Fairfax County police are investigating the death of a conservative political advisor and CNN commentator who was found in a ditch in the Belle Haven area Saturday (May 18) morning.
CNN announced that evening that Alice Stewart had died at 58 years old after what officers believe was a medical emergency. Her body had been found outdoors in the Belle View neighborhood, but “no foul play is suspected,” the news organization said.
Officers were dispatched to the area near the Olde Towne Road and 14th Street East intersection at 6:28 a.m. in response to a call for “an unresponsive adult female,” according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The caller reported a woman “laying in a ditch near the intersection,” per scanner traffic on Open MHz. The woman reportedly wasn’t breathing and appeared to have been there for a while.
“She was declared deceased at the scene,” the FCPD told FFXnow. “Preliminarily, no foul play is suspected. Detectives continue to investigate.”
According to CNN, Stewart was born on March 11, 1966, in Atlanta and began her career as a local broadcast journalist and producer in Georgia. She moved to Arkansas to become a news anchor and later entered politics as a communications director for then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
As a political advisor, she worked with former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum during their 2012 presidential bids. She also served as communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz when he campaigned to become the Republican nominee for president in 2016.
CNN said it hired Stewart as a political commentator in the lead-up to the 2016 election, and after that, she regularly appeared “to provide insight on the political news of the day.” Her final on-air appearance was on Friday (May 17), when she was featured on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in a message to staff that Stewart was known for her “political savvy” and “unwavering kindness,” the cable news network reported.
Screenshot via CNN. Hat tip to @RVANOVA01.
