Mitt Romney's Sister-in-Law Was Found Dead Near a Parking Garage in California

Carrie Elizabeth Romney, the sister-in-law of former U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, was found dead near a shopping mall parking garage in Valencia, Calif. Carrie, who was 64, had recently separated from Romney's brother, and following the news of her death, many wanted to better understand what happened.

Carrie was first discovered at around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, according to People, and there are some things we still don't know about precisely how she died. Here's what we do know, though.

It's clear that Carrie died after falling from several stories up on the parking garage, but what's not clear at the moment is whether she fell or jumped intentionally, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Police Department.

NBC Los Angeles reported, however, that foul play is not currently suspected in the case, which suggests that those are the two likeliest outcomes.

“Our family is heartbroken by the loss of Carrie, who brought warmth and love to all our lives,” Romney said in a statement to People on Monday. “We ask for privacy during this difficult time.”

Carrie had been married to George Romney, a well-known attorney and the father of current RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. He filed for divorce from Carrie in June of this year, per The Daily Mail, citing irreconcilable differences after eight years together.

According to The NY Post, Carrie's cause of death was listed as "deferred" by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, which means that further tests are required to determine the cause.

While it seems quite clear that she sustained catastrophic injuries because of the fall, what seems less certain at the moment is why she fell in the first place, and whether we know anything additional about her state of mind at the time.

The news of Carrie's death comes at a moment when Mitt Romney has largely receded from the realm of Washington politics. He was the Republican nominee for president back in 2012 and eventually took a seat in the Senate in 2018, becoming one of the most outspoken critics of President Trump during his time in office, and becoming the sole Republican vote to impeach him.

After stepping away from the Senate, though, Romney has tended to be quieter about Trump's second term than he was in his first. That's understandable, given that he no longer occupies any formal position of power, but it also means that Republicans are much more unified in their support for Trump than they were when Romney was in office.

Now, he's dealing with a personal tragedy, and one that he's asked for some privacy in dealing with. Although Carrie was part of a political family, there's no indication that her death had anything directly to do with politics. Mitt may have once been a powerful voice in Washington, but this tragedy seems to be a more personal one.