The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has released the bodies of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, to their family following autopsies, a step that clears the way for funeral arrangements while investigators continue building the homicide case. TheWrap reported the release Friday, five days after the couple were found dead at their Brentwood home.
Medical examiner records list the cause of death for both victims as “multiple sharp force injuries,” and the manner of death as homicide. Police have not announced a motive. Rob Reiner was 78 and Michele Singer Reiner was 70, according to the district attorney’s office.
Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with two counts of murder with a special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with an allegation that he personally used “a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. Hochman said the charges carry a potential sentence of life in state prison without parole or the death penalty, and said prosecutors will decide later if they will seek capital punishment. The district attorney’s office emphasized that the charges are allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
In a statement shared through TheWrap, the couple’s children Jake and Romy Reiner asked for privacy and urged people to temper speculation. “They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” the statement said, calling the loss “horrific and devastating.” TheWrap also reported that Romy Reiner discovered the bodies. Nick Reiner was arrested the night of Dec. 14 in Exposition Park, the district attorney’s office said, and his arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.
