Days after “Alaskan Bush People” star Matt Brown, 43, was found dead in a Washington river, the medical examiner’s office has released the results of its investigation into his case.
‘Alaskan Bush People’ star Matt Brown dies, brother speaks out
According to Bear Brown’s social media posts, his brother Matt Brown went missing and was found dead.
The cause of 43-year-old Matt Brown’s death was revealed days after the “Alaskan Bush People” star’s family announced that his body had been recovered in Washington state.
Brown’s cause of death was determined to be suicide, the Okanogan County coroner confirmed to USA TODAY on June 3. The cause of death was gunshot wounds, and contributing circumstances included “under the influence of methamphetamine” and “subsequent immersion in a river.”
TMZ was first to report the news.
Earlier, his brother Bear Brown confirmed in a video posted on his verified social media channels in the early hours of May 31 that his missing brother’s body had been recovered.
“They found a body in the river a few hours ago and positively identified it as Matt,” Baer told supporters in an emotional update. Their brother Noah “assisted in pulling the body out of the water, and Noah confirmed the identity of the body.”
Matt Brown rose to fame while appearing on Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People, which aired for 14 seasons from 2014 to 2022. The series followed the life of the Brown family in a remote part of Alaska.
“Honestly, I never thought he would hurt himself. He suffered for a long time,” Baer said. “It appears that the injury was self-inflicted.”
Hours later, Noah Brown confirmed in his social media video that he was part of the search and rescue group that recovered the body of his eldest brother, who had his identification and social security card.
Bear sternly asked his followers: “Please be respectful of my family and my mother, and be mindful of the comments you leave.”
“In one of[Matt’s]last videos, he actually talks about how negative people were on his posts,” Baer said. “Please keep in mind that the people on the other side of the screen, the people you’re watching the video with, are real people too. … Leave as many negative comments as you like about me, but please don’t mention my family.”
The family feared for days that Matt Brown was dead.
In a video shared on May 28, Bear Brown explained that she was told that “Matt took his own life” after he was found near a river in Okanogan County, Washington.
“Witnesses say he was seen in or near the river,” he said, adding that police had not found the body. At the time, he said, “I can’t be 100% sure, but it looks like Matt.”
Bear Brown said that during their last conversation, Matt told her that he had “fell off the wagon.”
“I was like, ‘Come on, pick yourself up, dude. We all get depressed, so just pick yourself up. Go to rehab if you need to. You’ve got this,'” Baer said, adding that public speculation that Matt’s family was “shunning him” was false.
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.. The Crisis Text Line also provides free 24/7 confidential support via text message when people in crisis dial 741741.
