Okanogan County coroner’s office confirmed that “Alaskan Bush People” star Matt Brown died by suicide, citing subsequent immersion in water and being under the influence of methamphetamine as contributing circumstances. His brother Bear Brown posted that autho
For hours, the family didn’t know—then Bear Brown posted the confirmation that shook the people who followed Matt Brown’s life on screen and online.
On Saturday. Bear took to social media to say authorities had recovered a body from a Washington state river and that it had been positively identified as Matt. In a TikTok video. Bear described the moment the information landed: the body they found was “positively identified as being Matt. ” after authorities had recovered it a few hours earlier.
Bear confirmed that their brother Noah was the one who positively identified Matt. “I would have never suspected he would have hurt himself, honestly,” Bear said. “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.” He added: “It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted.”.
The official cause of death was released later. On Wednesday, the Okanogan County coroner’s office confirmed that Matt died by suicide. The coroner’s findings cited “subsequent immersion in water” and “under the influence of methamphetamine” as contributing circumstances. He was 42.
The final moments leading to the recovery began with a call. Deputies with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office responded Wednesday after receiving a 911 call from a witness. The witness reported seeing a man sitting in a shallow section of the river. The caller later reported hearing a sound and finding the man face down in the water before he was swept away by the current.
A firearm was reportedly recovered from the area where the man was last seen.
Matt Brown appeared on “Alaskan Bush People” from 2014 to 2019, and in that span he also made his struggles visible. The family’s statement on Sunday reflected both the loss and the history that preceded it. “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.” The statement described him as “intelligent. curious. creative. ” and said he was a “gifted outdoorsman. fisherman. boatman. artist. and lifelong learner.” The family said he was endlessly fascinated by the world around him. loving “adventure. nature. and discovering new things. ” and they called his mind “extraordinary.”.
The statement also focused on what Matt shared during periods of sobriety and recovery. “Those who truly knew Matt knew his heart,” the family wrote. “He was compassionate. generous with his time. and deeply wanted to help others.” The Brown family said that during those periods. he openly shared his struggles with addiction and mental health through videos and personal outreach. encouraging others to seek help and reminding them they were not alone.
It added that the family had experienced years of heartbreak alongside moments of hope. “Matt spent many years battling serious mental health challenges and addiction,” the statement said. “Like countless families facing similar circumstances, we experienced periods of hope, recovery, setbacks, heartbreak, and reconciliation.”.
Their father, Billy Brown, never stopped believing in his son, the family said. Billy Brown died in 2021. “Our Dad, Billy Brown, never stopped believing in Matt’s ability to heal and find peace, and neither did we.”
Matt stepped away from “Alaskan Bush People” in 2019 amid his addiction struggles. and the reporting that followed his death made the same thread impossible to ignore: the coroner’s finding of suicide. the immersion in water. and the presence of methamphetamine as a contributing circumstance sit alongside the family’s own description of long battles with addiction and mental health.
Matt Brown Alaskan Bush People Okanogan County coroner suicide Washington state river Bear Brown Noah Brown methamphetamine