The death of shipping CEO Angela Chao, sister to former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, is now under criminal investigation, CNBC reports.
The 50-year-old was found dead on February 11 around midnight after an apparent car accident. She was pulled from a vehicle that had gone into a pond on a private ranch in Johnson City, Texas.
The Blanco County Sheriff’s Office sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday noting that Chao’s death “was not a typical accident,” Business Insider reports.
“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 letter said.
According to CNBC the the Blanco County Sheriff’s public information officer also told the attorney general that further information about the case like reports, 911 logs, audio and video evidence, should not be released to media outlets yet.
“Releasing the reports, videos and other information prior to the completion of the investigation would interfere with the investigation and possible prosecution of this matter,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
Chao was the CEO of Foremost Group, a company founded by her father James Chao. The company released a statement shortly after news of her death broke.
“Angela Chao was a formidable executive and shipping industry leader, as well as a proud and loving daughter, sister, aunt, wife and mother,” the statement read.
Chao’s brother-in-law Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell addressed her death while announcing that he would step down as Republican leader in the Senate next year.
“This has been a particularly difficult time for my family,” McConnell said on the Senate floor, per CNBC. “We tragically lost Elaine’s younger sister Angela, just a few weeks ago.”
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