While the body of Michael Cavallari, brother of the former "Laguna Beach" star Kristin Cavallari, is currently being examined at Utah Medical Examiner's Office, authorities are speculating that his cause of death could be due to "exposure of elements," according to E! News.
New reports suggest that hypothermia may have been a contributing factor to his death. Grand County Sheriff Steven White said that Michael Cavallari's body was exposed to frigid weather given that the temperatures can get as low as "teens at night," according to Entertainment Tonight.
"Temperatures in the area were frigid - in the teens at night and 30s during the day - and the operating theory is what eventually killed Michael [Cavallari]," E! News reported.
Law enforcement said that "Michael Cavallari's body was found three miles from where his car was wrecked in the high desert of Grand County, Utah," according to E! News. Despite reports that Michael Cavallari killed himself, officials said there were "no signs of major trauma and no suicide note. Cops did not find any evidence of drugs or alcohol either."
The official cause of death will not be known until the medical examiner completes an autopsy, which will be available in "six to eight weeks depending on when the toxicology report comes out," according to People Magazine.
Search crews located Michael Cavallari's remains in an area described as "a very steep slope, kind of rocky with boulder fields around it" on Thursday, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Us Weekly reported. The discovery came two weeks after his 2014 Honda Civic was found abandoned on a Utah highway. The car was found with the airbag fully deployed and his cellphone and laptop still inside.
He was reported missing on Dec. 5, and was last seen on Nov. 27 at a Utah convenience store.
Kristin Cavallari, 28, confirmed the news of her brother's death in a personal statement Thursday, saying, "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 has been found. This is a very painful time and we are still processing it all. We kindly ask everyone please respect our privacy during our time of grieving."
Kristin Cavallari - who has three children with husband Jay Cutler, quarterback of the Chicago Bears - also posted a moving message to her brother on Instagram.
"My heart is in a million pieces," the mother-of-three captioned a photo of her and Michael as kids. "Mikey, I could always count on you to make me laugh. You had such a good heart and will be forever missed. I'm at a loss for words but I know u are in a better place and finally at peace. I love u so much RIP."
As previously by HNGN, Michael Cavallari was arrested four days before his disappearance for allegedly threatening an unidentified woman with a gun.
