Autopsy shows Gandee of 'Buckwild' died from carbon monoxide poisoning

4/2/2013

SISSONVILLE, W.Va. -- An autopsy on Shain Gandee, a cast member of MTV reality show Buckwild, showed he died from carbon monoxide poisoning, Kanawha County Sheriff's Department said today.

Deputy Brian Humphreys told Reuters that the deaths of Mr. Gandee, 21, his uncle David, 48, and friend Donald Robert Myers, 27, on Monday morning were ruled “accidental” after coroners completed autopsies on all three men.

Mr. Gandee was found dead in the driver's seat of his Ford Bronco pick-up truck in Sissonville, in Kanawha County, a rural West Virginia community.

The truck was found by one of Mr. Gandee's friends after the MTV star was reported missing by family members following a late-night session in a local bar.

Mr. Gandee's truck was partially submerged in a mud pit, and the vehicle's exhaust pipe was below the surface of the mud, the sheriff's department said in a news release.

MTV said in a statement on Monday that it was “shocked and saddened” by Mr. Gandee's death. A spokesman told Reuters that the network had suspended production on Buckwild.

Mr. Gandee was one of the lead cast members of Buckwild, which follows a group of young adults living in rural West Virginia and has attracted some criticism for its portrayal of the cast's hard-partying ways.

Mr. Gandee was often seen on the show “four-wheeling” in his truck, driving through makeshift courses on off-road terrain, and “mudding,” where he would drive at high speeds through mud pits.