Alaskan Bush People Star Matt Brown Dead at 43 After Police Search

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Content warning: This article contains mention of alleged substance abuse and possible suicide.

Matt Brown’s family is facing an unimaginable loss. 

Billy Brown, a star of the reality show Alaskan Bush People, was found dead in Washington’s Okanogan River on May 30th. He was 43 years old, according to his brother, Bear Brown.

Bear announced on TikTok on May 30th that the body found in the river a few hours earlier had been identified as Matt.

Bear, who also appears on a reality show, said his youngest brother, Noah Brown, assisted in recovering Matt’s body from the water and was the first in the family to positively identify him.

Although the official cause of death is still under investigation by the coroner, Bear thinks his brother likely died by suicide.

“Honestly, I never would have guessed he’d harm himself,” Bear said. “He’d been battling things for a while, like I said before. I was really worried he might overdose, but I didn’t think he’d actually hurt himself. It seems the injury was self-inflicted.”

After noticing Matt often received hateful comments online, Bear asked people to be respectful of his family, especially his mother, and to think before posting comments.

He reminded everyone that the people they see in videos are real people with lives and feelings, just like them.

The day before, Bear expressed his worry that Matt might have died after hearing about an incident near the Okanogan River in Washington.

I was so saddened to share some difficult news with my followers recently. I wanted to be upfront about the fact that I’m still processing it and don’t have all the confirmed details, but I’ve been hearing the heartbreaking news that Matt tragically took his own life late last night. It’s incredibly tough to share something like this, and I wanted to be honest about where I’m at with the information.

The 38-year-old claims people who saw what happened believe Matt likely ended his own life before he fell into the river and vanished.

Bear explained that the police were called and have been thoroughly searching for the body. So far, they haven’t found anything, and witnesses are suggesting the person involved was Matt.

I was really concerned to hear that the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office got a call about a man sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River. They confirmed it in a press release, and it’s definitely worrying news.

According to a statement, the person who made the call looked away from the man in the river, then heard a noise. When they looked back, they saw the man floating face down and being carried away by the current. Police, firefighters, and paramedics searched the river but couldn’t find him.

Police found a gun at the scene and are withholding the victim’s name for now.

TopMob News has contacted the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office for a statement, but they haven’t responded yet.

In his update, Bear also shed light on his brother’s alleged sobriety journey in recent years.

He said his older brother had been battling alcohol and drug problems for a while, and he was becoming increasingly concerned about his well-being.

The reality star also said Matt had isolated himself over time.

People believe his family has rejected him, but that’s not true. He’s the one who chose to distance himself from them, according to Bear.

You know, I’ve seen this happen a lot – relationships drifting apart when life gets busy. Bear told me he and Matt unfortunately experienced that too. They went from being close to just checking in with each other every now and then, mostly through quick phone calls. It’s a sad reality, but it shows how important it is to nurture those connections!

He explained that he always tries to support his brother’s recovery. The last time they saw each other was briefly at Walmart, after which his brother called and admitted he’d relapsed. He encouraged him to get back on track, reminding him that setbacks happen and to consider rehab if needed, adding that he’s overcome challenges with sobriety before.

“That was the last time I spoke to him,” Bear said. “I knew he was going through a tough time, but I never imagined he’d end his own life.”

Bear explained at the end of his video why he chose to discuss the hardships his family is facing while they continue to search.

I wanted to make sure you all heard this directly from us first,” he said. “I’ll share more information as soon as I have it, but please be respectful of my family, especially my mom.

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2026-05-31 16:47