A desperate search for Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown has ended in tragedy.
Brown, who appeared on the Discovery Channel series with his family from 2014 to 2018, was found dead on Saturday after days of concern over his whereabouts. He was 43.
His brother Bear Brown confirmed the heartbreaking news in a TikTok video, telling followers that a body had been found in a river in northern Washington state just hours earlier.
The body was later identified as Matt. Bear said their brother Noah helped police recover him from the water.
Bear spoke through grief as he said the family believes Matt may have died by suicide. He said there appeared to be a wound on his body that looked self-inflicted, though he did not share more details.
“I would’ve never expected he would hurt himself, honestly,” Bear said.
Bear said Matt had struggled with addiction for years, and the family had long worried about him overdosing. But he said he never imagined his brother would take his own life.
“He struggled for a long time with addiction and I was so worried for a long time that he was going to OD,” Bear said. “I didn’t think that he would hurt himself.”
The devastating update came after Bear previously revealed that witnesses had reportedly seen Matt in a river in Okanogan County, Washington.
Authorities had been searching for a man who was reported swept away in the Okanogan River on Wednesday, May 27.
According to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, a 911 caller reported speaking to a man who was sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River south of Oroville, Washington. The caller said he turned away, heard a sound, then looked back and saw the man face down in the water, drifting away with the current.
Law enforcement, fire crews and emergency medical teams responded, but they were not able to locate the man at the time.
Deputies later searched the area using a boat, watercraft and an aerial drone. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also assisted with a boat. Divers, sonar crews and other resources were brought in as the search continued.
Officials said recent rain had raised water levels and made the current stronger, creating dangerous conditions for search teams and making recovery efforts more difficult.
A firearm was reportedly recovered from the water near where the man was last seen. According to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, responders also found a backpack and phone in the area. An empty holster was later found inside the backpack.
Before Matt’s body was recovered, Bear tearfully told followers that the family feared the missing man could be his brother.
He said his last conversation with Matt happened at a Walmart before Bear left for Florida. Later, Matt called and told him he had “fallen off the wagon.”
Bear said he encouraged him to keep fighting.
“Everybody falls off. Just get back on it. Go to rehab if you’ve got to. You’ve got this,” Bear recalled telling him.
Bear also pushed back against claims that the family had abandoned Matt.
“Everyone thinks that the family has shunned him. That’s not actually the case,” he said.
He asked people to be respectful toward his mother and the rest of the Brown family as they process the loss.
“Please be respectful to the family, to my mom especially,” Bear said. “Please don’t attack my mom. Mom cares very much for Matt and always has.”
Bear also said Matt had recently gone through a very difficult breakup.
After confirming his brother’s death, Bear said the coroner allowed family members to see Matt’s body. He asked the public to be gentle in their comments about Matt and the family.
“Sometimes words can hurt more than fists can,” he said, noting that one of Matt’s final social media posts had addressed the negativity he received online.
He ended the emotional video with a plea for kindness.
Matt Brown first became known to viewers on Alaskan Bush People, which followed the Brown family as they lived an off-grid lifestyle in the wilderness. He later stepped away from the show and publicly battled addiction.
Now, fans and family members are mourning a painful ending to a life marked by fame, struggle and repeated attempts to start over.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24 hours a day.