“Alaskan Bush People” star Matt Brown, 43, died after his body was recovered from a river in Washington state, according to his brother Bear Brown.
Baer said earlier this week that she believed Matt died by suicide, but on Saturday night authorities confirmed that the body found in the Okanogan River had been identified as Matt’s brother.
“A body was found in the river a few hours ago and we have positively identified it as Matt,” Baer said in a TikTok update.
According to Baer, Noah Brown, the youngest of seven Brown siblings, was the first family member to see Matt’s body and support recovery efforts.
“Noah helped pull the body out of the water and Noah identified (Matt).”
Baer said he believes Matt died by suicide, adding that a medical examiner will need to examine the body before an official cause of death can be determined.
“I never thought Matt would hurt himself. It looks like self-harm,” Baer said, adding that his brother suffered from alcohol and drug addiction as well as “other issues” that he kept private.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it received a 911 call from a person who said they found a man sitting in the shallows of the Okanogan River. The caller claimed he heard a noise and found a man face down in the water.
Police said a firearm was recovered from the Okanogan River watershed where the man was last seen.
Authorities began a search, but were initially unable to find it, and the operation was halted due to dangerous river conditions.
Bear asked fans to be respectful and refrain from leaving negative comments as the family mourns.
The update comes days after Baer shared “some really bad news” on TikTok, saying that he was told that Matt “took his own life,” but that he could not yet confirm the report.
Ms Baer said at the time that Matt was seen “in, on, or near the river” and was later found “going down the river.”
“All the witnesses say it was Matt,” he said. “Somebody definitely did it. And a lot of people think it was him…it seems like it’s…very likely.”
Bear denied that he had been estranged from his family in recent years and claimed Matt “didn’t want anything to do with them”.
Baer also said Matt had recently been dealing with a difficult breakup.
“I think he had been drinking too much. I don’t know the details,” he said.
Concerns about Matt were heightened last week after he posted a YouTube livestream in which he appeared naked, speaking incoherently and carrying what appeared to be a firearm.
Matt appeared in 79 episodes of Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2019, starring his parents Billy and Ami and his siblings.
The Discovery Channel series followed the Brown family as they lived off the grid in the wilderness.
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.
