MTV 'Buckwild' Star Shain Gandee Found Dead

Shain Gandee, star of the MTV reality series "Buckwild," has been found dead, MTV confirms to TheWrap.

"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident," the network said in a statement on MTV.com. "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. Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly."

The Charleston Daily Mail reports that Gandee was found dead with his uncle, David Gandee, in a vehicle in Sissonville, W. Va. A third individual, who has not yet been identified, was also found in the vehicle.

Also read: MTV's 'Buckwild' Slammed by West Virginia Senator Before it Even Airs (Video)

Gandee, 21, was last seen early Sunday morning at a bar in Sissonville, the paper said. According to the paper, the pair said that they planned to go off-roading in Shain's Ford Bronco.

A representative for the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office was not able to confirm the identity of the bodies to TheWrap.

Also read: Two of Three Dead in Reality-Shoot Copter Crash Identified

"Buckwild," which premiered in January, chronicles the exploits of a group of young people in Sissonville and Charlotte, W. Va. The show drew controversy before it even aired, with West Virginia senator Joe Manchin III complaining that the series would put the state in a negative light.

"Instead of showcasing the beauty of our people and our state, you preyed on young people, coaxed them into displaying shameful behavior — and now you are profiting from it," a letter from Manchin to MTV president Stephen Friedman, which asked for the show to be pulled, read. "That is just wrong."

The series aired its first season finale on Feb. 7.

Related Articles:

MTV's 'Buckwild' Slammed by West Virginia Senator Before it Even Airs (Video)