Misty Upham’s Family Believe Death Was Accidental, Not Suicide

Despite earlier claims, the family of actress Misty Upham no longer believes her death was the result of a suicide.

In a post on Facebook entitled 'Official Upham Family Press Release,' her father, Charles Upham, claims to believe Misty's death was ultimately no more than a tragic accident.

The Facebook post reads: "She did not commit suicide. We believe she ran into the wooded area behind her apartment to hide from the police. The area in question has a hidden drop off and evidence suggests that she slipped and fell off of the steep embankment when she tried to get out of a view from the road. She simply did not see the drop off. We searched near that area that evening she disappeared and missed seeing her purse by 25 feet."

Citing previous run-ins with police officers, Charles goes on to write that Misty's fear of the Auburn police officials is what caused her to run away. Because of the sudden drop off that leads to the ravine -- where her body was eventually discovered -- he believes she simply didn't see the steep incline until it was too late.

Claiming her death could have been prevented, the post goes on to mention a particular incident in which the Auburn police made fun of Misty -- all while they were taking her to the ER during an involuntary transport. The post says: "After Misty arrived at the ER we went to see her and she has a swollen jaw, black eye and scratches and bruises on her shoulder. I asked the ER staff what happened and they said Misty was brought in like that. Misty said she couldn't remember what happened but thats why she feared the police."

Believing her death could have been prevented, but that search efforts were ultimately thwarted by the police department, the post alleges that Department Commander Stocker was biased against Misty "due to a previous encounter," thereby refusing to aid search teams until it was too late.

The post ends on a loving remembrance of the talented actress: "Misty loved life, she had ambition, vision and a desire to make a difference in the world she lived in. She tried to use her celebrity status to influence positive change and she became a living example of that endeavor."

The 'Frozen River' actress was found dead in an Auburn, Wash., ravine. She was 32 years old.