ST. LOUIS — U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Walorski(R-Indiana) and two of her staff members were killed in a crash Wednesday afternoon in Elkhart County, Indiana.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed the news, saying Walorski's husband had been informed by the sheriff's office.
"She has returned home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," McCarthy shared in a statement provided by Walorski's office. "Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers."
In a statement Wednesday night, Missouri Congresswoman Ann Wagner called Walorski her closest friend. They both entered Congress in 2013.
"Jackie was my closest friend and trusted confidant. Her husband Dean was a source of her strength, and she was blessed to have his support and boundless love as he stood by her. Jackie was a no nonsense, get it done woman with whom I shared countless late-night laughs and stories. She was a woman of great integrity who loved her team as deeply as they loved her. Her work ethic and passion for service was unequaled, and the people of Indiana, along with everyone who was lucky enough to know her, have lost an incredible woman and public servant.
"Jackie and I shared a deep and abiding friendship and words will never be able to do justice to this heartbreaking loss. I will miss her always. We spoke every day, and often finished each other's sentences. I am grateful to have spent such meaningful time with her. We are all praying deeply for her husband Dean, her dear dear mother and entire family, along with Zach and Emma, her two young staffers who also lost their lives today.
“Rest in peace my dear friend in the loving embrace of our Lord.”