Matt Brown, a 43-year-old Alaskan Bush People star, was tragically found dead on Saturday, ending the frantic hunt for him.
In a TikTok video, Brown’s brother Bear verified the information, stating that a body had been discovered “a few hours ago” in a river in northern Washington state.
Later, it was determined that the body belonged to Brown, whose brother Noah assisted the authorities in removing his lifeless body from the river.
“I would’ve never expected he would hurt himself, honestly,” Bear told his TikTok followers of Brown, who had a history of drug and alcohol addiction prior to his death. Bear also mentioned a wound on Brown’s body that appeared to be “self-inflicted,” but he did not specify the location or severity of the wound. Bear suggested that Brown committed suicide.
He battled addiction for a long time, and I was constantly concerned that he might develop OD. I had no idea that he would injure himself.
From 2014 to 2018, Brown and his family made appearances on Alaskan Bush People.
Matt Brown, a 43-year-old Alaskan Bush People star, was tragically found dead on Saturday, ending the frantic hunt for him.
Matt provides an update. #AlaskanBushpeople #thelifeofbear #fyp #bearthekingofextreme @Noah Brown
Bear claimed that after Brown’s body was recovered from the river, the coroner permitted him and other family members to view it.
In addition, Bear urged people to “watch the comments” they make about Brown on social media and to “respect [the] family” during their time of grief. “Sometimes words can hurt more than fists can,” Bear said, pointing out that one of Brown’s most recent posts on social media addressed the “negativity” he had encountered online.
He made one last request to the public to be “kind” to the Brown family at the end of the TikTok video.
Two days after Bear sobbingly disclosed on Thursday that several witnesses had spotted Matt in an Okanogan County river, Bear has provided a devastating update.
At the time, he had expressed concerns that his brother might have committed suicide.
An unidentified guy was reportedly washed away in the Okanogan River on Wednesday, and the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office stated that it is looking into the incident.
However, TMZ revealed on Saturday that the search for the unidentified man has been halted.
After a thorough multi-agency search effort failed to find any evidence of the missing guy, the decision was made.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office told the source that on Friday, staffers searched a growing section of the river close to Oroville with the assistance of deputies, dive teams, sonar operators, boats, personal watercraft, and even a cadaver dog.
Authorities said that no evidence was discovered despite the enormous effort.
Recent rains, according to officials, has raised water levels and intensified currents throughout the day, making circumstances more dangerous for search teams.
The body may have been moved far beyond the region where he was last seen due to the river’s rapid flow, according to investigators, which would have greatly complicated recovery operations.
Before leaving for Florida, Bear claimed that he last spoke with Brown in a Walmart. “He called me after that, and he said that he had fallen off the wagon,” Bear said. “Well, get back on it, man,” I said. Everyone tumbles off. Simply return to it. If you must, go to rehab. You’re capable of this.
Everyone believes that he has been rejected by the family. In reality, that isn’t the case.
Brown, who was featured on Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2018, had disappeared a few days prior. “Please be respectful to the family, to my mom especially,” he said. Don’t attack my mother, please. Mom has always had a great deal of affection for Matt.
According to Bear, his brother recently went through a “really bad breakup.”
On Wednesday, May 27, a caller reported to 911 that “he had just spoken to a male sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River south of Oroville, WA,” according to a press statement from the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.The caller heard a commotion, looked away from the man sitting in the river, and then turned back to see the man face down in the water, drifting away in the current.
Despite their best efforts, law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services were unable to find the individual in the river.
“Additional Okanogan County Deputies responded to the location with one boat, two jet ski type watercraft, and an aerial drone,” the release continued. The WA Department of Fish and Wildlife also contributed to the search with a boat. “A firearm was recovered from the water in the area where the male was last seen.” “The search for the male continued until dark at about 8:45 PM and resumed in the morning of May 28, 2026 with watercraft, divers, and aerial drone.” The hunt is still ongoing.
Hours after authorities halted their search for the unnamed man in Washington’s Okanogan River, they learned of Brown’s passing.
After “witnesses [said] that he was seen in a river,” Brown’s brother Bear expressed concerns that Brown might have “took his own life.”
The male’s identity is still unknown, and as of Friday, May 29, the body has not been located.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office has been contacted by The Daily Mail for additional comment.
Less than a mile from where the witness observed the man in the river, a family member told TMZ that they saw Brown on Wednesday morning at around 8 a.m. close to the Driscoll Island Wildlife Area off Highway 97 in Oroville, Washington.
Please text or contact the US’s private, round-the-clock Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you or someone you know needs assistance. Additionally, there is an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
