Authorities have suspended the seek for a person feared to be Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown.
“Search efforts to locate the male reported deceased within the Okanogan River continued through Friday 5/29/2026,” Sheriff Jodie Barcus said in an updated press release shared via the Office of the Okanogan County Sheriff’s official Facebook account on Saturday, May 30. “Deputies and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agent[s] used boats, personal watercraft, sonar and divers to look an expanding area near the last location the male was seen.”
The press release continued, “A canine from Spokane, trained in detection of human stays, was deployed and implements were used to tug the river bottom. The male has not been situated; no signs of the male have been situated.”
In keeping with authorities, the weather became progressively worse, impeding search efforts to the purpose that they had to be called off until further notice.
“In the course of the day of search efforts, the river conditions deteriorated and hampered search efforts,” the press release said. “After rainfall from the previous night, the river level and river current speed increased. The energetic river flow increases the likelihood that the male has not remained near the situation last seen.”
Authorities added, “The search has been suspended because of dangerous river conditions and pending information to give attention to search efforts.”
@bearthekingofextreme Really bad news about Matt #bearthekingofextreme #alaskanbushpeople #thelifeofbear #fyp
Brown’s members of the family are frightened he’s the deceased man, based on Matt’s brother, Bear Brown, who took to TikTok on Thursday, May 29, to deal with multiple, unidentified witnesses’ claims that Matt, 49, was seen floating within the river.
“I actually have some really bad news about Matt that I desired to share with you all guys,” Bear said within the social media upload. “But I wanted to start out out by saying that I can’t confirm that it’s one hundred pc true at once, nevertheless it is what I’m hearing.”
Bear went on to say that his brother has been “struggling for a very long time” with “alcohol and with drugs and stuff.”
“He has other issues and stuff, too,” he alleged. “He has done lots of stuff that folks, like, don’t even learn about.”
Bear Brown slammed people leaving disrespectful comments about brother Matt Bear amid the family’s concerns for his well-being. “First off, I’m not only making a video on rumors. It’s a really, very, very, very small likelihood it’s not him. It’s like 99 percent him,” Bear, 38, said of the family’s fear for Matt, 43, in […]
TMZ first reported that the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Wednesday, May 27, to report a person sitting within the shallow waters of the Okanogan River in Washington state. The anonymous caller looked away and once they turned back due to a sound, the person was allegedly lying face down within the river and being swept away by the present.
On Saturday, authorities reiterated that “the identity of the male is just not confirmed” and it should not be publicly released until next of kin is notified.
“The family is just not sure what to consider at once. They aren’t sure where Matt is but they’re hoping that he’s OK and that the data is flawed,” a source near the family told Us Weekly on Friday, May 29. “They’re all in touch and chatting with police and waiting to listen to. They’ve had their issues [with Matt] and Gabe has been the person most in touch with him.”