‘Alaskan Bush People’: Ami’s Estranged Family Will Seek Her Out On Camera

The family of Alaskan Bush People matriarch Ami Brown says they are planning a trip to Alaska to see her for the first time in 37 years. Radar Online reports that Ami’s mother, whose name is Earlene Branson, is 83-years-old and suffered a stroke in 2012. The mother of the Alaskan Bush People clan also has a brother named Les and a sister. Les states that it was Earlene’s birthday wish to see her daughter Ami, and they are going to try to make that wish come true.

Alaskan Bush People couple Billy and Ami Brown wed in 1979. At the time, Billy was 26-years-old, and Ami was 15-years-old. At the time, Texas law allowed marriage as young as 14-years-old if parental consent was given. Earlene Branson provided that consent. In his memoir, “One Wave at a Time,” Billy recalls the first time they met as love at first sight.

“She was the most beautiful young woman I had ever met,” he states. The full name of the Alaskan Bush People family is Amora Branson Brown. A marriage certificate obtained by Radar Online back in November indicates that the two married in Tarrant County, Texas on June 16, 1979. The newlyweds hit the road immediately after they wed, and Ami’s family claims that they haven’t seen her ever since. Besides Billy and Ami, the Alaskan Bush People family includes seven children. The eldest, Matt Brown, was born in 1982, making Ami 18 when she had her first child.

Happy Father's Day to all of the incredible dads out there pic.twitter.com/LGhEl1sRxL

— Alaskan Bush People (@AlaskanBushPPL) June 19, 2016

Ever since the Alaskan Bush People couple settled in Alaska, Ami’s family claims that they have tried to reach her by phone and by letter. Her brother Les states that the last any of them heard from her was a letter to Les about eight years ago.

Ami’s mother Earlene will be accompanied by his sister, Jeana Williamson, and a cousin, Chuck Gilbert, on a flight from Texas to Alaska in an effort to make contact with the Alaskan Bush People star. They plan to document their experience via Facebook and YouTube videos. Les will post these throughout their journey. The family has informed the Browns of their trip but have had no response to the news. The Bransons leave on Monday and plan to stay a little more than a week. They will search for the Alaskan Bush People family in likely places such as the Icy Strait Lodge in Hoonah, where the family is reportedly living, and other spots where they know scenes are shot for the TV show.

This latest development in the lives of the Alaskan Bush People clan parallels another recent ABP storyline in which we learned more about father Billy’s background. Not long ago, the whole Alaskan Bush People clan welcomed a daughter from Billy’s previous marriage to Brownton. Her name is Twila and, although all were anxious about the meeting initially, the “Bloodlines” episode showed an encounter that went very well. Twila was welcomed by all members of the Alaskan Bush People family, and it seemed as if it were the beginning of a relationship that all wished to continue.

On that episode, we also learned that Twila had a daughter years ago, Billy’s granddaughter. At the age of 14, she died in a car crash. When she appeared on Alaskan Bush People, Twila described the death of her daughter as a lifechanging experience that led her to the decision to contact her father. So far, there is no word on whether or not viewers will see more of Twila on future episodes of Alaskan Bush People.

Alaskan Bush People is consistently one of Discovery Channel’s most viewed shows. It airs on Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET and is currently in its fifth season.

[Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel]