Family members told TMZ that Gandee had made little money from the reality TV show. Photograph: Chip Ellis/AP
The family of the star of MTV's top rated reality TV show Buckwild is reportedly unable to pay his funeral expenses.
Shain Gandee, 21, his 48-year-old uncle David Gandee, and Donald Myers were found dead Monday in a Ford Bronco at the end of a dirt road in Sissonville, West Virginia.
Authorities in West Virginia on Tuesday confirmed that Gandee died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
"Kanawha County can now report partial findings from the autopsies of Shain Lelyn Gandee, David Dwight Gandee, and Donald Robert Myers. The manner of death is accidental and the cause was carbon monoxide poisoning for all three subjects," Corporal Brian Humphreys said.
Gandee was the star of the controversial show described as "the Jersey Shore of Appalachia". It had attracted the ire of local senator Joe Manchin, who described the show as a "travesty" and said he was "repulsed at this business venture, where some Americans are making money off of the poor decisions of our youth."
MTV has suspended filming of a second season, but a spokesman said he could not comment on whether or not the show had been canceled. The first season debuted in January with an audience of 2.49m, twice Jersey Shore's 2009 opening.
Family members told TMZ that Gandee had made little money from the show. Shain's cousin, Ashley Gandee, told TMZ that she was organising a memorial "mud run", an off-road trucking event charging $10 a vehicle, to ease the financial strain on the family.
"I know the strain they are going through," Ashley said. "It's hard to provide a proper burial. It's already tough with the loss of family members … expenses are tough as well."
Gandee and his uncle were last seen around 3am Sunday at Larry's Bar in Sissonville, where they told friends they were leaving to go four-wheeling. About 30 hours later Gandee's Bronco was found upright but submerged in deep mud. It is thought that because the muffler was buried in the mud, exhaust leaked into the cabin of the vehicle.
Reality show stars rarely make much money during a first season, with cash coming in only when the show is established. The stars of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo reportedly now earn $50,000 per episode.
Buckwild has been dogged by controversy from the outset. West Virginia is America's second poorest state after Mississippi, and the show has been criticised for exploiting stereotypes of the Appalachian poor. Salwa Amin, another star of the show, was taken into custody during a drug raid while another, Michael Burford, was arrested in February for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Manchin wrote to MTV president Stephen Friedman ahead of the Buckwild's opening asking for the show to be cancelled. "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. That is just wrong," he wrote.
"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident," MTV said in a statement.
"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."