“Alaskan Bush People” star Bear Brown believes her brother Matt Brown may be dead.
Bear shared the “really bad news” with her followers on TikTok on Thursday, saying she was told that the Brown family’s eldest son, Matt, “took his own life.”
Baer, 38, said he “cannot confirm whether that is true” but said Matt, 43, was “seen in, on, or near the river” and later “seen going down the river.”
Baer said someone then “called the police,” and police are “trying to find the body.”
“All the witnesses say it was Matt,” Baer lamented. “Someone definitely did, and a lot of people think it was him. … It seems that way. … It seems very likely that that is the case.”
Baer noted that Matt had “long-standing struggles with alcohol and drugs,” but insisted the family had not “shunned” him. In fact, it is said that Matt “didn’t want anything to do with his family.”
Baer claimed that she rarely spoke to Matt and that he “encouraged her to continue on her own path and remain sober.”
In fact, he said they ran into each other at Walmart “a while ago.”
“That was the last time I saw him,” Baer said. “Then he called me and said he had fallen off the wagon. And I said, ‘Come on, get back on, dude. Everybody falls. Just get back on. Go to rehab if you need to. You understand this. You’ve fought so many times before.'”
Baer added that Matt also appears to be “going through a really bad breakup” with a woman he “really loved.”
“I think he had been drinking too much. I don’t know the details,” Baer said, repeating three times, “I never thought Matt would take his own life.”
With tears in her eyes, Bear asked fans to “be respectful” especially to her siblings’ mother, Ami Brown. (Patriarch Billy Brown passed away in February 2021.)
“Please don’t blame her. Mommy cares a lot about Matt and has always been through a lot for Matt. She’s been through a lot. So please don’t attack her,” Bea begged.
Shortly before Baer posted the emotional video, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office in Washington, where Matt lives, announced in a press release that someone called 911 on Wednesday to say they had spoken to a man sitting in the shallows of the Okanogan River south of Oroville.
“The caller turned away from the man who was sitting in the river, heard a noise, turned back to the man in the water, and saw the man face down in the water being carried away by the current,” the press release said.It was later revealed that a gun was recovered from the area where the man was seen.
Officials from various agencies were dispatched to the scene, but after failing to locate the man in the river, a search was launched.
The search “remains ongoing,” but “rising water levels are making the search difficult and dangerous, including poor visibility, high currents, and underwater debris.”
A press release said the man’s identity has not been confirmed and will not be released.
A few hours after the note was shared, a status appeared on Matt’s Facebook page, which is notable for its ability to allow users to schedule posts.
“Hello, friend 
“Sometimes the hardest job you have to do every day is to keep going. Even when you know you could just lie in bed all day, something inside you whispers to you to get up and correct yourself. I think you’re a strong person who can handle tough situations like this, and I’m sure you’re proud of that.”
The message continued, “I have known all along that you were trying so hard to survive a day of deep sadness, trying to find a way out. It’s not easy, darling, it’s never easy to get back up again after a big fall.
“Keep in mind that time does not stop for you, whether you are okay or not. You may get tired of trying to correct yourself over and over again, but believe in your strength, darling. Tell yourself that you will never give up until the day you find happiness.”
However, according to Baer, ”Matt only has a YouTube channel. He’s not on Facebook or TikTok. He’s not on any of them. Those are scammers pretending to be him so people can get him to send money.”
In an alarming livestream uploaded to YouTube last week, a naked Matt, who appeared to be drunk or high, went on a rampage while carrying what appeared to be a gun.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
