Authorities have suspended their search and investigation into the suspected death of a man believed to be Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown, as officials continue to review limited information and dangerous river conditions prevent further recovery efforts.

The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release on Saturday that the active search for a “male reported deceased in the Okanogan River” has been called off for now, citing “dangerous river conditions and pending information to focus search efforts.”

The update comes after Brown’s brother, Bear Brown, shared a series of emotional videos on TikTok, saying witnesses had told him Matt was seen near a river before what they believed was his death.

“Witnesses say that he was seen in a river, at a river, or close to a river, and that he took his own life, and then they saw him floating in the river,” Bear said. “They called the police, and they’ve been trying to find the body. So far, they haven’t been able to. All the witnesses are saying it was Matt.”

Bear added in a follow-up video that while nothing has been officially confirmed, he believes there is a very high likelihood it is his brother. “It’s a very, very, very small chance that it’s not him,” he said. “It’s like 99 percent him.”

In its initial Thursday statement, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said a caller reported speaking to a man sitting in the shallow water of the Okanogan River south of Oroville, Washington. The caller said they turned away briefly, heard a sound, and then saw the man face down in the water drifting away in the current.

Officials also noted that a firearm was recovered from the water near where the man was last seen.

In both press updates, authorities emphasized that the identity of the individual has not been officially confirmed.

A more detailed statement released Saturday outlined the scale of the search effort. Deputies and a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agent reportedly used boats, personal watercraft, sonar equipment, and divers to search an expanding section of the river. A trained cadaver dog from Spokane was also deployed, along with river-bottom dragging equipment. Despite this, officials said no body or signs of the individual were found.

Authorities added that rising rainfall and stronger currents have made conditions increasingly hazardous and may have carried the person farther from the original search area.

Bear Brown also claimed in his videos that Matt had been struggling with addiction in the period leading up to his disappearance. “He has been struggling for a long time with alcohol and drugs,” he said. “He has done a lot of stuff that people don’t even know about.”

He also addressed public speculation about family tensions, saying that while Matt had been distant, he did not believe the situation was as simple as people assumed. “Everyone thinks that the family has shunned him and won’t have anything to do with him, but that’s not actually the case,” he said. “He didn’t want anything to do with the family.”

Matt Brown appeared on Alaskan Bush People, which aired for 14 seasons on Discovery Channel from 2014 to 2022, following the Brown family’s off-grid life in Alaska. He left the series in 2019 amid struggles with addiction.

Authorities say the investigation remains open, but active search operations have been paused pending further developments.

Source: Entertainment Weekly