Harrowing details of the moment rescuers discovered Matt Brown’s body in the river have been revealed.
Chay Wilkerson Moore spoke to the US Sun about Operation Heart Rescue and said they quickly assembled a small team, including Matt’s girlfriend Jamie and his brother Noah Brown, to search the Okanogan River in Washington state.
“Basically, there were four of us and they brought whatever we could find, which was a kayak from Walmart,” Moore told the outlet.
“There were literally two kayaks and a fishing boat that was a little bit narrow. I actually felt like I was too big to get on the fishing boat and help out, because I’m a pretty big guy,” he added.
“We all know that river very well. I’ve been swimming there since the 1970s. We know the terrain and we know the equipment. So we were confident we would find him.”
Moore said there are plans to staff both sides of the bank. Later, a female volunteer found a brown jacket floating in the murky water.
“Brown water and a brown jacket…very hard to find,” Moore said, adding that Matt’s body was found “just about 5.5 miles from the entry point where he entered the water.”
Moore said she felt “a lot of emotions” when a volunteer named Charlie found Matt and began praying for him.
“And from that point on they approached the body and loaded it onto the boat, which is not normal practice for us,” Moore acknowledged.
“Normally we would call the sheriff and have them deal with it, but because there was a current there, they were afraid of losing him. If he went down that river, we wouldn’t be able to find him,” he added.
“And they were so close to Matt that I think their adrenaline kicked in and got him into the boat.”
The rescue team prepared an exit for Noah and his friends to retrieve Matt’s body.
“We picked up the boat with Matt in it. He was covered, but Noah was still in a surreal state of disbelief,” Moore recalled to the US Sun.
“Matt’s girlfriend Jamie was extremely emotional, to say the least,” he revealed, adding: “She was comforted by Charlie holding her underwater, holding her forward, and continuing to hold her.”
Last weekend, Matt’s older brother Bear Brown, 38, shared the shocking news on TikTok that his eldest brother had passed away. He was 43 years old.
Baer said her late brother “had a long struggle with alcohol and drugs.”
Matt, his parents, and siblings starred in Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2019. This reality show follows the lives of these people living in the wilderness and without a net.
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.
