Found Deceased UT - Michael Cavallari, 30, Grand County, 27 Nov 2015

[JerseyGirl]

Michael, who went missing on Nov. 27, was arrested in Dana Point, California on Nov. 23. A woman he reportedly had a prior dispute with called police after spotting him outside her apartment with a shotgun. He was released on bail on Nov. 25, just two days before his car was found in Utah.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/news/a50461/kristin-cavallari-missing-brother-details/

“While speaking with Michael, deputies could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath,” Wilkerson continued. “Michael admitted to having a loaded shotgun in his trunk.” Officers confiscated the gun, then returned to Michael’s home, where they found ammunition and a shotgun barrel. They seized all the items and handcuffed the alleged perpetrator.

The female victim claimed Michael had previously exhibited violent behavior. On November 11, she said, the two had a verbal dispute and “she was in fear of him.” “For several weeks after the incident, Michael kept knocking on her door, but she refused to answer,” Wilkerson said.



Michael was previously arrested on August 24, 2015 following an argument with a female at the same home address. But this time, he was the one to contact authorities. “Michael told deputies he wanted to report his female friend punched him in the face,” he C.I.O. claimed. However, responding officers realized he had a bench warrant, and they promptly took him into custody.

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-ne...cavallari-arrested-threatening-woman-shotgun/

He was headed for Boston, Massachusetts.

why drive??

 

[MysteryMaven]

This reminds me of that mysterious death of the young lady in Pahrump, Nevada, who drove off the road into a desert area. Her car was found, much like this one, and she walked a mile or so away and was found dead, with no clear cause of death IIRC.

Margay Edwards-she rented a car to drive from CA to Pahrump. Apparently a couple she had befriended sometime prior to her trip were the last to see her. She had some connections to people involved in drugs. Michael's case reminds me of Margay's too.

 

[FightTheOstrich]

From the quoted link:



It sounds like he was terrorizing that woman. A loaded shotgun pointed her direction to scare her as he stood outside her home? Tapping on her door for weeks? The police arrested him with the shotgun in his possession and he had more ammo on the ready? He smelled of alcohol so was likely drunk. Sorry, but he sounds like a really dangerous guy to me. A desperate, dangerous guy. One wonders if the gun was with him on this trip and if he intended to take his own life. The picture is certainly changing. MOO.

According to this article, "officers confiscated the gun".
http://radaronline.com/celebrity-ne...cavallari-arrested-threatening-woman-shotgun/

 

[graceholl]

This is very sad all round IMO. I remember watching Laguna Beach back in the day - I think Michael only made a brief appearance or two throughout the show but it does make it somehow more 'real'.

My gut instinct is that he's not far at all from that car. Hope I'm wrong, of course.

 

[ClaireNC]

Here's a description of what LE think happened: “The assumption is that Mr. Cavallari was driving down the dirt road, and missed the curb. Either he was distracted, or had fallen asleep,” White told Radar. “His cell phone was found in the car, and our forensic team is currently going over it in hopes of gaining further information.”

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-ne...ael-cavallari-road-trip-boston-disappearance/

I also think he'll be found within a few miles of his car. Disoriented and on foot, he most likely succumbed to the weather.

Sending positive thoughts and prayers into the universe for Michael, his family and friends. What a tragic, sad story.

 

[ILOKAL]

Here's a description of what LE think happened: “The assumption is that Mr. Cavallari was driving down the dirt road, and missed the curb. Either he was distracted, or had fallen asleep,” White told Radar. “His cell phone was found in the car, and our forensic team is currently going over it in hopes of gaining further information.”

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-ne...ael-cavallari-road-trip-boston-disappearance/

I also think he'll be found within a few miles of his car. Disoriented and on foot, he most likely succumbed to the weather.

Sending positive thoughts and prayers into the universe for Michael, his family and friends. What a tragic, sad story.

That scenario makes the most sense, IMO. Given the time of day he was seen getting gas (3:30 AM), he had probably been awake a long time. On those desolate roads at night, with no traffic to help keep you awake, I can see how he very well may have fallen asleep and missed the curve. It's really amazing the severe injuries that are often caused by air bags, especially to a small framed person. Sadly, a beloved person (my MIL) passed away this past August from the very same thing and she was a passenger in a Honda Civic also that was only traveling 30 MPH when it collided with a pickup truck. She never came out of the medically-induced coma Michael may have sustained broken ribs at the very least. Oh my gosh, this is SO very sad. If he did sustain injuries I doubt he could have walked very far. He may have stopped to rest and could have fallen asleep. Then when the blizzard came, he may have died from hypothermia. I so much want him to be found. I can't bare the thought of him being out there. The not knowing is unbelievably painful for his loved ones. I pray for their strength during this very difficult time.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Cavallari's family has ties to the Utah-Colorado area. Kristin was born in Denver.

http://www.etonline.com/news/177586_kristin_cavallari_brother_michael_reported_missing_a_timeline/

 

[Mollyandme]

Do you have a Facebook link to his page? I couldn't find one

I actually deactivated my Facebook a few months ago but the comments were always under "Mike Cavallari." I wasn't friends with him but we were in the same group that was one of those "in loving memory of" groups.

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

First of all, this man is missing and the news can’t report anything about him but who his sister is? Come on, he deserves more than that! Where did he work, what are his past times, does he suffer from depression or substance abuse? Nobody goes off without their phone is this day and age, I’m guessing he was either disoriented when he left the car or he was forced to leave without it. If he was wandering around disoriented, I would’ve expected him to be found by now, the area is pretty out and open.

Something that stands out to me, why he was making that long drive instead of flying, especially in the winter? The car he was driving wouldn’t necessarily be great for mountain passes. Between the cost of gas and staying at hotels/motels at night, the cost of driving would’ve been comparable to a cheap flight.

I don't agree with the thought that he should be found by now. It is a massive area with canyons and crevices and running rivers. If he wanted to disappear, this would be a good spot for it. Those BLM areas are mostly privately owned cattle ranches. We went 4-wheeling through an area in Canyonlands that crossed through ranch land and there were dead and almost completely decayed cattle out there. If he were running from his problems and planned a disappearance, I don't know that he'd be found unless scavengers led people to him.

 

[waterfalllady]

Was he maybe scared because he was driving down roads that were too remote? That would be a good reason to stop at a gas station and ask for directions.

This doesn't relate to this case, but I know a lot of older or low income people that don't have phones that can do maps or computers, gas station direction kiosks by Mapquest would be awesome. Even if they charged.

 

[FightTheOstrich]

According to the DM he "was battling psychological issues" and is an alcoholic.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-crashing-car-going-missing-Utah-desert.html

 

[pittie_mcclure]

Was he maybe scared because he was driving down roads that were too remote? That would be a good reason to stop at a gas station and ask for directions.

This doesn't relate to this case, but I know a lot of older or low income people that don't have phones that can do maps or computers, gas station direction kiosks by Mapquest would be awesome. Even if they charged.

My husband and I just drove to Florida from Chicago & back for Thanksgiving. And holy crap is that a beautiful drive through the mountains of Georgia, North/South Carolina & Teneseee. I know it seems irrelevant because it's on the other side is the country but I don't really see the debate about him stopping for directions or not. To me it makes sense he would stop. My husband and I are from big bright lights. We go 10 minutes out of the city & we are blind. In fact, when we first started dating my husband was a suburbanite & would tease me about being blind. I successfully transplanted him into the city & now he is just as blind as me! Our road trip proved to us that "city vision" is real & at night we were nervous going through the windy roads (we are young too. 27/30) with 0 visibility because we just can't see in the dark. Then on top of it our cell service -- even on major roads -- was super spotty so our gps would go out all the time. We'd be driving for 30 minutes hoping we were headed in the right direction before service would pop back up & one of us would scribble the next few lines down. At one point it was so dark, so windy and so not connected to service that we considered either stopping altogether until AM or pulling over and asking for directions to a better road. We are totally the generation of no printed directions or paper maps but we grew up with parents who used nothing but so its not out of the question at all to stop and ask.. especially if you're a city person in pitch black unfamiliar territory. He's also a guy so the perspective for him in terms of danger is different. I may not stop at 3am all by myself but I could see my husband doing it.

Just wanted to throw it out there.

Mr & Mrs Cutler are not well liked around this city so while the news has talked about the disappearance it is not a focus (we have a lot negative stuff going on in Chicago right now) and it doesn't surprise me in the least that Kristin hasn't made any public pleas for help.

Sounds like he was in need of help. I hope nothing happened to him before family/friends could get him that help. I also hope the woman involved in these "situations" with him is ok. I'd be so anxious if the guy that stood by my front door with a gun was missing.

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

So OK, I think I agree he may have wandered away from his car injured. Maybe it would be helpful for police to go out to the spot at dark and see if they can see any light in any direction? If he was drunk or disoriented he may have gone towards light rather than the direction he drove from.

And if he does drink often, that might explain him asking for directions. I'm not super proud to admit that I had too much this past weekend at a wedding and found it impossible to operate my phone or navigate easy directions. He might have also been warned that a storm was coming and wanted to get to the closest city (maybe wanted to head that way for a hotel? But Moab was much closer).

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

http://www.grandcountyutah.net/896/Michael-Cavallari

Is the last photo of him entering or leaving the convenience store? If leaving I'd say it is a bag with a purchase in it. I'd love to know what he bought. Maybe a map or small atlas?

 

[pittie_mcclure]

Yea. It makes total sense to me that if he were feeling mentally agitated, drinking either while driving or stopping to do so combined with darkness and unfamiliarity that this happened.

If he was feeling desperate emotionally after arrests etc I could understand wanting to drive all night to get to your destination but once you throw all the other factors in.. I hope he is ok but wouldn't be surprised if he was found near by.

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

Do we know which convenience store he stopped at? I just did street views of the ones in Monticello that I could find and couldn't find any near a building that looks like the one in the security picture. Or did he gas up before Monticello?

 

[cattlekate]

Straight ahead from Michael's Honda, across the desert 1/4 mile, is a natural gas collection station. I don't know for sure if it has lights, but you'd think it would. Even if Michael was disoriented, one would think he would've headed to it if he crashed in the dark, say around 6 am. And then reached it around 6:30 - walked around the fence to the front gate around 7 am, and stayed there thinking workers would arrive shortly. (I apologize again for my photo being upside down.)

I learned something significant yesterday - the Floy exit does NOT say "no services." So it is possible Michael thought he was going to find a little town, as maybe he realized he was very tired at 5 am. Right after exiting at Floy, stopping at the stop sign, making a left over the overpass, the green interstate sign points to the left to get back on I70 and go back east. But maybe Michael thought Moab was too far of a drive back and thought there was a little town named Floy ahead. He starts the ranch road, even though there's a sign which says the road is unpaved. And he continues on, because probably a couple miles down the road he could see the lights of the natural gas collection station and maybe thought it was a little town with a motel. He drives past the station, which is off the ranch road by about 1/4 mile, and then realizes the lighted area isn't a town. Turns around and speeds out of frustration, then misses the bend and goes off into the desert.

But you'd think he'd walk towards the gas collection facility's lights even after realizing it wasn't a little town. Obviously it was some form of civilization!

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

Here is is right-side-up

 

[Davia18]

Here is is right-side-upView attachment 85460

It looks so flat you'd think he'd be found easily. Wonder if they have flown over this area with a small plane or helicopter. I'm sure the family could get a private pilot to do a fly over JMO

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

You wonder why he didn't just find a place to stay in Monticello, but he might not have hit his wall until he was further up the road.

I might be confused though....didn't he stop in Monticello and then drive north to I-70, then take the exit to Ruby Ridge Road? So he went through Moab? Or did we determine he went another way and missed Moab? I was thinking he traveled through Monticello on 191.