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Kristin Cavallari's Missing Brother Found Dead
Michael Cavallari, the brother of reality TV star Kristin Cavallari, has been found dead several days after his car was discovered abandoned in Utah. Michael Cavallari, 30, had been missing since Nov. 27, after Utah police found his abandoned 2014 Honda Civic about 100 feet off Floy Wash Road, five miles south of I-70 in Grand County. Today, Kristin Cavallari, 28—who has appeared on reality shows Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and The Hills—issued a statement to PEOPLE, confirming that her older brother has been found dead.
We want to thank everyone for their love, support and prayers during this very difficult time. We have just been informed by the authorities my brother's body had been found. This is a very painful time we are still processing it all. We kindly ask that everyone please respect our privacy during our time of grieving.
Michael Cavallari's car was still running when police found it. The air bags had been deployed, and a cell phone and laptop were left behind. Police traced his credit card transactions to a store about 100 miles south of where the car was found in Monticello, where investigators spotted him on surveillance footage. Grand County Sheriff Steven White told the TODAY Show that there was no sign of foul play at the time.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Michael was "always a troubled kid," but that the siblings had always been close. Days before the car was found, Michael Cavallari was arrested on Nov. 23 after a woman told police he was outside of her house with a loaded shotgun. She said that they had gotten into an argument a few days prior and that she was scared of him, CBS News reports. He was arrested near Dana Point City Hall, and admitted that there was a shotgun in his trunk, but denied threatening the woman. Michael Cavallari was bailed out of jail on Nov. 25, two days before his car was found.
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