YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Emily Beutner, daughter of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Austin Beutner, died on January 6th.
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The 22-year-old college student died in hospital after she was found “suffering from a medical emergency” on a highway in Palmdale, Calif.
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“My family experienced the unimaginable loss of our beloved daughter,” said the mayoral candidate
The 22-year-old daughter of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Austin Beutner has died after apparently suffering a medical emergency. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
Emily Beutner died on Jan. 6 after she was spotted apparently “suffering from a medical emergency” on the side of the highway in Palmdale, California, shortly after 12 a.m. local time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.
A witness in the area – the intersection of Sierra Highway and Technology Drive – had alerted the authorities about a woman in “a state of medical danger,” Lt. Michael Modica told Lt. Los Angeles Times.
The politician’s daughter was treated on the spot and transported to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, according to the LASD.
LASD homicide investigators “responded and took control of the death investigation,” the sheriff’s department said. Talk to the Timeshowever, Modica warned that this should not be taken as an indication of the cause of Emily’s death, as this is typical for a young person found dead in such a situation.
Emily Beutner/Facebook
As of Feb. 1, the cause of death has not been determined, with Emily’s case remaining open, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office records seen by PEOPLE.
Austin shared a statement with the Times in light of his daughter’s death.
“My family has experienced the unimaginable loss of our beloved daughter,” said the mayoral candidate. “We ask for your privacy and prayers at this time.”
Emily is one of four grown children Austin shares with his wife, Virginia, according to his campaign website. She was a junior at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), where she was studying studio art, according to a statement shared by the university after her death.
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Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty
“Please join me in extending our deepest condolences to Emily’s family and loved ones, and in keeping Emily and all those mourning her loss in our collective thoughts and prayers,” said LMU President Thomas Poon.
Poon also said the LA-based private university will honor Emily with a plaque at her student memorial.
Austin’s opponent in the mayoral race, LA Mayor Karen Bass, also released a statement following Emily’s death.
“I am very saddened by the news of the tragic death of Austin Beutner’s daughter,” said Bass. “There is no way to describe the depth of pain experienced by parents who have lost a child. My heart is broken for the Beutner family, and I offer Austin, his wife Virginia, and their entire family the deepest condolences.”
“I will keep them close in my heart,” continued the mayor’s statement, “and I am ready to help the family with everything they may need.”
Read the original article on People