Illinois Representative Sean Casten’s 17-year-old activist daughter has died.
Though the cause of death has not been released, the politician's office announced that Gwen Casten had died at home on Monday morning.
They also released a short statement, which provided few details into the circumstances surrounding her death.
“This morning, Congressman Casten’s beloved daughter, Gwen (17), passed away,” Casten’s office said. “The Casten family requests privacy, and we will be issuing no further comment during this heartbreaking time.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, the teen died inside the family home.
Gwen was the older of Casten's two children. He and his wife, Kara, are also parents of Audrey, 15.
Gwen was a gun control activist who, according to her Twitter bio, served as co-director of the March for Our Lives Illinois chapter. She was also a leader at her school and ran the Empowerment Club, which urged students to get involved with issues that impact their community.
Just last month, her father said in an interview that she spearheaded a Stop the Bleeding training at her school that taught people how to help in an emergency. He said she did so after learning that “too often in these mass shootings, the first responders are not the EMTs because they can’t get in — the doors are locked.”
He added, “I have tremendous pride that my daughter took the initiative to organize that.”
At 17, Gwen was already passionate about politics. She used her voice in her community, at her school, and on social media. Most recently, Gwen appeared in a campaign video supporting her dad's bid for a third term in Congress. In it, she talks about her excitement at turning 18 and being able to vote for her father in the upcoming election.
"18. A big year. Lots of milestones. Like voting for the first time," she says in the clip. "But not just anyone. Sean Casten is working to pass real gun reform, like universal background checks to protect our neighborhoods and our classrooms."
"Sean Casten, my congressman," she says. "But I just call him dad."
Sean Casten is the first Democrat to represent the 6th district in almost 50 years.
