Mitt Romney’s family just got hit with some uncomfortable questions.
The powerful political clan is dealing with a tragedy that’s raising eyebrows across the country.
And George Scott Romney was fighting to make sure his estranged wife got absolutely nothing just months before she plunged to her death.
Carrie Romney Found Dead After Five-Story Fall
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a death investigation around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 10, near the Valencia Town Center mall.¹
They found 64-year-old Carrie Elizabeth Romney dead on the ground next to a five-story parking structure.²
Preliminary reports indicated she either jumped or fell from the garage.³
"We don’t know if it was suicide or accidental," LA County Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Daniel Vizcarra told reporters.⁴ "There is not enough information to go by yet on what the coroner has given us so far."
The medical examiner listed her cause of death as "deferred" while toxicology tests are pending.⁵
Authorities said foul play is not suspected.⁶
Carrie had been married to George Scott Romney – Mitt Romney’s older brother and a prominent Michigan attorney – since November 16, 2016.⁷
But the marriage had been falling apart for months.
Bitter Divorce Battle Revealed After Death
Court documents obtained by media outlets revealed the ugly truth about what was happening behind closed doors.
The couple separated on May 25, 2025.⁸
Just 18 days later, on June 12, Scott Romney filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences."⁹
That’s when things got nasty.
Despite an eight-year marriage, Scott’s filing insisted they owned nothing together and there was no marital property to split.¹⁰
He went even further.
Scott Romney, 81, sought to "terminate the court’s ability to award support" to either person, according to court documents.¹¹
In other words, a wealthy Harvard-educated attorney whose brother nearly became President was fighting to make sure Carrie walked away with nothing.
Carrie had been seeking spousal support – a reasonable request after an eight-year marriage to a wealthy lawyer.¹²
Scott opposed it and wanted her to return to using her maiden name, Carrie Elizabeth Dimas.¹³
The divorce was not finalized at the time of her death four months later.¹⁴
The Power Imbalance Couldn’t Be More Obvious
Look at what we’re dealing with here.
George Scott Romney graduated from Michigan State University in 1966 and later from Harvard Law School.¹⁵
He currently practices law at the prominent Michigan firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn.¹⁶
He sits on multiple corporate boards, including Compuware Corporation.¹⁷
This is someone who knows exactly how to use the legal system to his advantage.
He’s also the father of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel from his first marriage, which lasted from 1967 to 1992.¹⁸
Carrie was his third wife – he was previously married to Sheri Jelalian from 2011 to 2016.¹⁹
The pattern here isn’t hard to spot.
Scott and Carrie had no children together, and records show that until January 2025, Carrie had been living in Michigan where Scott resided.²⁰
Then she moved to Valencia, California.
Four months later, they separated.
Four months after that, she was dead.
California Law Makes the Timing Suspicious
Here’s what most people don’t understand about California divorce law.
For marriages lasting less than 10 years, courts typically award spousal support for half the length of the marriage.²¹
At just over eight years, Carrie could have reasonably expected around four years of support from a wealthy attorney.
But marriages of 10 years or more follow different rules – the supported spouse may receive support indefinitely or until remarriage.²²
Scott and Carrie were married in November 2016 and separated in May 2025 – about 8.5 years.²³
Just under that critical 10-year threshold.
Whether that timing was strategic or coincidental, only Scott Romney knows.
What we do know is that he used every legal tool available to block Carrie from receiving any support at all.
His filing noted that "most of the assets and debts of the parties are separate property and were accumulated before marriage."²⁴
That’s lawyer-speak for "she’s not getting a dime of my money."
The Romney Family’s Muted Response
Mitt Romney issued a brief statement after his sister-in-law’s death.
"Our family is heartbroken by the loss of Carrie, who brought warmth and love to all our lives," the former Utah Senator and Massachusetts Governor said.²⁵ "We ask for privacy during this difficult time."
That’s it.
No mention of the bitter divorce battle.
No acknowledgment of the circumstances that led to Carrie moving across the country away from her husband just months before her death.
Scott Romney has remained completely silent.
His attorney, Karen L. Goldman, told reporters that her client "has not authorized me to make any comments to media during this difficult and tragic time."²⁶
Goldman said she expects Scott to issue a statement at some point – but so far, nothing.
Carrie’s attorney, Paulina Markey, was more forthcoming.
"This is an immensely difficult time for Ms. Romney’s loved ones, and the family has requested privacy as they grieve," Markey said.²⁷ "We extend our deepest condolences to them during this time."
Markey confirmed the divorce was not finalized before Carrie’s death.²⁸
What This Case Reveals About Power and Divorce
Scott Romney isn’t just any divorcing spouse fighting over money.
He’s a Harvard-educated attorney from one of the most powerful political families in America.
He knows how to work the system.
He knows what arguments will resonate with judges.
And he clearly knew that fighting to eliminate any possibility of spousal support – despite an eight-year marriage – was the strategy he wanted to pursue.
The New York Times reported in 2012 that Scott Romney was "the most visible" of Mitt Romney’s siblings during his failed presidential campaign.²⁹
But after Mitt’s 2012 loss to Barack Obama, Scott disappeared from the public eye.
He never ran for high-profile political office again after losing a race for Michigan Attorney General in the 1990s.³⁰
Scott and Carrie "lived out of the public eye" during their marriage, according to reports.³¹
Neither maintained a social media presence or gave media interviews after 2012.³²
They were never photographed together in public.³³
Now investigators are trying to piece together what happened in that Valencia parking garage.
Was it suicide? Was it an accident?
Those answers may never come.
What we do know is that a 64-year-old woman moved across the country, separated from her wealthy attorney husband, got into a nasty divorce fight where he tried to leave her with nothing, and four months later she was dead.
The timing raises questions that deserve answers.
¹ Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, "Death Investigation Statement," October 13, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Daniel Vizcarra, quoted in David K. Li, "Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law found dead at Southern California parking lot," NBC News, October 14, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, October 14, 2025.
⁶ Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, "Death Investigation Statement," October 13, 2025.
⁷ PEOPLE Magazine, "Mitt Romney’s Sister-in-Law Carrie Was Going Through Divorce," October 14, 2025.
⁸ Los Angeles County divorce petition, filed June 12, 2025.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Cristina Laila, "Mitt Romney’s Brother Was Fighting to Make Sure Estranged Wife Was Awarded NOTHING," The Gateway Pundit, October 14, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² PEOPLE Magazine, "Mitt Romney’s Sister-in-Law Carrie Was Going Through Divorce," October 14, 2025.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Paulina Markey statement to PEOPLE Magazine, October 14, 2025.
¹⁵ Yahoo News, "Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law, Carrie Romney, found dead next to shopping mall," October 14, 2025.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ Ibid.
¹⁸ PEOPLE Magazine, "Mitt Romney’s Sister-in-Law Carrie Was Going Through Divorce," October 14, 2025.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ Yahoo News, "Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law, Carrie Romney, found dead next to shopping mall," October 14, 2025.
²¹ California Family Code Section 4320, spousal support duration guidelines.
²² Ibid.
²³ Los Angeles County divorce petition, filed June 12, 2025.
²⁴ PEOPLE Magazine, "Mitt Romney’s Sister-in-Law Carrie Was Going Through Divorce," October 14, 2025.
²⁵ Mitt Romney statement to PEOPLE Magazine, October 14, 2025.
²⁶ Karen L. Goldman statement to PEOPLE Magazine, October 14, 2025.
²⁷ Paulina Markey statement to PEOPLE Magazine, October 14, 2025.
²⁸ Ibid.
²⁹ The New York Times, 2012 campaign coverage.
³⁰ Yahoo News, "Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law, Carrie Romney, found dead next to shopping mall," October 14, 2025.
³¹ PEOPLE Magazine, "Mitt Romney’s Sister-in-Law Carrie Was Going Through Divorce," October 14, 2025.
³² Yahoo News, "Mitt Romney’s sister-in-law, Carrie Romney, found dead next to shopping mall," October 14, 2025.
³³ Ibid.
