The son of Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner is in custody after the couple was found dead at their Los Angeles home Sunday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Nick Reiner, 32, was booked into the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center, sheriff’s department records show. He is being held on $4 million bail for a felony, but jail records do not specify what charges he faces. Nick, who stands at six feet three inches and weighs 250 pounds, was arrested at 9:15 p.m. Sunday and booked into the jail at 5:05 a.m.
It was previously reported that investigators were interviewing a family member Sunday evening regarding the deaths, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told multiple news outlets. Authorities are investigating the deaths as apparent homicides.
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton provided little information at a press conference Sunday night, but said the death investigation was ongoing. TMZ reported that the couple’s throats were “slit” following an argument at the home.
There was no sign of forced entry at the Reiners’ sprawling Brentwood home and the couple had injuries consistent with being stabbed, sources told the Los Angeles Times. The city’s fire department said the bodies of a 68-year-old woman and a 78-year-old man were discovered in a property on Chadbourne Avenue.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a family spokesperson said in a statement. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Actors Billy Crystal and Larry David were spotted at the home Sunday night, a neighbor told ABC7, adding that Crystal “looked like he was about to cry.”
Hamilton said the investigation was being handled by the LAPD’s robbery homicide division, and would “continue over the coming days.”
Paramedics were dispatched to the residence at roughly 3:30 p.m. Sunday, and Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived minutes later for an “ambulance death investigation.”
A sizable police presence was observed outside the home Sunday evening. Neighbors told NBC News that Reiner and his wife lived together in the home, and property records confirmed that they own the property.
Their middle son, Nick, was taken into custody Sunday night and booked into jail on Monday.
The 32-year-old, who has been open about his struggles with addiction, co-wrote the 2015 film “Being Charlie.” The movie, directed by his father, was inspired by his own experiences with drug addiction, rehab, and homelessness.
“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he has said. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”
After he became sober, he told People in 2016: “I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
Reiner was one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”
Tributes have been paid to Reiner, who was an American actor, writer and liberal activist as well as a director. His films included “A Few Good Men” and “Misery.”
He first rose to prominence after playing Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the CBS series “All in the Family,” a role that garnered him multiple Emmy Awards.
The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Reiner was married to photographer Michele since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together, Jake, Nick, and Romy.
Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that it was “a devastating loss for our city and our country.”
“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” she said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
Source: independent.co.uk