Brother Of Kristin Cavallari Found Dead

E! Online is reporting that Michael Cavallari, brother of The Hills star Kristin Cavallari, has been found dead after being missing for three days. According to TMZ, her brother was arrested on charges of criminal threatening involving his girlfriend on November 23. On November 27, his 2014 Honda Civic was found abandoned in Utah. In a statement to E! News, Kristin expressed her appreciation to her fans for their sympathy at the death of her brother and asked that the privacy of her and her family be respected at this time.

“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.”

Audrina Partridge, who co-starred with Kristina in The Hills, told People Magazine, “That is such terrible news. My prayers go out to Kristin and her family.”

USA Today reports that Michael’s body was found at 10:30 a.m. in steep and rocky terrain in Grand County, Utah. The Utah Medical Examiner will make an attempt to determine the cause of death.

When his car was found abandoned on November 27, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office stated that it appeared to have hit a large rock on the side of the road. The airbag had deployed and the car was still running when found. Credit card receipts inside the car along with a laptop and cellphone led police to believe Michael had been driving it. Surveillance footage from a local convenience store was used to confirm this. At that time, the Sherrif’s Office provided a photo of the car where they found it sitting alone in desert scrub. Kristin and others remained hopeful at this time that he would be found.

It’s not clear how Kristin’s brother’s car ended up in this odd location. Officials have stated that for unknown reasons, he pulled off the highway and drove over five miles down a dirt track before turning around and heading back to the highway. He hit a large rock before making it back and skidded into rough terrain about 100 feet from the highway. His body was found about three miles from his abandoned car.

The Daily Mail reports that Michael Cavallari was last seen in Monticello at a gas station located about 100 miles south of his abandoned car. Workers there say he bought gas and asked for directions to Salt Lake City.

Multiple sources report that there had been a great deal of drama around Kristin’s brother for years and that he had been fighting alcoholism for a long time. The Daily Mail reports that 30-year-old Michael had been arrested several times and was kicked out by his father because of his alcoholism and some psychological issues.

A source close to the family told People Magazine that Kristin was very supportive of her brother.

“She was always very protective of him. She was always trying to help him. He had been trying to produce reality shows awhile ago, but it didn’t work out.”

Kristin and her brother had maintained a close relationship throughout his struggles. Kristin posted her heartbreak over the loss of her brother to Instagram.

“My heart is in a million pieces. 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 ?”

[Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images]