VALENCIA, Calif. — Carrie Elizabeth Romney, 64, the sister-in-law of former U.S. senator and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, was found dead Friday evening near a parking garage in Valencia, California, according to ABC News.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. local time, deputies responded to the 24000 block of Town Center Drive in the Valencia Town Center area, after a report of a woman who appeared to have either fallen or jumped from a five-story parking structure adjacent to a Hyatt Regency hotel.
Authorities located her body in a lot next to the parking structure. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau is leading the inquiry, though officials have not publicly ruled out foul play.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has listed her cause of death as “deferred” while awaiting completion of toxicology and other examinations. Her body has been marked “ready for release,” according to medical examiner records.
In a brief statement, Mitt Romney said, “Our family is heartbroken by the loss of Carrie, who brought warmth and love to all our lives,” and asked that the family be afforded privacy at this time.
Carrie was married to Mitt Romney’s older brother, G. Scott Romney, an attorney. According to reports, the couple separated in May 2025, and divorce proceedings were filed in June, citing irreconcilable differences. The two had married in November 2016 and did not have children together.
Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007) and the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee, served as U.S. Senator for Utah from 2019 until January 2025.
Law enforcement officials are awaiting the medical examiner’s final determination to clarify whether the death was accidental, self-inflicted, or involved foul play.