New details emerge on death of Angela Chao, Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law
Law enforcement officials say Angela Chao, the sister-in-law of Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, died in a car accident after her vehicle plunged into a rural body of water in Texas.
Chao’s death was first reported Tuesday, but details are still emerging around the circumstances surrounding the passing of the 50-year-old shipping executive.
Police do not suspect foul play, but they also are not yet disclosing an official cause of Chao’s death, local media report.
Chao, the sister of McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, a former U.S. secretary of transportation, was heralded as a “brilliant and committed leader,” by The Asian American Foundation, where she was a founding member.
She was also the CEO of Foremost Group, a shipping company headquartered in New York and founded by her parents. A Harvard graduate, Chao was a lover of the arts and the opera, according to her bio posted on X. The Mandarin-speaking Chao lived in Austin, according to her company’s website.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a close ally of McConnell’s on Capitol Hill, was among the first to issue a statement of her condolences.
“The passing of Angela Chao is a tragedy. An extraordinarily accomplished business leader and expert in the maritime industry, she also was generous with her time and talent to a number of philanthropic organizations,” Collins said.
In a social media post, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy called Chao a “trailblazer in the maritime industry.”
The Austin-American Statesman reported Chao’s vehicle was found in a body of water on private property in Blanco County on Sunday.
In a statement on behalf of the Chao family, her father, James Chao, called Angela “a brilliant woman, a charismatic and visionary leader and much-loved by all her sisters, our entire family and friends.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 3:37 PM with the headline "New details emerge on death of Angela Chao, Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law."
