Alaskan Bush People star Noah Brown has shared more details about his eldest brother Matt’s death.
Alaskan Bush People was a reality series that followed patriarch Billy Brown’s naturalist family as they lived life removed from civilization alongside his wife, Ami, and their seven children. The show ran on the Discovery Channel from 2014 to 2022.
Matt — the couple’s oldest child, who featured on the first eight seasons — was found dead at the age of 43, his brother, Solomon Isaiah “Bear” Brown, announced over the weekend. In an Instagram post, Bear indicated that Matt had likely died by suicide, though they are still waiting for the coroner’s report.
In an Instagram video posted shortly afterward, Noah, 33, additionally confirmed his brother’s death and opened up about the harrowing search and rescue he joined to locate Matt’s body.
“It’s late, and I have some bad news. ... It’s been a long day,” he began. “For the past couple days, I’ve been working with search and rescue groups trying to locate the body. And today, the group that I was working with located the missing body, and I identified it as Matthew.
“My oldest brother, Matthew Brown, has passed away,” Noah added.
Later in the video, he revealed, “I was there when we pulled him out of the river.”
“We hauled him up off the bank,” he said of Matt. “And then, after the sheriffs got there and everything, the coroner did his thing, and I went down to identify that it was him. It’s definitely Matthew. His ID and Social Security card was on him, and I was able to visually identify that it was Matthew.”
Noah explained that he waited to make the video until after he had personally informed friends and family of Matt’s death.
“I’ve had a lot of phone calls I’ve been making to inform everyone, and anyone that I haven’t been able to reach or didn’t have a phone number for, but knew Matthew personally, that finds out from this video, I am sincerely sorry that I wasn’t able to tell you personally,” he apologized. “And for all the fans of the show and everything, I’m sorry that it came down to this of finding out.”
Noah concluded, sharing that he will keep fans updated with “more details” once they find out Matt’s official cause of death.
Matt had appeared on Alaskan Bush People from 2014 to 2019, before stepping away amid his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
In Bear’s video, he expressed concern about Matt’s struggles with addiction, disclosing that he had worried he “was going to end up like, OD’d or something.”
“I didn’t think that he would have hurt himself, though,” Bear, 38, said. “It does look as though the injury is self-inflicted.”
Matt’s death comes years after his father, Billy, died in 2021 after suffering a seizure at the age of 68.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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