Angela Chao, the late sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was heavily under the influence of alcohol and accidentally drove her car into a pond on the night she died, a new report from a Texas sheriff’s office says.
Chao’s death was reported last month, but few details were released about the accident that killed her.
Chao — the sister of McConnell’s wife, former Trump administration Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao — died on a Texas ranch, according to the report from the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.
In the report, released Wednesday and obtained by the New York Post and other outlets, investigators detailed how Angela Chao became stuck in her vehicle and submerged in water on the night of Feb. 10.
The 50-year-old was staying at the ranch in central Texas with seven friends.
After having dinner at a guest house, she left for her private lodging on the property at 11:37 p.m. According to the police report, Chao was captured on video “[walking] unsteadily to her vehicle.”
Just yards from the guest house, she accidentally reversed her Tesla over an embankment and into a pond.
At 11:42 p.m., Chao phoned Amber Keinan, one of her friends at the ranch. According to People, Chao was described as calm during the call and told her friend she was going to die.
The two spoke for eight minutes while Chao’s friends attempted to save her, with some swimming to the car and Keinan paddling out in a kayak. A 911 call was placed at 11:55 p.m.
The rescue efforts by Chao’s friends proved unsuccessful, and the vehicle was eventually submerged about 25 yards from shore.
When first responders arrived, they managed to break the driver’s side window open and pull Chao from the car, but by then it was too late.
“EMS attempted emergency measures on Ms. Chao but she succumbed from being under the water,” Chief Deputy Robert Woodring said.
Chao was pronounced dead on the shore of the pond at 1:40 a.m. Among her last words were “I love you” while speaking on the phone to Keinan.
No autopsy was performed, but Chao’s blood alcohol concentration was reported to have been 0.233, almost triple the legal driving limit in Texas.
The report concluded that her death was an “unfortunate accident.”
Chao was the CEO of the dry bulk shipping company Foremost Group, which was founded by her father James Chao. She was married to businessman Jim Breyer.
In a statement announcing Chao’s death, her father described her as “a brilliant woman, a charismatic and visionary leader and much-loved by all her sisters, our entire family and friends.”
“Angela’s name in Chinese sounds like the characters for peace and prosperity,” he added. “She certainly gave more than her share of both to this world.”
