Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Were Dead for Several Hours as Lifeless Bodies Were in Rigor Mortis After Horrifying Scene Was Discovered by Daughter
Rob Reiner and wife Michele's bodies were reportedly in rigor mortis when they were discovered.
Dec. 16 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Rob Reiner and wife Michele had been dead for hours before their daughter found their bodies already in a state of rigor mortis, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The new information sheds light on the timeline for when the couple was allegedly murdered by their troubled son Nick, a longtime drug addict who got into a loud public fight with his parents the night before they were found dead.
Gruesome Crime Scene
Rob and Michele Reiner were in bed with their throats slashed, suggesting they may have been sleeping with the murders occurred.
The When Harry Met Sally director and his wife were last seen alive at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party on the evening of December 13.
The couple brought Nick, 32, along out of "concern" for him, but he got into a loud fight with his famous father that was unnerving enough that other guests heard the commotion, according to sources.
Shortly thereafter, Rob and Michele reportedly left the party and headed back to their Brentwood, California, mansion, while it is yet unclear when Nick departed the celebration. He was living on his parents' property at the time of their murders.
The couple was found in bed with their throats slashed, indicating they may have retired for the night after arriving home, while Nick may have arrived later and allegedly killed his parents in their sleep.
Bodies Discovered At Least 12 Hours After the Murders
Rigor mortis had set in by the time police arrived just before 4 p.m after the bodies of Rob and Michele Reiner were discovered.
Rob and Michele's daughter, Romy Reiner, found her parents' lifeless bodies when she arrived at their home around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, December 14.
Rigor mortis, which is the stiffening of muscles after death, typically starts around two to six hours after death. The entire body becomes stiff between eight and 12 hours after death, suggesting Rob and Michele had been deceased for quite some time before Romy discovered their bodies.
After allegedly killing his parents, Nick fled to a nearby hotel in Santa Monica, where he used his own credit card to check in around 4 a.m.
That suggests he allegedly slaughtered his parents sometime before 3:30 a.m. The bodies likely would have been in full rigor mortis when Romy found her parents more than 12 hours later.
Hotel Room Blood
Hotel workers believed Nick Reiner might have been on something when he arrived following the murders.
Employees at the Pierside Hotel claimed Nick seemed "tweaked out," although he didn't have any visible signs of a struggle, such as blood stains or body cuts, eyewitnesses told TMZ. However, housekeepers found evidence something gruesome had happened later that morning, discovering the room's shower "full of blood" with blood stains on the bed as well. Nick had covered the room's window with bed sheets to keep out the light.
The onetime screenwriter wasn't apprehended until around five hours after his sister found their lifeless parents. He was taken into custody by a team of LAPD officers and U.S Marshals in the Exposition Park area southwest of Downtown Los Angeles around 9 p.m. Nick was arrested on suspicion of murder and has been held without bail while behind bars at LA's Twin Towers correctional facility.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Tuesday, December 16, that Nick will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with his parents' deaths.
Family Tragedy
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Romy Reiner was incredibly close to her late parents, whose lifeless bodies she discovered.
In addition to the horror of finding her beloved parents dead, Romy had to watch the nonstop heartache her brother's drug abuse and mental health issues caused her family over the years, leaving her "so traumatized by Nick’s behavior."
“She has always been so close with her parents, and watching their constant pain over Nick has impacted her and the whole family so much,” the insider revealed.
"It’s been so much of their life. Rob and Michele were honest about their struggles with Nick, and those who spent time with the family saw it firsthand," the source explained.
The insider recalled, "A lot of his anger was directed at his parents for many, many years. They did everything a parent could possibly do to help him. Even in his younger years, they really tried to get him help. And then it became a cycle of seeking treatment for him, kicking him out, or him leaving the house, him moving back in," adding, "This went on for years."
