Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown‘s cause of death has been confirmed after his body was found in a Washington state river on Saturday, May 30.
According to the autopsy conducted by the Okanogan County Coroner in Washington, the former reality TV star died by suicide. He was 43.
The autopsy noted that contributing circumstances to his death were “subsequent immersion in water” (the river) and that he was also “under the influence of methamphetamine.”
According to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, emergency services were called to the scene on Wednesday, May 27, after a witness reported seeing a man sitting in shallow water near the river south of Oroville.
The witness reportedly looked away briefly before hearing a sound and turning back to see the man face down in the water and being carried away by the current.
Police, firefighters, and emergency responders immediately launched a search operation but were unable to locate the individual.
Matt’s brother Bear confirmed the news of his death on Saturday in a video online, where he revealed that a body had been found in a river in northern Washington state “a few hours ago.” The body was later confirmed to be Matt, whose brother Noah helped police “pull [Matt] out of the water.”
© Matt Brown/YouTube“They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear said in his video.
“I would have never suspected he would have hurt himself, honestly. He struggled for a long time, as I’ve mentioned, and I worried he was going to end up, like, OD’d or something like that. I didn’t think he would hurt himself.”
“It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted,” Bear continued. “Obviously, the coroner and stuff still has to look at him and stuff, but I thought that y’all guys should know that it is him.”
© InstagramOn Sunday, May 31, Bear and his brother Josh both shared a statement on behalf of their family.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown,” the statement began. “To millions of viewers, Matt was known as one of the original stars of Alaskan Bush People. To us, he was so much more.
“Matt was intelligent, curious, creative, and endlessly fascinated by the world around him. He was a gifted outdoorsman, fisherman, boatman, artist, and lifelong learner. He loved adventure, nature, and discovering new things. Matt had an extraordinary mind.”
The statement continued: “Those who truly knew Matt knew his heart. He was compassionate, generous with his time, and deeply wanted to help others. During periods of sobriety and recovery, he openly shared his struggles with addiction and mental health through his videos and personal outreach.
© YouTube“He encouraged others to seek help, offered hope to people fighting similar battles, and reminded them they were not alone. We are incredibly proud of the lives he touched.
The statement added: “Matt spent many years battling serious mental health challenges and addiction. Like countless families facing similar circumstances, we experienced periods of hope, recovery, setbacks, heartbreak, and reconciliation. Our Dad, Billy Brown, never stopped believing in Matt’s ability to heal and find peace, and neither did we.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org
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