Was Carrie Elizabeth Romney going through divorce? Mitt Romney's sister-in-law's marriage explored after she was found dead in a parking garage

On Friday evening, October 10, Carrie Elizabeth Romney was found dead next to the parking garage of a shopping mall in Santa Clarita's Valencia neighborhood. Carrie was the sister-in-law of Utah Senator Mitt Romney - who has also been a presidential candidate for the Republicans in the past. 

After homicide investigators were called on scene, their preliminary assessment suggested that the 64-year-old's death was caused by either a fall or an intentional jump from the mall's five storey garage. 

BREAKING: Carrie Elizabeth Romney — sister-in-law of Mitt Romney — found dead Friday evening in Valencia, California. She was 64.

Authorities say she may have fallen or jumped from a multi-story parking garage; no foul play is currently suspected.

Investigators are still… pic.twitter.com/IGWoDCpxFe

— Tony Lane 🇺🇸 (@TonyLaneNV) October 14, 2025

Four months before the Carrie Elizabeth Romney's death, her husband - and Mitt Romney's big brother - George Scott Romney, had filed for a divorce from her after eight years of marriage. The filing, which was registered on June 10, 2025, cited irreconcilable differences as the reason behind the divorce, Independent UK reports. 

At the time of her death, Carried had already been separated from George. The couple tied the knot in November 2016, and had no children together. This was George's third marriage, the media outlet reports. 

​

Mitt Romney said the Romney family is "heartbroken" over the loss of Carrie

While Carrie Elizabeth Romney's estranged husband has not addressed her death publicly as of now, his younger brother, Mitt Romney, did issue a brief statement about it, that reads:

"Our family is heartbroken by the loss of Carrie, who brought warmth and love to all our lives. We ask for privacy during this difficult time."

It has been over four days since Carrie's body was found, but the results of its medical examination and toxicoloy are still pending. For the time being, the LA County medical examiner has listed the cause of her death as "deferred". 

The LA County Sheriff's spokesperson, Daniel Vizcarra has reiterated the same, saying:

"We don’t know if it was suicide or accidental. There is not enough information to go by yet on what the coroner has given us so far."

Per Vizcarra, the homicide detectives are not suspecting any foul play behind Carrie's death at the moment. Investigators working on the case are in process of obtaining possible CCTV footage from any camera in areas adjacent to the mall. Her vehicle was also found parked in the mall's parking lot. 

Mitt Romney ran for the presidential campaign in 2012, representing the Republicans when he was defeated by Barack Obama. Before that, he also served as the governor for Massachusetts for four years (2004 - 2007). 

In 2018, Romney was appointed as Utah's senator, a position that he held till 2024 before choosing to retire. At the time, the politician said at a news conference that the country's problems required a younger generation of leaders to solve them, adding:

"The times we're living in redemand the next generation step up and express their point of view and to make the decisions that will shape American politics over the coming century."

Romney added that baby boomers like him were not well-suited "to be making the decisions for tomorrow" anymore.

​

​