This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).
Matt Brown’s official cause of death has been released.
On Wednesday, the Okanogan County coroner’s office confirmed that Matt died by suicide, with “subsequent immersion in water” and “under the influence of methamphetamine” cited as contributing circumstances, according to People. He was 42.
On Saturday, his brother, Bear Brown, took to social media to confirm Matt had been found dead after authorities had recovered a body from a Washington state river.
‘ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE’ STAR MATT BROWN FOUND DEAD IN WASHINGTON STATE RIVER AT THE AGE OF 42
“They found a body in the river a few hours ago, and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear said in a TikTok video.
Bear confirmed their brother Noah was the one to positively identify Matt.
“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.”
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“It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted,” he continued. “Obviously, the coroner and stuff still has to look at him and stuff, but I thought that you guys should know that it is him.”
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded Wednesday after receiving a 911 call from a witness who reported seeing a man sitting in a shallow section of the river, according to Page Six. 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, according to the outlet.
On Sunday, the Brown family shared a statement regarding Matt’s death.
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“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 said.
“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. 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.”
“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.”
Matt starred on “Alaskan Bush People” from 2014 to 2019, when he stepped away amid his addiction struggles.
