Last month saw the sister-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pass away in an apparent vehicle accident.

However, authorities announced on Friday that they have opened a criminal investigation into the woman's death.

"This incident was not a typical accident"

According to the Daily Mail, 50-year-old Angela Chao died after the car she was driving crashed into a body of water on a private Texas ranch.

Mitch McConnell's sister-in-law Angela Chao's car crash death is being investigated as a CRIME: 'This was not a typical accident' https://t.co/hZmjrz0sMg pic.twitter.com/clP6AJXqi6

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 1, 2024

The paper noted that the Blanco County Sheriff's Office explained in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton why it had decided to open a criminal case, stating, "This incident was not a typical accident."

"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 was quoted as saying.

Chao was a Harvard graduate who led shipping firm founded by father

The Daily Mail noted that Chao served as CEO of the Foremost Group, a New York-based global bulk shipping company founded in 1964 by her father.

Her biography on Foremost Group's website states that Chao "earned an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School after receiving her undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard College where she graduated magna cum laude in three years."

Chao's dead body was discovered on February 11 shortly after midnight when her vehicle was pulled from a pond on a ranch in Johnson City, which is located some 40 miles from Austin.

The Austin American-Statesman obtained a copy of a report by fire Lt. Royce Penshorn which detailed the attempt to rescue Chao.

Chao had deep family ties to the Republican Party

"The deputies were in the water standing on what they believed was the vehicle, trying to gain access to the possible victim inside the vehicle," Penshorn wrote. However, the shipping magnate was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The American-Statesman noted that Chao was the younger sister of Elaine Chao, who is the wife of Mitch McConnell.

In addition to being married to the outgoing Senate Minority leader, Elaine Chao has held positions of her own in two Republican administrations.

This included serving as Department of Transportation Secretary under President Donald Trump and Department of Labor Secretary under President George W. Bush.