Mitch McConnell's billionaire shipping mogul sister-in-law Angela Chao was three times over the legal drinking limit when she accidentally reversed into Texas pond

Billionaire shipping magnate Angela Chao knew she was about to die as she sat trapped in her car after reversing it into a pond while three times over the drink drive limit, police have revealed.

The sister-in-law of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell was pronounced dead at the scene after her Tesla SUV was hauled from the water on her 900-acre ranch in Texas on February 11.

She had previously been confused by the gears on her Model X and mistakenly put the car into reverse after an evening with close friends at a lodge on the estate.

The report from the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office details their frantic attempts to rescue her as she spoke on the phone to one of them, Amber Keinan, from her slowly sinking car.

‘Chao told Keinan the water was rising and she was going to die and said ‘I love you’,’ police discovered, ‘Chao then said her goodbyes to Keinan.’

Angela Chao, a billionaire shipping industry CEO, tragically drowned in a pond at her Texas ranch after accidentally putting her Tesla in reverse 

Angela Chao (far right) is pictured in 2015 with her sister, former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao (left), her brother-in-law Mitch McConnell (second from left), now President Joe Biden (center), and her father, James Chao (second from right)

An aerial shot of the ponds on Chao's 900-acre Texas ranch outside Johnson City 

She had been spending the weekend with seven of her closest girlfriends who had flown in from New York to celebrate the Chinese New Year while her husband, venture capitalist Jim Breyer, was away at a conference in Dubai.

Shortly after 11.30pm on February 10 she decided to return to the main house, where her son was soundly asleep. The February night air was chilly and rather than walk back to the residence, Chao thought it easiest to drive instead.

Police said security footage outside the lodge recorded her at 11.37pm, wrapped in a blanket with a phone in her right hand walking 'unsteadily to her vehicle'.

An attempted three-point-turn then ended in disaster as the electric vehicle shot backwards down an embankment and into the water.

At 11.42pm she called Keinan to say she was trapped and spent eight minutes on the phone as friends ran to the scene with one paddling out on a kayak and another swimming to the vehicle and climbing on top.

A third friend called 911 but it took first responders 24 minutes to reach the remote spot west of Johnson City as the vehicle filled up with water.

Firefighters plunged into the darkness and one smashed the driver’s window, feeling around until he found Chao’s hand.

They managed to pull her out and get her to the bank of the pond by 12.56am, spending the next 43 minutes attempting 'advanced life support' before she was pronounced dead at 1.40am.

Chao had been spending the weekend with seven of her closest girlfriends celebrating the Chinese New Year while her husband, venture capitalist Jim Breyer, was away at a conference

Her father, James S.C. Chao, remembered his youngest daughter as 'thoughtful, kind and devoted' as well as being a much-loved 'charismatic and visionary leader'

Angela Chao is pictured with her husband Jim Breyer in 2023

From L to R, the Chao sisters: Grace, Christine, Elaine, May and Angela Chao, pictured in 2016

Angela Chao is pictured with her first husband Bruce Wasserstein, who died in 2009 just months after they wed

Police refused initially to rule out foul play but concluded on Wednesday that her death had been an ‘unfortunate accident’.

A toxicology report found a blood alcohol level of 0.233 grams per 100 milliliters, nearly three the legal limit for driving in Texas of 0.08 grams.

'Angela’s passing was a terrible tragedy, and words cannot describe the family’s profound grief,' a spokesman for her father, James SC Chao, and their family, said on Wednesday. 

'The family is grateful for the first responders and friends who tried so hard to save her.'

Chao was well-known in DC circles as chair and chief executive of shipping giant the Foremost Group and as sister of McConnell’s wife Elaine who has herself served as secretary of both the Labor and Transportation departments.

Chao's husband, Jim Breyer, simply wrote: 'We are heartbroken.'

The Chao family is the only one in the history of the school to have had four daughters attend the Harvard Business School.

Angela completed her bachelor's in economics, graduating with summa cum laude, in just three years.

She then went on to attend Harvard Business School before joining over her father's company, The Foremost Group, in 1996. Chao became the CEO of the company in 2018.

She was remembered for her 'pioneering leadership' and for being a 'formidable executive' in the shipping industry.

In June 2016, Chao was also appointed as independent director of the board of the Bank of China.

Her husband, who has an estimated net worth of $2.9billion, is part owner of the Boston Celtics, and previously served on the boards of Facebook, Walmart, Marvel, News Corp. and Dell.

Breyer said he was 'heartbroken by this terrible tragedy'. 

'I am so appreciative for the remarkable efforts of the many first responders in Blanco County who did everything possible to save my wonderful wife’s life,' he added.

Chao was the sister of McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, who has served as secretary of both the Labor and Transportation departments. McConnell and Chao are seen here in 1993

The Chao family: Standing far left is Angela - who died in the car crash. In the back row is her sisters Christine, May, and Grace. Sitting next to her father James S.C. Chao is Elaine Chao. James S. C. Chao is seated next to portrait of his late wife

She was previously married to billionaire banker Bruce Wasserstein - who died in 2009, just months after they wed.

Blanco Chief Deputy Robert Woodring said that Chao had committed no offence because she was driving on private property at the time of her death.

'It’s something that you don’t want to do, but it’s not a crime,' he told reporters.

McConnell, 82, referenced her death when he announced last month that he would be stepping down as the Republican leader in the Senate later this year.

Speaking on the Senate floor, he said: 'This has been a particularly difficult time for my family. We tragically lost Elaine's younger sister Angela, just a few weeks ago.

'When you lose a loved one, particularly at a young age, there's a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process.'