Police Are Racist: Meryl Streep’s ‘August: Osage County’ Co-Star Misty Upham’s Mom; Dad Denies Suicide, Blames Police

Police Are Racist: Meryl Streep's 'August: Osage County' Co-Star Misty Upham's Mom; Dad Denies Suicide, Blames Police  

The late Native American actress Misty Upham is a member of the Blackfoot tribe and that is the reason why the police did not give much effort to look for her when she was missing, her mother Mona Upham claimed.

"I think if Misty was different-looking they would be doing a lot more to help find her," the mother told Hollywood Life accusing the Auburn Police District of being racist.

Similarly, the actress's father Charles Upham has nothing but criticisms against the Auburn PD.

According to him, his daughter's death "could have been prevented on a lot of levels" if the Auburn PD did not refuse to "help offer to find or at least change her missing status to 'Endangered' to allow other agencies to get involved."

He added that his daughter  "simply did not see the drop off" at the 150-foot ledge in a Seattle suburb where her body was found" and "evidence suggests that she slipped and fell off the steep embankment when she tried to get out of view from the road."  

Because she was "afraid of the Auburn PD for good reason," the actress accidentally died hiding from the police, her father claimed.

On Oct. 17, Friday, the King County Medical Examiner's office confirmed  Upham's death, USA Today reported.

The Upham family recently took to Facebook to deny the allegation that the actress known for her roles in "August: Osage County," "Frozen River" and "Django Unchanged" committed suicide.

"We believe that Misty's death was accidental. She did not commit suicide. We believe she ran into the wooded area behind her apartment to hide from the police," they wrote in an "Official Upham Family Press Release" posted on Misty Upham's Facebook page.

On the other hand, Auburn Police Commander Steve Stocker asserted that investigators took Upham's disappearance seriously and that they did everything they could in this case.

Upham recently starred with Jennfer Aniston and Anna Kendrick in "Cake," which received a standing ovation during its premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in September.

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Meanwhile, Upham's "August: Osage County" co-star Meryl Streep has expressed her condolences to the family.

"So so sad to hear this news. All our thoughts are with her family and with her beautiful spirit," Streep said in a statement released to the Hollywood Reporter.

Their co-star Julia Roberts is yet to release a statement.

 

 

Tags : Auburn Police District meryl streep August: Osage County Misty Upham Django Unchanged Frozen River julia roberts racist racism