SALT LAKE CITY — A body believed to be that of NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s brother-in-law was discovered Thursday in a steep and rocky area in an isolated part of southern Utah, nearly two weeks after his car was found abandoned nearby, authorities said Thursday.

The remains that investigators think are Michael Cavallari — the brother of reality TV personality Kristin Cavallari — were found Thursday morning, said he Grand County Sheriff’s office in a news release.

The body was sent to the Utah Medical Examiner to confirm the identity and determine the cause of death.

Authorities have been searching for Michael Cavallari since his car was found with the engine running, and the air bag deployed, on Nov. 27 off a dirt road some 200 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Investigators believed he was just passing through Utah, but didn’t know where he was headed or what he was doing in Utah.

Michael Cavallari’s cellphone and laptop were inside the car, but there was no blood or any other sign of foul play. Temperatures in the area have been at or below freezing every night since the car was found up against a small embankment.

Kristin Cavallari said in an Instagram post Thursday that her heart is in a million pieces. She posted a picture the two of them when they were small children and wrote that her brother “Mikey” had a good heart and always made her laugh.

“I’m at a loss for words but I know u are in a better place and finally at peace,” she wrote. “I love u so much RIP.”

Michael Cavallari, 30, was arrested in Southern California on an allegation of making threats four days before his 2014 Honda Civic was found in Utah.

He bailed out of jail Nov. 25. Two days later, a rancher discovered the car near a dirt road about 5 miles from Interstate 70.

He was single and had no kids, Sheriff Steven White said.

Kristin Cavallari rose to fame in the mid-2000s when she appeared in the MTV reality series “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills.” She is married to Cutler, who starred at Vanderbilt and now plays for the Chicago Bears. The couple has three children together.

Michael Cavallari is seen in this undated photo distributed by the Grand County, Utah Sheriff’s Office. Grand County Sheriff Steven White said Monday that a rancher discovered the 30-year-old Cavallari’s car early on Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. It was found about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City and 5 miles south of Interstate 70. (Grand County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

AP

FILE – In this Oct. 20, 2015 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia speaks at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., on Thursday blasted Scalia for uttering what he called “racist ideas” from the bench of the nationÂ’s highest court. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

Jim Mone