Rep Casten pays tribute to daughter, 17, who died inexplicably in her sleep: ‘Savour the moments’

Congressman’s daughter was found ‘unresponsive’ at their family home in Illinois last Monday

Congressman Sean Casten with Gwen, wife Kara and younger daughter Audrey during Gwen’s high school graduation ceremony (Twitter/ Sean Casten)

Congressman Sean Casten issued a statement on Wednesday mourning the death of his 17-year-old daughter.

Gwen, the teenage daughter of the Democratic representative, was found unresponsive at their family home in Illinois on Monday morning, an official from the Chicago police department told the Chicago Tribune, without elaborating on the cause of her death.

Sharing details about the circumstances of her death, Mr Casten said the only thing they know “is that it was peaceful”.

“There are no words to describe the hole in your heart when a child dies,” he said, urging others to “savour the moments” with their loved ones.

“On  Sunday night, we had dinner as family and then she went out with some friends for a few hours,” said Mr Casten. “When she got home, she said goodnight to Kara and I, texted a friend to make sure she got home OK, and didn’t wake up on Monday morning.”

“The only thing we know about her death is that it was peaceful,” he added. “And the only lesson we can take from that is to savour the moments you have with your loved ones.”

Mr Casten said she was about to start her freshman year at the University of Vermont, where she was planning to study environmental science.

He said Gwen had two “great passions” – music and activism.

She created an “empowerment club” in the wake of the 2018 Parkland shooting, which focussed on “everything from gun violence prevention to environmental protection to LGBTQ allyship to organising Black Lives Matter rallies to registering students to vote”, he added.

Sean Casten’s daughter Gwen Casten was about to start her freshman year at the University of Vermont (Twitter/ Sean Casten)

“If her light seemed a bit brighter than most it was because she was so generous in reflecting back the light and love that so many gave to her,” he wrote.

Mr Casten had also issued a statement on 9 June supporting gun reforms as he demanded “sensible gun control measures including strengthening background checks and banning assault weapons”.

Ahead of the announcement of her death by his office on Monday, his campaign had asked television networks across Illinois to immediately pull his campaign spots off air, reported CBS News.

He is running for re-election in the redrawn Illinois 6th Congressional district and has been a member of Congress since January 2019.