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Auburn Police say they responded to five separate incidents beginning in July 2013 involving Misty Upham, the Native American woman and actress found dead in southeast Auburn on Oct. 16.

Officers contacted Upham about four of those incidents and she did not object to a private ambulance transporting her to a hospital for further evaluation, said Mike Hirman, Auburn Police investigations commander.

“On the fifth incident, Misty had already left the residence and officers were unable to locate her,” Hirman said in a statement released Tuesday. “Each contact was handled professionally and with compassion, with the goal of getting Ms. Upham the attention and care she needed.”

Upham’s family and friends have been criticizing Auburn Police for what they describe as a lack of cooperation during the search, which ended with the discovery of the missing Auburn woman’s body.

Upham’s cause and manner of death are still under investigation. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said Oct. 17 that Upham had died on Oct. 5.

Responding to the criticism, Hirman said the police department had received no complaints before her death about mistreatment from Upham or her family, MultiCare Auburn Medical Center staff, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Muckleshoot Tribe or City officials.

“It has been inferred that she may have suffered a black eye at the hands of police, but that is not correct,” Hirman said. “Rather, included in a related written report, Ms. Upham stated that she had sustained a sprained ankle and black eye when she jumped out a two-story window.”

The family claims that Misty Upham had been afraid of the Auburn Police before her disappearance because of an incident when officers allegedly mistreated her. They also argue that police could have been much more helpful after she went missing.

Upham, a member of the Blackfoot Nation, was last seen Oct. 5 walking away from her sister’s apartment, according to a statement her father, Charles Upham, sent to media outlets. Auburn authorities say her body was found down a ravine behind the same apartment building.

Charles Upham said in his news release that his daughter had bipolar disorder and bouts of anxiety and depression but that he did not believe she would harm herself.

Hirman said that Auburn Police did not ignore Upham’s disappearance in this final episode. She was reported missing on Oct. 6, her name and information were entered into the WACIC (Washington Crime Information Center) Missing Persons data base, and an active search and investigation began, Hirman said.

On Oct. 6, searchers checked the areas in and around the home where she was last seen, Hirman said.

Misty Upham, police said, was reported to have taken her purse that contained her EBT card, a cellphone, a bus pass and other items. Family and friends told Auburn Police officers that she may have gone to White Center, Federal Way or Seattle to visit friends or her close childhood friend, or that she could have gone to other specific locations in Auburn, Hirman said.

Officers immediately followed up on all reports of her possible whereabouts. In the course of the investigation, the detective assigned to the case spoke with friends and family, to help police find Misty Upham, Hirman said.

The Seattle Police Department also checked an address that family had provided, which Misty Upham and family members were known to frequent, all with no success, Hirman said.

Hirman said officers tried three times to ping her cellphone and gain historical data from the cellphone provider that could potentially help police locate her. But this was to no avail because her service had been disconnected prior to her disappearance, Hirman said.

Auburn Police and the medical examiner’s office continue to search for answers to unravel the mystery behind her passing.

Auburn Police urge anyone who may have any additional information related to her death to contact them at 253-288-2121.