Former Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney has maintained a relatively low profile since retiring from Capitol Hill this past January.

However, the one-time D.C. figure was recently back in the news after someone linked to his family passed away. 

Woman appears to have jumped or fell from a parking garage

According to ABC News, Romney's 64-year-old sister-in-law died in Santa Clarita's Valencia neighborhood this past Friday evening.

The local news outlet explained that police responded to reports of a deceased person in the 24500 block of Town Center Drive at around 8:30 p.m.

Mitt Romney's sister-in-law was found dead on Friday evening next to a parking garage just north of Los Angeles, according to officials.https://t.co/BVtRxGrdL7

— ABC News (@ABC) October 14, 2025

Officers discovered the body of Carrie Elizabeth Romney in a parking garage where she had apparently jumped or fell from the five-story structure.

The Daily Mail noted that although there were no signs of foul play, Mrs. Romney's official cause of death has been listed as "deferred" by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner pending the results of a toxicology test.

Mitt Romney says Carrie "brought warmth and love to all our lives"

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department indicated that its investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death remains ongoing.

For his part, the former senator provided People magazine with a statement which read, "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."

USA Today explained that Mrs. Romney was the wife of G. Scott Romney, a corporate attorney who works for the business law firm Honigman.

The newspaper pointed out how Scott Romney was previously married to Ronna Romney and is the father of former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Rona McDaniel.

Romney family has deep political roots

USA Today also recalled how Mitt and Scott Romney are both sons of the late George W. Romney, who served as a Republican governor of Michigan.

The elder Romney then went on to become secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under former President Richard Nixon in 1969.

Mitt Romney would serve as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 until 2007 before winning the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2012 and finally becoming a Utah senator in 2019.

His time in Washington was marked by frequent clashes with President Donald Trump, whom he voted to convict in an impeachment trial following the January 6 riot.