BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Shain Gandee, one of the stars of the U.S. MTV reality series "Buckwild", was found dead in a car on Monday, in West Virginia, a Kanawha County official said.

Gandee, 21, was found dead in a sport utility vehicle - 1984 Ford Broncoin at the end of a muddy way in the Sissonville area of Kanawha County, along with his uncle, David Dwight Gandee, 48, and Donald Robert Myers, 27, authorities said.

The cause of the deaths is still under investigation.

Local sheriff's office said the vehicle was partially submerged in mud. It was uneven but upright; its muffler was below the surface.

If the muffler was submerged and the engine kept running, it's possible the cabin of the vehicle could have filled with fatal carbon monoxide from the exhaust, according to washingtonpost.

Gandee was a fun of outdoor activities. He loved to hunt, off-road thrill rides in the hills. He went mudding in the show's first episode and ruined his pickup truck's motor, according to fox43tv.

"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident. 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," said MTV's statement.