Illinois Congressman Sean Casten's daughter passed away at the age of 17. His office confirmed that Gwen died on Monday morning.
"The lawmaker's beloved daughter, Gwen passed away. The Casten family requests privacy, and we will be issuing no further comment during this heartbreaking time," his office said in a statement. Gwen recently appeared in a video supporting Casten's the third term in the office.
Gwen Was Headed to The University of Vermont
Police said they were called to a home in the area Monday, "for an unresponsive seventeen-year-old female," where "first responders determined that the subject was deceased," according to People.
The Downers Grove North High School graduate was headed to the University of Vermont in the fall to study environmental science. Tributes are pouring in for Casten's family and Gwen.
Gwen Served As Co-Director of March For Our Lives Illinois Chapter
The AAPI Student Union at her high school in an Instagram post said that Gwen was a leader and a friend. "She was a highly accomplished student at North, being involved in various activities, from Changemakers, band, NHS, math team, and tennis, all while being on the high honor roll. Gwen and her father @repseancasten recognized the importance of protecting the environment and the dangers that arose if we kept polluting our planet."
Gwen had also served as co-director of the March For Our Lives Illinois chapter. Neither Casten's office nor his family did not give any information about her cause of death.
DuPage County board member Dawn DeSart didn't know Gwen Casten but recently on social media called her a "shero" for organizing a shooting-related first-aid course for her high school classmates. She initiated 'Stop the Bleed' training in her school, which taught students how to pack a gunshot wound in a fellow student in case of a school shooting, according to the Chicago Tribune.
