Sen. Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law was found dead in a Tesla submerged in a Texas pond last month. Now authorities say the incident is under “criminal” investigation, CNBC reports.
On February 11, rescuers were called to a ranch in Johnson City and spent more than an hour trying to extricate 50-year-old Angela Chao from her vehicle.
Chao is the sister of McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, and was CEO of the family’s shipping company, Foremost Group, before she died.
In a letter on Thursday to the state attorney general’s office, the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office said Angela Chao’s death “was not a typical accident.”
“Although the preliminary investigation indicated this was an unfortunate accident, the Sheriff’s Office is still investigating this accident as a criminal matter until they have sufficient evidence to rule out criminal activity,” the sheriff’s office said in the letter, according to CNBC. “This incident was not a typical accident.”
First responders were eventually able to pull Chao out of the vehicle at about 12:56 a.m. and then tried to resuscitate her for nearly 45 minutes, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
The ranch, near Austin, is connected to her husband, Jim Breyer.
Dr. James SC Chao, Chao’s father, said in a statement following her death that his daughter had a “fierce intellectual curiosity that endeared her to everyone and helped her excel at everything she did,” according to MarineLink. “Losing her at such a young age is something we never even imagined, and our entire family is devastated with grief.”
Chao graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School.
Her sister, Elaine Chao, served as secretary of labor under President George W. Bush between 2001 and 2009, and as secretary of transportation under President Donald Trump between 2017 and 2021.
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[Feature Photo: Angela Chao/Foremost Group]
