Alaskan Bush People alum Noah Brown is sharing more details about about how his family is coping in the days after his brother Matt’s untimely death.
“All we can say is that he was lost in the river. He was lost in the river, and we found him,” Noah, 33, exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Right now, he’s with the coroner. They’re going to do an autopsy and everything like that. They haven’t yet released the cause of death.”
Matt was found dead at age 43 on Saturday, May 30, after police conducted a search for an unidentified man seen floating in the Okanogan River in Washington state.
“I was there, so they found him, and the small search team that had actually located him, instead of leaving the body where it was, they had loaded him into the small skiff and moved him to shore,” Noah explains. “Then, myself and the rest of the people that were looking hauled the skiff up further on the shore, and that’s where it was when the coroner came.”
After noting that he “personally ID’d” his brother at the scene, Noah says his family is “looking at different options” regarding the next steps.
“The coroner currently has him, and once we hear from the coroner … maybe Monday or Tuesday, then we’ll know more, and know more for the next steps,” Noah adds. “Right now, it’s still in the process of just trying to come to terms with the fact that he’s actually gone.”
While it’s currently unclear what happened to Matt, Noah notes that the Okanogan River is “very rough” and a “treacherous area.”
“There is a fishing spot in the area. The part where he apparently went in was a spot that’s a fishing area, but again, we don’t know really anything that happened,” Noah says. “The [Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office] hasn’t released a formal statement involving the details, and the coroner hasn’t released any statement about the autopsy yet.”
Noah Brown and Matt Brown Courtesy of Noah Brown/Instagram; Courtesy of Matt Brown/Instagram
Noah concludes that his family is trying to “focus on the positive” at this difficult time.
Matt’s brother Bear Brown confirmed his death via TikTok on Saturday.
“They found a body in the river a few hours ago and it was positively identified as being Matt,” Bear, 38, said in his video. “Noah was with them and helped them pull the body out of the water. Noah identified Matt.”
Bear added that an autopsy had not yet been performed on Matt, although he said it is theorized that the death was “self-inflicted.”
Matt’s family, who was at the center of the Discovery Channel’s reality series Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2022, addressed his death in a statement to Us on Sunday, May 31.
“It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Matthew Brown,” the statement read. “To millions of viewers, Matt was known as one of the original stars of Alaskan Bush People. To us, he was so much more.”
The family continued, “Matt was intelligent, curious, creative, and endlessly fascinated by the world around him. He was a gifted outdoorsman who felt most at home on the water, in the wilderness, or sharing what he had learned with others. He was an accomplished fisherman, an experienced boatman, and served as the radar operator on our family’s vessels. He loved adventure and never stopped exploring new ideas.”
The statement noted that Matt “spent many years battling serious mental health challenges and addiction.”
“If there is one message we hope people take from Matt’s life, it is that no one should have to suffer alone,” the family said. “If you are struggling with addiction, depression, or hopelessness, please reach out. Talk to someone. Ask for help. There is strength in seeking support, and there is always hope. Matthew’s life cannot be measured solely by how it ended. It should be measured by the people he encouraged, the adventures he lived, the knowledge he pursued, the beauty he created, and the love he shared with those around him.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
