'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood Faced Domestic Violence Charges Prior to Fiancé's Disappearance

Content warning: This article discusses domestic violence.

Reality star Amber Portwood's life offscreen has been turbulent, to say the least. The Teen Mom star's fiancé, Gary Wayt, went missing and fans immediately pointed their fingers toward her.

Her past history is riddled with some legal issues, too, only making matters worse. She asked for fans' support during the tough time, insisting that nothing catastrophic happened between them. Eventually, Gary was located.

What really happened?

Amber and her fiancé reportedly went on a vacation to the mountains of North Carolina. On June 9, 2023, though, Amber reported to the Bryson City Police Department that Gary was missing.

The pair reportedly had a tense conversation before he walked off without his phone and headed to a nearby town. After a day of no answer, the police officially declared him a missing person.

They wrote on Facebook: “Missing person GARY R. WAYT. 39 yrs old. 6’01” 205 lbs., bald with brown eyes, last seen 06/09/2024 on Arlington Ave. area of Bryson City N.C. Drive a grey SUV 2009 Nissan Rogue with Indiana state registration plate. Any information please call 828488-2196. Ask for Chief Robinson or Assnt. Chief Dover [sic].”

Amber went live on Facebook, according to The Mirror, where she explained the situation to fans, claiming that the pair that “there was no explosive argument," but rather a conversation that “had something to do with the fact of his parents being Vietnamese and me being who I am.”

“We are very in love. This man asked me to be with him. This man asked me to marry him. I have not touched this man in any horrible way. He does not touch me in any horrible way. We do not yell at each other," she insisted.

Days after he was reported missing, Gary was located, according to ABC11. Police reportedly closed the case, but were careful about what details they released to the public.

Bryson City Police told WLOS that he was originally spotted through a car tag camera in New Mexico and Oklahoma. They wrote on Facebook: "No further information available at this time. Case is Closed."

The reality star was arrested in 2019 for attacking her ex, Andrew Glennon. He was reportedly holding their child at the time of the incident and Amber later pled guilty to domestic battery, criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, and domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old.

“I just have a lot of guilt of not being aware of myself more than I should have. And I really do feel ashamed that I didn’t have that because I should after all the things I’ve done to change," she said on an episode of Teen Mom OG.

While not charged for the incident, an episode of the show also showed Amber hitting her former partner, Gary Shirley. The 2010 situation caused quite a bit of controversy against Amber.