Misty Upham, a Native American actress known for her roles in Frozen River and August: Osage County, has been missing since Oct. 5, after a long battle with mental illness.

Upham, 32, broke out in 2008 with her award-winning role in Frozen River, and has been steadily acting ever since. Last year, she starred in August: Osage County opposite Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, and she can next be seen in Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston and Anna Kendrick.

Misty Upham Reported Missing On Oct. 6

Recently, Upham moved to the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation in Washington after her father, Charles Upham, suffered a stroke earlier this year, and was last seen on the Reservation leaving her family home. Local police received a call that day saying that there was a suicidal person at the Upham family home, but Upham was gone by the time they arrived at the scene.

Charles reported his daughter missing on Oct. 6, and went to the press in an effort to spread the word about his daughter. In various interviews, Charles revealed that Upham suffered from depression that worsened after the family moved to Washington from L.A., which forced her medical care to change.

“She had recently changed her medication, so she was sort of having erratic behavior. She told me and her mom that we didn’t have to worry about her anymore…I thought it sounded suicidal myself, so I called the police. She’s always been a suicidal person” Charles told The Hollywood Reporter.

Due to Upham’s depression and suicidal thoughts, the actress’ father believes that the Auburn Police Department should be considering Upham an endangered missing person, but the police do not agree. Commander Steve Stocker of the Auburn Police Department said that Upham’s disappearance has not been determined as unexplained, saying, “Her family is certainly concerned about her, and we are, too, but it’s not suspicious.”

Upham Expressed Suicidal Thoughts

Enraged by the Auburn Police Department’s statement and tabloid headlines claiming Charles believes Upham has disappeared due to her depression, Charles took to Upham’s official Facebook page and released a lengthy statement. Charles wrote that he does not believe his daughter would ever commit suicide.

“So far articles read: Actress stressed over money and career, Father fears suicide. Police reports suggest [that] Misty packed her bags and left… on her own. The truth is Misty is not stressed over money or career. Her career is going great. As her father I do not fear she committed suicide. I feel that she has been hurt by accident or someone has put her in harms way,” Charles clarified.

“This is the first time in 32 years we have lost contact with her and she stopped contact with everyone. This raises a serious red flag for me but apparently law enforcement officials disagree. I guess high profile individuals disappear without a trace every day of the week around here,” Charles wrote.

Charles also went into detail about his daughter’s medical condition, claiming Upham suffers from bipolar disorder and crippling anxiety that makes it nearly impossible for her to be by herself, making her sudden disappearance all the more troubling.

Charles concluded his statement with a message 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.”

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.