Noah Brown has provided details about the volunteer search operation that resulted in the discovery of his brother Matt Brown's remains in the Okanogan River in Washington state on Saturday, May 30.
The Alaskan Bush People star described the coordinated efforts of multiple search teams working to locate his missing brother in the days leading up to the discovery.
"For the past couple days, I've been communicating back and forth with the different search teams," Noah told Us Weekly. "There [were] two separate search teams that were going to look for him. They were nonprofits and we're all communicating."
According to Noah, a smaller, locally-based team decided to conduct a search on Saturday afternoon. The team contacted him in the mid-afternoon to report they had located his brother's body.
"One of the smaller, more local teams decided to go out yesterday, and about — I think it's 3:20-something, 3:27, 3:28, something like that — they texted me and told me they had found him. So I rushed down to the spot," he told Us Weekly.
The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office confirmed the recovery in an updated press release shared on the department's official Facebook page on Sunday, May 31.
"A group of private citizens conducting a search along the Okanogan River located a deceased individual in the river," the press release stated. "The individual was recovered and brought to shore, where he was positively identified as Matthew Brown."
Noah explained that the volunteer search team made the decision to transport his brother's remains to shore rather than leaving the body in place. The team used a small skiff to move the body, and Noah assisted in bringing the vessel further onto the shore, where it remained until the coroner arrived.
"Then myself and the rest of the people that were looking hauled the skiff up further on the shore, and that's where it was … when the coroner came," he told Us Weekly. "Right now, all I can say is that he was lost in the river. He was lost in the river and we found him."
Noah confirmed that his brother's body is currently with the coroner, who will conduct an autopsy. The cause of death has not yet been released by authorities. However, another brother, Bear Brown, shared in a Saturday social media post that he believes Matt's death was "self-inflicted."
The reality television star described the emotional weight of being present when his brother's body was discovered and the responsibility of providing a positive identification.
"I'm kind of compartmentalizing, kind of focusing on, like, what the next thing is I'm supposed to do," Noah told Us Weekly. "I knew I needed to be there in order to be able to identify him. It's not just for the sheriffs and everything."
Noah explained a family practice that influenced his decision to personally identify his brother's remains, noting the importance of definitive confirmation to the grieving process.
"My family has this thing that if we don't see the body and one of us is able to confirm otherwise, there is, like, a little glimmer of hope that maybe they're still out there," he told Us Weekly. "His ID was on him, his social security was on him. And I, personally, I personally ID'd him. They unzipped the body bag for me, and I was able to visually ID [my brother]."
Noah stated that he took the lead on the identification process because he was in the vicinity and felt prepared to handle the responsibility.
"I just happened to be the one to be taking the lead on it because, I guess, I was the most prepared to do it," he told Us Weekly. "To kind of take all that responsibility."
On Sunday, the Brown Family issued a statement to Us Weekly addressing Matt's death and acknowledging his struggles with mental health and addiction.
"We are incredibly proud of the lives he touched. Some of the messages we treasure most are from people who told us Matt's honesty about addiction and recovery gave them hope during their own darkest moments," the family said. "At the same time, Matt spent many years battling serious mental health challenges and addiction. These were complex struggles that affected every aspect of his life."
The family continued, "Like countless families facing similar circumstances, we experienced periods of hope, recovery, setbacks, heartbreak, reconciliation, and renewed hope again."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
