Fiancé known from MTV’s Teen Mom
Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
An Indiana man has been reported missing from Bryson City. Gary R. Wayt, a 39-year-old man from Indianapolis, IN, was last seen around 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, at a rental cabin on Arlington Avenue.
Wayt is of Asian descent, is 6’1” and weighs 205 pounds and is bald with brown eyes.
He was in town with fiancé Amber Portwood for a wedding on Saturday and was scheduled to return home on Monday, according to BCPD Chief Charlie Robinson. Portwood, 34, filed the report on Monday and told police after a brief argument Sunday evening he grabbed his wallet, keys and drove off in his vehicle, a grey 2009 Nissan Rogue SUV with Indiana state tags, an no one has seen him since.
Wayt has been entered into the national database for missing persons and BCPD Chief Robinson said he’s been in communication with Federal Bureau of Investigations, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and Swain County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
At this point, he said, no foul play is suspected.
“It looks like he got in his vehicle and drove off,” Robinson said, but since then, no one has seen or heard from him.
Anyone with information about Wayt’s whereabouts is asked to contact Bryson City Police Department at (828)488-2196 and ask for Chief Robinson or Assistant Chief Wayne Dover.
Fiancé known from
Teen Mom
The story has gained national attention, as Portwood is known from MTV’s Teen Mom series of shows. According to Entertainment Tonight, the couple were recently engaged and met on a dating app a few months ago.
Portwood first appeared in MTV’s docuseries 16 and Pregnant with her boyfriend at that time, Gary Shirley. The two have a teenage daughter. Portwood has since stared in show spinoffs including Teen Mom and Teen Mom OG, and according to reports, the show documents how she has struggled with domestic violence, depression, substance abuse and has served time for a domestic violence charges. She also has a son with her ex, Andrew Glennon, that relationship is reported to also have been troubled. In 2019, she was arrested for domestic battery after Portwood claimed she came at him with a machete, an allegation she has denied.
The missing persons investigation for Wayt remains active.