Actress Misty Upham found dead in Seattle suburb
Police in Washington state have found the body of missing actress Misty Upham.
A body found Thursday in a wooded area of a Seattle suburb has been confirmed as the August: Osage County actress, family spokesperson Tracy Rector confirms to Paste BN.
Upham was 32.
No cause of death has been revealed yet.
Police told The Seattle Times that the body was found at the bottom of a 150-foot embankment not far from the river.
"We waited at the site where the team found the body," Rector, who was also part of the search party, told THR late Thursday evening. "It took about five-and-a-half hours to confirm. Then we gathered around her body to say prayers and now we're all gathered at the church."
Television station KIRO-FM reported that a search party of three, including one family member, was canvassing the forest when they found Upham's purse and ID. They searched a ravine, discovered a body and called 911.
Upham, who is known for her roles in August: Osage County and Frozen River, was reported missing by her parents on Oct. 6.
The 32-year-old Native American actress had been listed as missing in the Washington Crime Information Center database.
Upham's father, Charles Upham, wrote on her Facebook page on Oct. 12 that "Misty has suffered from mental illness most of her life. With the help of her medical team and family support she is able to manage it well."
The family said Upham had moved to the Seattle area to help care for her father, who is recovering from a stroke.
"When Misty left California state her medical team stopped her treatment and told her to re-establish treatment and medication in Washington state," Charles Upham wrote on Facebook. "This has not been a smooth transition."
He ended the Facebook post with an appeal directly to his daughter: "Misty, if you can see this message, we love you and your family will continue to search for you until you are found. Come home please."
Rector said memorial plans would be announced late Friday afternoon and that flowers for Upham were already pouring into Auburn location which had previously served as a search-and-rescue headquarters.
Young Native Americans have also been calling expressing shock about the loss.
"There's a lot of confusion to as how this could have happened," said Rector. "Misty experienced a lot of ups and downs in her life, she was very open about that. But she was an inspiration to people and a real role model."