Misty Upham Death: Family Says Actress ‘Did Not Commit Suicide,’ Stars Pay Tribute

Actress Misty Upham’s family said that they did not believe that the 32-year-old had committed suicide but may have accidentally died after falling off a cliff, media reports said. The “August: Osage County” star’s body was found in a Washington ravine on Thursday evening.

Upham disappeared on Oct. 5 after leaving her Auburn apartment and her father filed a missing persons report, saying she suffered from an unspecified “medical condition.” Upham’s family had also previously claimed that they feared that the actress might commit suicide but now stated that she wanted to live.

We believe that Misty's death was accidental," father Charles Upham wrote, in a post on the actress’ Facebook page.

"She did not commit suicide. We believe she ran into the wooded area behind her apartment to hide from the police... evidence suggests that she slipped and fell off the steep embankment when she tried to get out of view from the road."

Upham's family also told TMZ that they believe that her death was a tragic accident as her body had been found from an area that is scenic and that she might have been there in a "reflective mood." Upham's purse and shoes were found on top of a cliff near the White River, south of Seattle.

The family, in the press release, stated that the Upham’s death could have been prevented if the Auburn police changed the her status from missing to endangered.

“We pleaded with the Auburn Police to help us find Misty but Commander Stocker made the decision that Misty did not fit the criteria of the Washington State Endangered Missing Persons Plan,” the family wrote.

The King County Medical Examiner's office confirmed Upham's identity on Friday, while the "cause and manner of death are pending."

Auburn Police Commander Steve Stocker reportedly told NBC news that Upham's disappearance had been taken seriously and "we did everything we could in this case."

Here are some tweets from celebrities paying tribute to Upham.