The Okanogan County Coroner has confirmed that “Alaskan Bush People” star Matt Brown, 43, died by suicide after his family recovered his body from a river in Washington. The coroner said the cause was a gunshot wound, with contributing circumstances including
Days after “Alaskan Bush People” star Matt Brown, 43, was found dead in a river in Washington, the Okanogan County Coroner office shared details of what was determined in his case.
On June 3, the coroner confirmed that Brown’s manner of death was suicide. The cause was a gunshot wound. The coroner also listed contributing circumstances that included Brown being “under the influence of methamphetamine” and his “subsequent immersion” in a river.
His family had announced earlier that his body was recovered in Washington state after he was reported missing. Bear Brown, his brother, said in a social media post that Brown had been found and identified after going missing.
In a video posted in the early hours of May 31. Bear Brown described an urgent. emotional moment as search and retrieval unfolded. “They found a body in the river a few hours ago. and it was positively identified as being Matt. ” he told supporters. Bear added that their brother Noah helped them pull the body out of the water, and that Noah identified him.
Hours after that update, Noah Brown confirmed in his own social media video that he was part of the search-and-rescue group that retrieved the body of his oldest brother. Bear later said Noah had his ID and Social Security card on him.
As details emerged around the death, Bear Brown also spoke about what he believed had led his brother to harm himself. “I would have never suspected he would have hurt himself, honestly. He struggled for a long time,” Bear said. “It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted.”
Brown’s death comes after days of fear within his family. In a video shared May 28. Bear Brown said he had been told that “Matt took his own life” after he was spotted near a river in Okanogan County. Washington. He said witnesses reported seeing Matt near a river, while police were unable to find a body at the time. Bear also said, “I can’t confirm it 100%, but it looks like” it is Matt.
During a discussion that Bear recalled later, he said Matt told him, “he had fallen off the wagon.” Bear responded, “Well, get back on it, man. Everybody falls off. Just get back on it. Go to rehab if you’ve got to. You’ve got this,” he said.
Bear also pushed back against public speculation. He said claims that the family had “shunned him” were false. And after the death was confirmed, Bear asked followers to treat the moment carefully. He urged viewers to “please. please be respectful to my family and to my mom. and please watch the comments that you leave. guys.”.
Bear said one of Matt’s last videos addressed negative reactions to posts. “One of [Matt’s] last videos, he’s actually talking about how negative people were on his posts,” Bear said. “Keep in mind that people on the other side of your screen. people that you’re watching a video of. they’re real people. too. … Leave as many negative comments about me as you want, but please leave my family out of it.”.
Matt Brown rose to fame on Discovery Channel’s “Alaskan Bush People,” which ran for 14 seasons from 2014 until 2022. The series followed the Brown family’s life in remote Alaska, turning Matt into a public figure far beyond the communities where his family built their lives.
The timeline—Bear’s May 28 warning of what he’d been told. his May 31 confirmation after a body was pulled from a river. and then the June 3 confirmation from the coroner—leaves a question hanging for many who watched the search and the updates unfold. In a story where the public had been following closely. it was the family’s urgency and grief that drove each update. from searching for identification to asking strangers to stop turning personal pain into comment threads.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visiting 988lifeline.org. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message by dialing 741741.
Matt Brown Alaskan Bush People Okanogan County Coroner suicide gunshot wound methamphetamine Bear Brown Noah Brown Washington river