How Rob Reiner's Daughter, Romy, Revealed She Found Her Father Dead

What began as a routine Sunday appointment at the home of the "When Harry Met Sally" actor and his wife ended with a discovery by their daughter that would unravel one of Hollywood's most shocking family tragedies.

Romy Reiner's arrival at her family's home in Los Angeles that afternoon would set off a chain of events that ended with a 911 call, a police investigation, and, two days later, murder charges against her brother.

A Call That Changed the Course of the Day

The first sign that something was wrong came quietly.

That Sunday afternoon, December 14, 2025, a massage therapist arrived at the white-gated home of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner in Brentwood for a scheduled appointment. The couple was expected to be home and had plans to attend a dinner with a former president and his wife later that evening.

No one answered at the gate.

After waiting, the therapist called the couple's daughter, Romy, according to an account later shared with The New York Times by a person close to the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the family was not yet ready to speak publicly. Within minutes, that call set Romy in motion. She responded quickly, driving to the house with her roommate.

A Scene Romy Wasn't Prepared to Find

What awaited her inside would immediately shift the day from concern to catastrophe. Romy entered the home alone. Inside, she came upon her father's body and what the source described as a gruesome scene. Overcome, she fled the house in anguish.

Her roommate, who had remained outside, called 911. When paramedics arrived, Romy told them that her brother, Nick Reiner, also lived on the property, the source said. She did not inform authorities that he was a suspect, despite later reports claiming otherwise.

Romy did not see her mother inside the house. She learned only later, from paramedics outside, that Michele was dead, too. Multiple sources later confirmed to People that Romy was the one who found her parents inside their Los Angeles home.

Dinner Plans That Would Never Happen

As investigators began responding to the scene, the contrast between what had been planned and what had occurred became painfully apparent.

Just hours after the unanswered appointment that led Romy to the house, Rob and Michele were supposed to attend a dinner with Barack and Michelle Obama, but they did not show up. Speaking on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Michelle reflected on the loss:

"We've known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night, um, last night, and we got the news, and let me just tell you this, unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you'll ever want to know."

She continued, "They are not deranged or crazed; what they have always been are passionate people in a time when there's not a lot of courage going on. They were the king of people who were there to put their actions behind what they cared about."

"Um, and they cared about their family, and they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity, and that is the truth. I do know them," the former first lady concluded.

A Christmas Party Now Under Scrutiny

Attention has since widened beyond that afternoon to the final hours before the discovery. The night before the killings, the family attended a crowded Christmas party at the home of comedian Conan O'Brien, joined by neighbors and others in show business.

The Times previously reported that Nick had behaved erratically at the party, alarming guests. One attendee said Rob rebuked his son for inappropriate behavior.

The person close to the family did not dispute that an exchange occurred but said it was not heated and had been mischaracterized. Any intensity, the source said, may have been misinterpreted. The source also challenged reports suggesting the family left early because of Nick's behavior, saying his conduct was not unusual to them.

Nick Was Not at the Property When Officers Arrived

Investigators did not find Nick in the guesthouse when they searched the property. He was arrested without incident later Sunday evening, around 9:30 p.m., by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Gang and Narcotics Unit.

Police located him about 15 miles away near Exposition Park, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. Authorities have not said how he was found.

Charges Filed Two Days After the Discovery

As investigators pieced together what had happened inside the home, the case quickly fell to prosecutors. Two days later, prosecutors charged the person they believe is responsible.

On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Los Angeles prosecutors charged Nick, the couple's younger son, with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents. Nick, 32, was the second of the Reiners' three grown children and had been living in a guesthouse on the property.

That Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the coroner had not yet determined whether Rob and Michele died Saturday night or Sunday. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the details of the investigation.

Prosecutors Outline the Stakes as Court Proceedings Begin

In a news conference, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said, "prosecuting these cases involving family members are some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching cases that this office faces because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved."

According to the BBC, Nick is facing two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance alleging multiple murders and could face life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if convicted.

Nick was expected to appear in court on Tuesday morning, but did not. His lawyer, Alan Jackson, said his client had not yet been medically cleared for transfer from jail.

A History That Makes the Allegations Hard to Grasp

The person close to the family said that there was nothing in recent weeks that suggested Nick was capable of such violence. While Nick had struggled with drug addiction for more than half his life, the family was accustomed to working through his challenges together, the source said.

In 2016, Rob and Nick released a film together that was loosely based on their experience navigating Nick's battles with cocaine and heroin.

As investigators continue to piece together the timeline, what remains clear is how quietly the tragedy began — with an unanswered gate and a daughter arriving at a home that would never feel the same again.

With the arrest now made, attention has turned to Nick. As we previously reported, aspects of the couple's younger son's personal history are now being revisited in the context of the investigation.

Below are five facts about Nick's life and background, drawn from public interviews and past reporting.

1. Nick Battled with Addiction

Nick's battle with addiction began early. He was sent to his first rehab facility around his 15th birthday and cycled through treatment repeatedly over the years.

In a candid interview with People, Nick described periods of homelessness that stretched across several states, "I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas. I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun."

By his early 20s, he had been in rehab many times, experiences that later became central to his creative work. As The Hollywood Reporter noted, Nick had been sober at the time after "some 18 trips to rehab."

2. Nick Once 'Wrecked' His Parents' Guest House

In a 2018 episode of the "Dopey" podcast, Nick openly discussed a severe relapse that led to extensive damage to his parents' guest house.

"Everything in the guest house got wrecked," he recalled, adding that he had "destroyed the house." Nick had been on drugs, awake for days, and remembered little from that period.

He did, however, remember punching a television, smashing lamps, and spiraling through one destructive impulse after another. When asked whether he hurt himself, he said, "I don't even remember at this point."

The podcast hosts also recalled frantic calls that morning, efforts to find him help, and arrangements for him to leave Los Angeles and enter treatment again.

3. Nick's Distant Childhood with His Father

Nick has previously spoken about a distant relationship with his father during his childhood.

In a 2016 interview discussing their collaboration on the film "Being Charlie," Nick said, "It really clicked for me because we didn't bond a lot as a kid."

He explained that their connection grew later, particularly when he saw his father engage deeply with the movie "Being Charlie" — something Nick himself cared about — which helped bridge years of emotional distance.

4. Nick Turned Years of Addiction and Recovery Into a Screenplay

Nick channeled much of his personal history into the screenplay for "Being Charlie," a film loosely based on his experiences with addiction and rehab. The movie follows the son of a would-be governor as he resists recovery at every turn.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nick reflected on what rehab ultimately gave him. "Maybe this," he said in reference to the film. "I got sick of it. I got sick of doing that…. I come from a nice family I'm not supposed to be out there on the streets and in homeless shelters doing all these...things."

5. He Sought Independence from His Father

"Being Charlie" brought father and son closer, but Nick wanted to establish his identity outside his father's shadow. "I love working with my dad, but I need to be independent and do my own stuff," Nick said during a joint interview with his father.

Their relationship evolved during filming, as Nick recalled a specific situation:

"We were doing a scene, and I said, 'Why doesn't Charlie go up and hug his dad.' That meant a lot to my dad, because it was sort of like I was accepting him back in."

As court proceedings take shape, much of what happened inside Rob Reiner's home remains unresolved. What is known is how abruptly an ordinary afternoon gave way to irreversible loss — leaving a family, a community, and an industry grappling with questions that now extend beyond shock, toward accountability and answers still to come.