Alaskan Bush People Star Matt Brown Found Dead at 42
Matt Brown, a former star of the Discovery Channel reality series “Alaskan Bush People,” has been found dead in the Okanogan River in Washington state. He was 42. His brother Bear Brown confirmed the death in a TikTok video, stating the injury appeared to be self-inflicted, according to Fox News.
The Discovery
Brown’s body was recovered on Saturday, May 31, by a private search party led by Chay Wilkerson Moore, after a multi-day search that began when a 911 caller reported seeing a man floating face-down in the river south of Oroville, Washington. The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the body was found by citizens conducting a search along the river, as reported by UPI.
According to TMZ, kayakers spotted Brown’s brown jacket blending in with the murky water, a few miles south from where he was last seen. Moore described the search as “like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Noah Brown, Matt’s brother, positively identified the body. He told Decider that he was present when the body was recovered and helped pull it from the water. “It’s definitely Matthew. His ID and Social Security card was on him, and I was able to visually identify that it was Matthew,” Noah said in an Instagram post.
Timeline of Events
The search was launched on Wednesday, May 27, after a 911 caller reported seeing a man sitting in the shallows of the Okanogan River. The caller briefly turned away, then saw the man face-down and drifting away in the current. A firearm was recovered from the water where the man was last seen. Local Washington news outlet KPQ NewsRadio 560 reported that search efforts were hampered by elevated river levels, swift currents, and debris.
Bear Brown first shared fears of his brother’s death in a TikTok video on Thursday, saying he had been told Matt may have taken his own life but could not confirm. On Saturday evening, after the body was positively identified, Bear confirmed the death in another TikTok video.
A History of Struggles
Matt Brown starred on “Alaskan Bush People” from 2014 to 2019, stepping away amid his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. In a 2016 interview with People magazine, Matt opened up about his drinking, saying, “I could see myself spiraling.” He completed 35 days of treatment that year, telling the outlet, “I learned a lot about myself in those 35 days. I’ve turned my weakness into a strength.”
Bear Brown addressed the public perception that the family had abandoned Matt, stating that Matt “didn’t want anything to do with the family” despite their willingness to support him. “He has been struggling for a long time, you know, with alcohol and drugs and stuff,” Bear said in his TikTok video. “Everyone thinks that the family has, like, shunned him and won’t have anything to do with him, but that’s not actually the case.”
Family Tragedy
This is not the first tragedy to strike the Brown family. Billy Brown, the family patriarch, died in 2021 at age 68 from a seizure. The family’s reality series, which followed their attempts to live off the grid in the Alaskan wilderness, ran for 14 seasons between 2014 and 2022.
Official Investigation
The official cause and manner of death are pending determination by the Okanogan County Coroner’s Office. The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a firearm was recovered from the area where Brown was last seen alive.
Bear Brown urged the public to be respectful of the family’s privacy during this difficult time, asking specifically that people not attack his mother, Ami Brown. “Mom cares very much for Matt and always has,” he said.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).