Shain Gandee, a cast member of MTV's reality show "Buckwild," was one of three men found dead Monday morning in an SUV in Sissonville, W.Va. Details were sketchy, but foul play was not suspected.
The three men were missing for about 31 hours before being discovered by an individual on a four-wheeler, reported
ABC News local affiliate WCHS. They were last seen in a bar in Sissonville about 3 a.m. Sunday.
The causes of death were not reported, though authorities say foul play was not suspected.
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Gandee's uncle David, 48, was among those found dead in the Ford Bronco, according to Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper. The identity of the third man was not disclosed.
Family members had reportedly spent all day Sunday searching the area for the three men.
"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident," said a spokesperson for MTV said in a statement.
"We are waiting for more information but at this time, our main concern is for the Gandee family and their friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them." The spokesman added, "Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly."
Just days before Gandee's death, another 'Buckwild' star, Salwa Amin, returned to jail after being arrested for stockpiling oxycodone and heroin with the intent to distribute, reported CBS News.
Amin was initially held on a $200,000 bond for the felony charge last Wednesday. According to her attorney Michael Callaghan, her bail amount was later reduced to $100,000.
"Buckwild" premiered on MTV in early January and was seen by many as a replacement to the low-brow reality drama "The Jersey Shore" which was canceled in December.
The series, which follows a group of 20-somethings around rural West Virginia, immediately struck a nerve with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III, who said the show plays to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes about the people of his state.
Manchin expressed his disgust in December with a letter to MTV President Stephen Friedman, urging him to "put a stop to the travesty called 'Buckwild.'"
"As a U.S. senator, I am repulsed at this business venture, where some Americans are making money off of the poor decisions of our youth," the independent-minded Democrat wrote on Friday. "I cannot imagine that anyone who loves this country would feel proud profiting off of 'Buckwild.'"
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MTV didn't agree and has reportedly recently given the green light for a second season of the show.
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