Noah Brown Opens Up About Discovering Matt Brown’s Body, Alaskan Bush People Star Reveals

Matt Brown, known for his role on Discovery Channel’s Alaskan Bush People, has died after his body was recovered from a Washington river on Saturday. His younger brother, Noah Brown, said he helped locate and identify the body during the search effort and later confirmed the identification with documents found on Matt as well as by visual confirmation.

Noah said in a video posted to Instagram that he was present when volunteers found Matt in the river and that he helped bring him ashore before law enforcement and the coroner arrived. He thanked the volunteers, local residents, and search groups who assisted in the effort, and apologized to friends and supporters he had not yet been able to contact personally. In an emotional message, Noah said, “I’m sorry it came down to this.”

According to Noah, he found Matt’s identification and Social Security card on him, which helped confirm the identity. He also said the family is dealing with overwhelming grief following the loss. Matt had been missing before his body was discovered, and the search drew support from community members and volunteers.

Matt Brown was one of the original cast members when Alaskan Bush People premiered in 2014. He later stepped away from the show to focus on recovery after years of publicly documented struggles with substance abuse. His death has deeply affected fans of the series and renewed attention on the Brown family’s long history of hardship.

The tragedy comes three years after the death of family patriarch Billy Brown, who died in 2021. At this time, officials have not released a final coroner’s report. However, Matt’s brother Bear Brown has said publicly that the family believes Matt’s death was self-inflicted and has spoken about his long struggle with addiction and mental health issues.

Noah’s account highlights the painful reality facing the Brown family as they cope with the loss. For viewers who followed Matt Brown’s life on television, his death marks another heartbreaking chapter in a family already familiar with public tragedy.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24 hours a day.