Mary Kennedy, 52, was discovered in a barn on her Westchester, NY property, reports the New York Daily News — she had apparently hanged herself. She had been married to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of former senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, since 1994, but they'd been separated since 2010. He'd filed for divorce, but at the time of her death, they were still legally married.
In 2010, signs of Kennedy's possible alcohol issues became public when she called police to her home, alleging that her husband was "verbally abusive to herself and her children." Police officers said she was "visibly intoxicated" when they arrived, and two days later, her husband filed for divorce. It would be the second divorce for him — he'd divorced his first wife just a month before his wedding to Mary, who was six months pregnant at the time.
The day after filing, Kennedy Jr. called the police on his wife, alleging that she was drunk. Two days after that, she was arrested for drunk driving. And later that year, she was arrested again, for driving under the influence of prescription drugs.
Medical examiners will perform an autopsy to confirm Kennedy's cause of death. In a statement, the Kennedy family called her "a tremendously gifted architect and a pioneer and relentless advocate of green design who enhanced her cutting edge, energy efficient creations with exquisite taste and style." They also said, "We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her. Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation."
