The investigation by the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office concluded that Chao’s death was an “unfortunate accident” and her blood alcohol level was nearly three times the state’s legal limit.
Chao, 50, died the night of February 10 after having dinner with a large group at a ranch in Johnson City, west of Austin. The report describes a frantic scene as friends and deputies tried to pull Chao from her Tesla after she backed it into the water.
A friend told detectives that Chao called her at 11:42pm and said the car was in the pond and she was trapped inside.
Law enforcement officials and firefighters eventually managed to pull her out of the vehicle and to shore, where she was pronounced dead at 1:40am on February 11.
A toxicology test determined that Chao had a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.233 grams per 100 millilitres, above the legal limit in Texas of .08 grams per 100 millilitres, the report said.
Chao was the chair and CEO of her family’s shipping business, the Foremost Group, and the president of her father’s philanthropic organization, the Foremost Foundation. She lived in Austin, which is about 80 kilometres east of Blanco County.
Her eldest sibling, Elaine Chao, is married to McConnell and served as transportation secretary under President Donald Trump and labour secretary under President George W Bush.
Chao is survived by her husband, father and four sisters.
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