'Alaskan Bush People' Alum Matt Brown's Shocking Death and Disappearance: What to Know

Authorities identified the body recovered from a Washington state river as that of Alaskan Bush People alum Matt Brown. He was 43.

The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a May 27 press release that a witness reported speaking to "a male sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River south of Oroville, WA." After briefly walking away, the caller reportedly heard a sound and saw the man face-down in the water, being carried away in the current.

"Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS responded to the location but were unable to locate the male in the river. Additional Okanogan County Deputies responded to the location with one boat, two jet ski type watercraft and an aerial drone. Also assisting in the search was the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife with a boat," said the sheriff's office. "A firearm was recovered from the water in the area where the male was last seen."

Search continued until about 8:45 p.m. on May 27 and resumed the following morning "with watercraft, divers and aerial drone."

Per the sheriff's office, the elevated runoff water levels hampered the operation. The search was ultimately suspended at approximately 4 p.m. on May 28 due to severe weather conditions.

Additionally, the sheriff's office said the man's identity had not yet been confirmed and would not be released.

Meanwhile, TMZ later reported that a family member had seen Brown near the Washington river, an area he was known to frequent. The family member also confirmed Brown owned a firearm.

The TV personality's brother Gabe Brown was also spotted speaking with law enforcement during search efforts as part of the investigation.

In a TikTok post on May 28, Matt's brother Bear Brown expressed fears his sibling may have taken his life.

"Alright, I have some really bad news about Matt that I wanted to share with you guys," he began. "I want to start off by saying I can't confirm this is one-hundred percent true right now, but it is what I'm hearing. So, I'm being told that late last night, Matt took his own life. Like I said, I can't confirm that's true, but witnesses say he was seen in a river, at a river, or close to a river, and that he took his own life, and they saw him floating on the river."

Visibly emotional as he shared the update, Bear continued, "So far, it looks like it's Matt."

Per Bear, Matt "has been struggling for a long time with alcohol and drugs and stuff," adding he had been particularly concerned about him lately.

"He has done a lot of stuff that people don't even know about, and everyone thinks the family has shunned him and doesn't want anything to do with him, but that's not actually the case," he explained. "He didn't want anything to do with the family. But every time Gabe [Matt's other brother] sees him, he's friendly with him. I have actually talked to him, and I try to just encourage him to stay on his path, to keep on the sobriety stuff."

Bear also revealed the last time he saw his brother was when he ran into him at a Walmart and talked to him for a few minutes before a trip to Florida. He then claimed Matt began drinking heavily again following a painful breakup — though he pointed out he never expected him to take his own life.

Amid the search, a source close to the family said the former reality star's loved ones were "not sure what to believe now."

"They are not sure where Matt is, but they are hoping that he is ok and that the information is wrong," the insider told a news outlet on May 29. "They are all in contact and speaking to police and waiting to hear. They have had their issues [with Matt] and Gabe has been the person most in contact with him."

In an update on May 30, the sheriff's office confirmed search efforts to locate the "male reported deceased" continued through May 29.

"Deputies and a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agent used boats, personal watercraft, sonar and divers to search an expanding area near the last location the male was seen," the press release added. "A canine from Spokane, trained in detection of human remains, was deployed and implements were used to drag the river bottom. The male has not been located; no signs of the male have been located."

Authorities said search operations were complicated by deteriorating river conditions, including increased water levels and faster currents. Overnight rainfall also increased the likelihood the man had drifted far from the location where he was last seen.

The male individual's identity was still not confirmed at the time.

A press release from sheriff's office published on May 31 confirmed a "group of private citizens conducting a search along the Okanogan River located a deceased individual in the river" on May 30.

After being recovered from the water, the individual was brought to shore and officially identified as Matt.

"Matthew Brown has been transferred into the custody and care of the Okanogan County Coroner. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Coroner's Office," the update added. "The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office extends its condolences to Mr. Brown's family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further information is being released at this time pending the ongoing investigation."

Bear confirmed his brother's death on TikTok, telling his followers, "They found a body in the river a few hours ago and it was positively identified as being Matt."

He also said their brother Noah Brown "helped them pull the body out of the water" and "identified" Matt.

In a separate social media update, Noah said they "found [his] oldest brother Matthew."

"It's late, and I have some bad news. ... It's been a long day," he said in the Instagram video. "For the past couple days, I've been working with search and rescue groups trying to locate the body. And today, the group that I was working with located the missing body, and I identified it as Matthew. My oldest brother, Matthew Brown, has passed away."

He later confirmed he was in the area when the authorities "pulled [Matt] out of the river" and "hauled him up off the bank."

"And then, after the sheriffs got there and everything, the coroner did his thing, and I went down to identify that it was him. It's definitely Matthew," he revealed. "His ID and Social Security card was on him, and I was able to visually identify that it was Matthew."

Noah also thanked the individuals who helped in the search and apologized to those he was unable to notify personally about his brother's death.

The youngest Brown brother disclosed "more details" will be released, including a cause of death.