Misty Upham Missing: Actress Possibly Suicidal, Family Upset Police Aren’t Moving Fast Enough

Misty Upham went missing after what family members say was a bipolar episode, but police in the actress’s native Seattle said they are not overly concerned.

The actress, who played a housekeeper in August: Osage County and had roles in Frozen River and Django Unchained, was reported missing by her family after they lost contact with her on Sunday, October 5. Upham reportedly left her sister’s apartment and was not heard from again. Police responded to the apartment for a call about a suicidal person, but by the time they arrived she had already left.

There are fears that Misty Upham may have taken her life, and her father Charles told The Hollywood Reporter that she made comments that sounded suicidal.

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

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Charles clarified that he did not think Misty would kill herself and dispelled rumors that she was worried about money.

“The truth is Misty is not stressed over money or career. Her career is going great,” Charles Upham wrote. “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.”

But Misty’s father also criticized police for not acting quickly enough on her disappearance.

“I didn’t appreciate the press release from Auburn PD that she simply packed a bag and left,” Upham’s father wrote. “Now they have the general public thinking that Misty just decided to leave home for awhile.”

“Misty left in a psychotic state of mind with the clothes she had on and her shoulder bag. All of her clothes and other belongings are still here.”

“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,” he wrote.

Seattle Police Department Cmd. Steve Stocker said a missing person is only considered endangered if they disappear under unexplained, involuntary or suspicious conditions. Misty Upham did not meet those qualifications, he noted.