Missing Blackfeet actress found dead in Seattle
<p>In this May 17, 2013 file photo, actress Misty Upham arrives for the screening of the film "Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian," at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France. Police in Washington state say Upham, known for her roles in “August: Osage County,” “Frozen River” and “Django Unchained” has been missing since Sunday, Oct. 5.</p>
SEATTLE — Actress Misty Upham, missing since Oct. 6, was found dead Thursday at the bottom of a wooded embankment in the Seattle suburb of Auburn, Wash.
Upham, who was born on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, had a thriving film career including a role in “August: Osage County” in 2013.
Auburn police spokesman Steve Stocker said the body was found by a member of Upham’s family who was part of a team searching for her.
A spokeswoman for Upham’s family confirmed Friday that it was Upham’s body. It will be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office to officially confirm the identity.
Officers found no evidence to suggest foul play. A purse containing Upham’s identification was found at the scene.
Upham, 32, was reported missing by her parents Oct. 6 after she disappeared from the Auburn area, according to the Auburn Police Department. They told police she was suicidal.
She is best known for her role as housekeeper Johnna Monevata in “August: Osage County,” where she acted alongside Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Ewan McGregor.
Upham moved to Seattle with her family when she was 8. Her break came at a showcase at Seattle’s Nippon Kan Theatre shortly after high school, when she acted in a play that she had also written and directed. Within a month she landed her first role in Chris Eyre’s 2002 film “Skins.”
Her next major role was in “Frozen River,” where she played a Mohawk woman who helps smuggle immigrants across the Canadian border. Her portrayal won the 2008 EDA Female Focus award for best newcomer. In 2012, she co-starred with Benicio Del Toro in “Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian.”
She also had a role in “Django Unchained.”
A direct descendant of Blackfeet Chief Heavy Runner, Upham was proud of her native heritage and a proponent of native communities’ economic development and self-determination, her family said.
Upham’s career was going well, her family said. She had a role in the upcoming film “Cake.”
Her family said she struggled with mental illness most of her life and managed it well until she moved to Washington this year to help care for her father, who had suffered a stroke. Her family said she wasn’t able to get the same medication after she moved, which caused her to slip into bouts of depression and panic attacks.
Misty Upham’s father, Charles Upham, told KIRO-FM his daughter was upset and erratic and had stopped taking medication for anxiety and bipolar disorder. She had been staying on the Muckleshoot reservation.