Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 10.22.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS Kalispell-Born Actress Misty Upham
Found Dead in Washington
OCTOBER 22, 2014 | 15
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Misty Upham, known
for her role in “Frozen River,” went missing earlier this month
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
The body of Kalispell-born actress Misty Upham, who was
missing for nearly two weeks, was found near Seattle on Oct.
16. Upham’s body was found at the bottom of a ravine near the White River in Auburn, Washington, according to authorities. The cause of death is unknown and an autopsy will be per- formed by the King County Medical Examiner.
Upham was born in Kalispell in 1982 and raised on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and in the Seattle area. The Na- tive American actress performed in the films “August: Osage County,” “Frozen River” and “Django Unchained.”
According to the Auburn Police Department, it took nearly five hours to recover Upham’s body from the bottom of a 150- foot embankment. An initial investigation does not suggest foul play, according to the police department.
Upham had recently moved from California to the Muck- leshoot Reservation in Washington to care for her father who was recovering from a stroke. The actress was reported miss- ing by her family Oct. 6, a day after they told police she was sui- cidal and had stopped taking medication for anxiety and bipo- lar disorder.
After Upham’s body was discovered, her family issued a press release stating that they do not believe the actress had committed suicide but instead was running away from police. The press release detailed a previous incident where Upham was taken by police for an “involuntary transport” to an emer- gency room. The family said that the Auburn Police Depart- ment and members of the Native American community have long had a trying relationship and that that may have led to the police not putting together a search party to find Upham.
The news that Upham may have been struggling with men- tal illness was shocking to one of her close friends Laron Chap- man, who was planning on moving in with her next summer in California. Currently living in Oklahoma City, Chapman told the Beacon on Oct. 17 that he had talked with Upham on the phone for nearly three hours just two days before she went missing.
“She sounded happy and hopeful,” Chapman said. “So it’s really surprising to me that depression may have had some-
?
DREAM BUSINESS
Misty Upham. SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
thing to do with this because that’s a side of her I never saw.” Chapman, who works as a writer and producer, first met Upham in 2012 on the set of “August: Osage County.” Chap- man said that regardless of how busy Upham was, she would always pick up her phone and that she was passionate about many causes, particularly Native American rights. She was also working on a screenplay, titled “Angel,” about a man with
extraordinary, superhuman powers.
“She was a great friend, a beautiful soul and true inspira-
tion and source of comfort and encouragement in my life,” he said. “She was very caring, funny and passionate.”
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Teens Arrested for Allegedly Burning Kalispell Building
Teenagers charged with arson following structure fire on Second Avenue West
By BEACON STAFF
Two teenagers suspected of starting a fire that severely burned a building in Kalispell were arrested Oct.14, accord- ing to authorities.
A 15-year-old male from Lakeside and a 16-year-old male from Marion were taken into custody and charged with arson, officials with the Kalispell Police Department announced. They were placed in the Flathead County Ju-
venile Detention Center following an in- vestigation.
On the afternoon of Oct. 13, fire crews responded to a structure fire on Second Avenue West in Kalispell. When officers and fire department personnel arrived, they found a garage fully en- gulfed in flames. The responding fire de- partments extinguished the flames with no damage to neighboring buildings, ac- cording to officials.
The historic structure that was heavily burned was the original car- riage house for the main residence and was used as a cold storage building. The building was reported to be constructed in 1903 and is listed in Kalispell’s histor- ic registry.
The Kalispell Police Department initiated an investigation into the cause of the fire, and multiple witnesses came forward. During the investigation, three teenage males were detained and trans- ported to the Kalispell Police Depart- ment. Officers determined that two of the three teenagers were allegedly in- volved in setting the fire.
The garage appears to be a complete loss and its value is still to be deter- mined, according to the Kalispell Fire Department.
Assistance was received from Ev- ergreen Fire Department, Smith Val- ley Volunteer department and Flathead Electric.
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