Police confirm that Angela Chao was under the influence of alcohol when she fatally drowned in a Tesla
Police reported the findings in the death of Angela Chao, an American transportation tycoon and privately the sister-in-law of the Republican leader in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell. The woman drowned when she drove her car into a pond. Investigators confirmed to the media that she was under the influence of alcohol.
2:02 PM EDT, March 21, 2024
Angela Chao was chairwoman of Foremost Group, a family-owned company that manages a fleet of large bulk carriers and charters ships to other shipping companies. Her fortune is estimated by the media at $4.2 billion. Privately, she was the sister-in-law of the Republican leader in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell.
On February 10, she was tragically killed when she drove her car into a pond after dinner with a group of friends near Johnson City, Texas. The Blanco County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday released a report with findings in the case, cited by US media, including CNN. The information they posted shows that at the time of the accident, the 50-year-old Chao was under the influence of alcohol, the level of which was three times the state's legal limit. It was simultaneously stated that her death was an "unfortunate accident."
Before the incident, police say the woman had been spending time with seven college friends at her family's extensive ranch, spanning over 360 acres. Following dinner at the guest house, she left for her car late at night to head back to the main residence on the property. Surveillance footage captured by CNN shows her staggering to her car, then making several maneuvers, including turns and reversals, before driving into a pond.
Amber Keinan, a friend of the woman, informed the police that she received a call from Chao at 11:42 p.m., in which Chao reported being trapped in her sinking car. Throughout the eight-minute call, Keinan urged her to escape, but Chao said she couldn't. "Chao warned Keinan that the water was rising and she was going to die, expressing her love and bidding goodbye," according to a BBC report excerpt.
Police records indicate that both friends and officers attempted a rescue. Keinan, along with another friend, approached the submerged car by kayak and attempted entry. Shortly after, arriving officers were able to shatter the window and extricate Chao. Despite their efforts, Chao's life could not be saved.
Chao was the sibling of Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell's wife, who served as the Secretary of Transportation under Donald Trump and as Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush. When McConnell, a Republican, announced his resignation as the Republican minority leader in the U.S. Senate in February, after serving for 17 years, he indicated that the toll of the tragedy on his family played a role in his decision.
Source: NBC News, BBC
