The death of Angela Chao, the sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), has been placed under “criminal investigation.”
Chao, who served as CEO of the New York-based dry bulk shipping company Foremost Group, was “found dead in her sinking vehicle in a pond on a ranch in Johnson City, near Austin, on Feb. 11,” according to the New York Post. Police have since been investigating her death as a possible crime. The ranch whereupon her car crashed is owned by a corporation connected to Chao’s husband, Jim Breyer. Per Fox Business:
A Blanco County Sheriff’s Office statement to the Austin American-Statesman Thursday said emergency medical services personnel attempted to save her, but that Chao “succumbed from being under the water.”
Several media reports say a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from BCSO details the crash “was not a typical accident.”
Chao was chair and CEO of Foremost Group, a company founded by her parents in 1964 in New York. She worked her way up to leading the company in 2018, previously serving as vice president, concentrating on ship operations and ship management, and later promoted to senior vice president with additional responsibilities, according to Foremost Group’s website.
Chao graduated Magna cum Laude from Harvard after just three years, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics, and she later attended Harvard Business School.
“She will be greatly missed and leaves a legacy of pioneering leadership — especially for women — in shipping, philanthropy and the arts,” Foremost Group said in a statement.
Upon announcing his decision to step down from leadership, Mitch McConnell stressed that Angela’s death has been particularly difficult for him and his wife.
CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 17: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (R), along with his wife Elaine Chao, and U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) (Back-C) speaks during a microphone test prior to the start of the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“This has been a particularly difficult time for my family. We tragically lost Elaine’s younger sister Angela, just a few weeks ago,” he said. “When you lose a loved one, particularly at a young age, there’s a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process.”
