The cause of death is not known
Shain Gandee, star of MTV’s popular series “Buckwild”, was found dead in an SUV at the end of a dirt road in Kentucky Monday.
Gandee, 21, was one of three bodies found in a muddy Ford Bronco. The other deceased were Shain’s uncle, 48-year-old David Gandee, and Donald Myers, 27, another resident of the area. Shain and his uncle were both reported missing on Sunday night. They were last seen at 3 a.m. Sunday in a bar, where they told others they were going off-roading.
Police don’t expect foul play, but haven’t yet determined the cause of death of any of the passengers. They also refused to speculate about the nature of the deaths.
“The vehicle sat unevenly, but upright, and was partially submerged in deep mud. Mud was covering the lower part of the passenger side door of the vehicle, but the driver’s side of the vehicle was above the mud,” according to the sheriff’s report. “The muffler of the vehicle was completely submerged in mud.”
The report has led some to speculate whether the passengers were killed from carbon monoxide poisoning as the muffler was buried in the mud. Shain was reportedly found in the driver’s seat of the car, and autopsies will be performed soon.
“I’d like to think that [the autopsies are] going to be done sooner rather than later,” said Cpl. Brian Humphreys of West Virginia’s Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office in Charleston to USA Today.
Meanwhile, the death has had an effect on the close-knit community of Sissonville, Kentucky.
“It’s a very sad day for the Sissonville area and for these families,” Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper told Fox News. “This is a small community, and most of us know directly members of these families. We’re keeping them in our hearts and prayers.”
MTV was in the process of filming season 2 of “Buckwild”, but filming has reportedly been suspended in light of Gandee’s death.
