Authorities have suspended the search for a man feared to be Alaskan Bush People star Matt Brown.
“Search efforts to locate the male reported deceased in 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 search an expanding area near the last location the male was seen.”
The press release continued, “A canine from Spokane, trained in detection of human remains, was deployed and implements were used to drag the river bottom. The male has not been located; no signs of the male have been located.”
According to authorities, the weather became progressively worse, impeding search efforts to the point they had to be called off until further notice.
“During 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 active river flow increases the likelihood that the male has not remained near the location last seen.”
Authorities added, “The search has been suspended due to dangerous river conditions and pending information to focus on search efforts.”
@bearthekingofextreme Really bad news about Matt #bearthekingofextreme #alaskanbushpeople #thelifeofbear #fyp
♬ original sound – Bear Brown
Brown’s family members are worried he is the deceased man, according to Matt’s brother, Bear Brown, who took to TikTok on Thursday, May 29, to address multiple, unidentified witnesses’ claims that Matt, 49, was seen floating in the river.
“I have some really bad news about Matt that I wanted to share with you all guys,” Bear said in the social media upload. “But I wanted to start out by saying that I can’t confirm that it’s 100 percent true right now, but it is what I’m hearing.”
Bear went on to claim that his brother has been “struggling for a long time” with “alcohol and with drugs and stuff.”
“He has other issues and stuff, too,” he alleged. “He has done a lot of stuff that people, like, don’t even know about.”
TMZ first reported that the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Wednesday, May 27, to report a man sitting in the shallow waters of the Okanogan River in Washington state. The anonymous caller looked away and when they turned back because of a sound, the man was allegedly lying face down in the river and being swept away by the current.
On Saturday, authorities reiterated that “the identity of the male is not confirmed” and it will not be publicly released until next of kin is notified.
“The family is not sure what to believe right now. They are not sure where Matt is but they are hoping that he is OK and that the information is wrong,” a source close to the family told Us Weekly on Friday, May 29. “They are all in contact and speaking to police and waiting to hear. They have had their issues [with Matt] and Gabe has been the person most in contact with him.”
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