Died July 18, 1969 in a bizarre car accident involving Ted Kennedy. It was his dark blue Oldsmobile that darted off the side of the Chappaquiddick bridge, crashed upside down into shallow water, and killed Mary Jo. Ted left the scene of the accident and went home. He later claimed he tried unsuccessfully to rescue Kopechne, then staggered a mile back to the party cottage, where he got his cousin to try and rescue her. No one called the police for 9 hours, this led to speculation that foul play was involved. Of course, he was never convicted but his presidential aspirations were ruined.