fact. She doesn’t take her illnesses seriously. She drinks so she’s not taking meds. She saw a child therapist. She’s never done dbt that I’ve heard of. I am the same as amber with bpd,bipolar, anxiety cptsd and panic attacks. Mental health is not an excuse to be a totally selfish bitch. You do what you have to do to get better. You take your meds and get proper sleep. All amber cares about is having a man.
You can’t force someone into treatment. Just because she has a diagnosis doesn’t mean she HAS to adhere to treatment. Just because you take it seriously and care about getting better doesn’t mean the same is true for her. Personally, I’ve been in treatment for cptsd and severe clinical depression for just over 15yrs. I made my treatment a priority. When my sister was diagnosed with depression, she took meds for a couple months and then gave up. It’s up to her if she gets treatment or not. The same is true for any medical care for any informed adult. I have a client at work who knows she has cancer and has chosen to not have treatment. That’s her choice. Amber is a wreck, that much is obvious and has been for years. I don’t think she’s stuck with anything long enough to actually make a change. But for so many people to sit here and speculate about her treatment plan, her right to bodily autonomy and if she takes meds or not, if she harmed her partner to the point of potentially killing him, it IS weird. Mental health has enough stigma on it already. No one needs to be commenting on her personal medical history as if they know her med list and her care team. It’s not appropriate and honestly has nothing to do with Gary W. going missing.
Amber is a danger though. Most people with mental illness are not. She has abused numerous men. That’s not ok. She is being selfish by not admitting she’s the problem and getting help. I’m fine with someone who is depressed to not take meds. As long as it’s not psychotic depression. If it’s to the point you are hurting other people, it’s a major problem. You can’t deny that.
Rolling my eyes at Catelyn. Says she won’t exploit the situation with MTV, but is talking about it on social media. And she has a reputation for both click bait articles, and selling herself and her family out for some bucks.
Dance monkey, dance! Earn that MTV coin.
Please stop referring to him as “Gary 2.0”. He is a person in his own right, a definite victim of Amber’s domestic abuse. One with mental health issues. His family is likely frantic. Don’t reduce this serious issue to “oh haha Amber’s second Gary took off” it’s not a good look.
@Spitechickens– I actually agree with you. That was not OK. It wasn’t my intention to downplay anything that may be happening here, and I don’t want it to look like it was. Changing now. I apologize. -The Ashley
I was going to say that people are getting them confused who don’t know about the new Gary.
Stop capitulating to internet babies. Call him whatever you want.
Is this the point of your page? The be funny? Sprite chicken can go kiss off
He has to have some kind of nickname to differentiate him from og Gary and Gary 2.0 is not offensive to anyone but you….kick rocks!
Ambien is 100% capable of killing someone (most people actually are, they just don’t, lol). She’s already proven she has no qualms going too far, so it’s not so crazy to believe she’d hard him or anyone else. We know she can, she has and she would if she wanted to.
She’s still likely 100% responsible for him leaving, she even said so herself, that she told him to leave. Well, the mf left, what more do you want Ambien? You told him to leave, and he was kind enough to grant your request, suck it up buttercup.
We know he has mental health issues of his own (it’s been discussed before) so it’s not surprising that someone like Ambien could easily trigger his own fight or flight to kick in. Flight won (and hopefully remains the champion)
Good lord never type with an attached wiggler who’s recently discovered how to use their hands like a whacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man, lmao. When are we going to get that “edit your reply” button here? lol
I meant “it’s not so crazy to believe she’d hurt him or anyone else”.
100% agree. I think every person, in a specific situation and with specific personal triggers, is capable. Most everyone chooses to value life-the other persons and theirs.
Catelynn sounds absolutely desperate.
Desperate to defend Amber, desperate not to offend MTV and keep her job.
Yes, Catelynn, WE’RE the ridiculous ones here. Not the dangerous felon nor the delusional drunkard nor the tagalong desperate friend. US.
Um. Ok.
But she blasts Carlys parents B & T left and right on SM.
Cate really likes to think she’s some kind of tough-talking, tough love person when she’s just the absolute desperate hanger-on.
Feel better about the sighting of gary. I feel bad for him if he really doesn’t know he is on the missing persons because if it were me and I just wanted to get away from a horrid spouse I would be highly embarrassed.
Also, the world is full of people who kill or hurt others when no one saw it coming.
Him disappearing is giving a mental or a manic episode, OR she showed him a new level of crazy he’s never before and pushed him to literally drive across the country to get away from her. Its giving both honestly.
Probably both.
Amber pushed him to a mental episode makes the most sense.
I need space from her and I’ve never even met her, so I can only imagine what’s she’s like IRL.
Publicity stunt?
Maybe since she people were giving her a hard time for how she was treating her daughter on her birthday. Now she wants people to feel sorry for her
Hahahaha ohh maciiiiiii you are a clown