Deadliest Catch alum Matt, 43, is missing after a 911 call on Wednesday, May 27, reported a man sitting in the shallow waters of the Okanogan River in Washington who was then swept away by the current. His brother Bear, 38, told followers in a Friday video that the family is bracing for the worst, putting the chance it is not Matt at about one percent. No body has been found, and the search was temporarily suspended due to a storm, according to an Okanogan County Sheriff Office press release cited by TMZ.

Bear's 99 percent certainty and a stalled search

Bear, who runs a YouTube channel documnting his life, said in a Friday, May 29 video: "It's a very very very very small chance it's not him. it's like 99 percent him." He explained that he had spoken to locals,eyewitnesses, and the coroner, all of whom said the description of the missing man matches Matt "to a T." The Okanogan County Sheriff Office confirmed that emergency responders searched the area but have not yet recovered a body. Bear added that search efforts were briefly called off due to a "really bad storm" in Washington, where Matt resides.

Online 'nastiness' amid a family's worst fear

Bear expressed frustration over "negative and nasty comments" left on his and Matt's social media accounts during the ongoing crisis. "It's just insane to think people would leave nasty comments on stuff like that," he said in the video, according to the source report. "I wonder where the kindness has gone in the world and why people knock people down instead of trying to help them." He stressed that words hurt,even if they don't bother him personally, and urged followers to be more careful with what they post online.

Why the family says they didn't abandon Matt

In the same video, Bear directly addressed speculation that the family had turned their back on Matt. "The family didn't turn their back on Matt.. We spent a lot of trouble stuff hassle and money trying to help Matt," he said, as reported by the source. He claimed that Matt was the one who distanced himself from some family members, though Bear himself stayed in touch. "I did speak with him," Bear added, but he criticized commenters for being "hateful" at such a difficult time. The family remains in contact with police and is waiting for official word.

What remains unconfirmed: no body, no official ID

Despite Bear's high confidence, the Okanogan County Sheriff Office has not publicly identified the missing man as Matt. The 911 call came from an anonymous caller who reported seeing a man lying face down in the river and being swept away. No body has been found, leaving the family suspended between hope and grief. It is also unclear whether any additional searches are planned once the storm passes. The source does not mention any statement from law enforcement about the family's private communication.

Matt was a cast member on the reality TV series Deadliest Catch from 2014 to 2022, quietly leaving the show in 2019. he has largely stayed out of the public eye since then, making the current tragedy all the more jarring for fans .