Ashley Turton: 5 Facts About the D.C. Lobbyist Found Dead in Her Car

Ashley Turton, the wife of an Obama administration official and a lobbyist, was found dead this morning in a burning car parked in her garage.

The bizarre death has D.C. wondering what happened to Turton. Authorities said her death appears to have resulted from "a low-speed crash, an unknown medical condition, the fire, or some combination of the three," The Washington Post reported.

Turton, who was 37, lived a full life. Surge Desk rounds up what we know about her so far.

1. She was one-half of a power couple
Turton was married to Dan Turton, the White House's deputy director of legislative affairs for the U.S. House. Last year, Politico included them in a piece on White House aides who are married to lobbyists. The two were well-known in Democratic circles.

2. She used to work for Congress
Before becoming a lobbyist, Turton served as chief of staff to Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut. She also spent time as an aide to Rep. Richard Gephardt.

3. She lobbied for Progress Energy
After leaving the Hill, Turton began working in 2007 as a regulatory analyst for Progress Energy, a North Carolina-based utility company. Progress Energy is also in the news today because of a possible $13.7 billion merger with Duke Energy.

4. She was a family woman
The Turtons have three children. According to neighbors, the children are all under 5 years old. The couple purchased their home in southeast D.C. for $826,000 in 2003.

5. She will be missed by many in D.C.
As news of Turton's death spread today, Progress Energy issued a statement offering condolences, and friends and old co-workers took to Twitter to share their sorrow.

Follow Surge Desk on Twitter.

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Ashley Turton: 5 Facts About the DC Lobbyist Found Dead in Her Car

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