Mitt Romney has spoken out on the sudden death of his sister-in-law, as it is revealed his brother had filed for divorce just four months before she was found dead in California.
The former presidential candidate and Utah senator said he was ‘heartbroken’ after Carrie Elizabeth Romney, 64, was found dead on the street next to a five-story parking garage Friday.
‘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,’ Romney said.
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mitt’s brother, George Scott Romney, had separated from Carrie on May 25.
George Romney – who goes by Scott – filed for divorce on June 10 after just over eight years of marriage, according to files obtained by the Daily Mail.
It was the 81-year-old lawyer and politician’s third marriage. Scott is the father of former RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel through his first marriage.
Scott and Carrie were wed on November 26, 2016 and had no children of their own. They were never pictured in public together and appear to have kept their marriage private.
Neither were active on social media and Scott hasn’t been interviewed by a major media outlet since the 2012 presidential campaign.
Mitt Romney (pictured with wife Ann) has spoken out on the sudden death of his sister-in-law, as it is revealed his brother had filed for divorce from her just four months before she was found dead in California
The former presidential candidate and Utah senator said he was ‘heartbroken’ after Carrie Elizabeth Romney was found on the street next to a five-story parking garage Friday
Scott cited irreconcilable differences and asserted that most of the couple’s assets had been accumulated individually before they were married.
Carrie was seeking spousal support which Scott did not agree to, and requested restoring her maiden name, Carrie Elizabeth Dimas.
The Daily Mail has reached out to lawyers listed for both Scott and Carrie Romney for comment.
Carrie was found lying next to a garage in the Los Angeles suburb of Valencia, according to the local coroner’s office.
Officers arrived on the scene at around 8:30pm on Friday near the the town’s shopping mall and a local Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Foul play is not suspected, according to local homicide detectives.
LA County Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Daniel Vizcarra told the Daily Mail: ‘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.’
Vizcarra said a passerby called 911 and Romney’s body was found by the parking structure that belongs to an apartment complex on the 24000 block of Town Center Drive in the city of Santa Clarita. Vizcarra said Carrie’s vehicle was found in one of the floors of the parking structure.
Investigators are working to obtain possible video footage around the area, which is also adjacent to a mall. Vizcarra added the passerby saw the body in the alleyway within the apartment complex.
According to divorce filings obtained by The Daily Mail, 64-year-old Carrie Romney had separated from Mitt’s brother George Scott Romney (pictured in 2012) – who goes by Scott – on May 25
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, she was found lying next to a parking garage in the LA suburb of Valencia. First responders arrived on the scene at around 8:30pm on Friday near the the town’s shopping mall, near a local Hyatt Regency Hotel
Footage from the investigation showed police tape cordoning off much of the parking lot with multiple police vehicles on scene.
Her cause of death has been listed as ‘deferred’ while toxicology tests were pending, the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the LA County Sheriff’s Department and coroner’s office for comment.
Romney, a two-time presidential candidate, comes from a large family with three older siblings, including his brother Scott. His wife Ann also has two older brothers, and together the couple share five sons.
Scott Romney was described by The New York Times as the most visible of Romney’s siblings on the campaign trail in 2012.
He told PBS of his role on his brother’s campaign: ‘In 2006 he called me and said, “I’d like somebody with a little gray hair to help raise money, and I wonder if you’d be willing to help me.” And he asked me to help with him on his campaign. Since then, I’ve been doing everything I can to help his political career.’
Scott is currently an attorney at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn in Michigan and serves on several boards, including Compuware Corporation.
The Romney family is notoriously close and competitive, with The Washington Post once profiling the then-30 person brood’s annual family Olympics on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
Similarly, the former governor often championed his status as a family man when he ran for national office in 2008 and 2012.
Mitt Romney’s lengthy career in Republican politics includes a defeat to Barack Obama in the 2012 general election.
Scott Romney was described by The New York Times as the most visible of Romney’s siblings on the campaign trail in 2012
Footage showing law enforcement’s investigation saw police tape blocking the entrance to much of the scene
In 2008, he lost the Republican Primary before endorsing the eventual presidential runner-up, John McCain.
He was also the only member of his party to vote to convict Trump of impeachment twice.
Romney served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and the junior senator from Utah from 2018 to 2024.
He retired instead of trying to run for re-election, having said the country’s many challenges call for a younger generation of leaders.
Romney said the US would be better served if the two front-runners for their parties’ 2024 presidential nominations – Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump – stepped aside.
‘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 said in a news conference at the Capitol.
He said baby boomers like him are ‘not the right ones to be making the decisions for tomorrow.’
Romney’s most recent public appearance came at a forum at Drew University in New Jersey in late September.
