Medical examiner records connected to the killings of Rob and Michele Reiner have been sealed under a court order requested by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
The court-ordered “security hold” prevents the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office from releasing or posting any information related to the case, including the official medical examiner’s report, until further notice. The LAPD said the request was made so detectives could first review critical information related to the deaths before it became public.
In a statement to NBC 4, which first reported the development, the LAPD said the order was not intended to limit transparency but to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed in a statement issued Monday, Dec. 29, that it received the court order on the morning of Dec. 24. The order was initiated by the LAPD and placed an immediate security hold on the Reiner case.
“While the cause and manner of death were previously released on these cases, due to the court order, the information is no longer available,” the statement said. “No other case information or records, including the Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice.”
The office added that it understands the public’s interest in the case and remains committed to transparency. Information will be released once the court order is lifted.
The court order, reviewed by PEOPLE, restricts the public release of any investigative material, including notes, reports and photographs, to anyone other than assigned investigators.
The LAPD confirmed to PEOPLE that it requested the sealing of the medical examiner’s investigation records related to the deaths of Robert and Michele Reiner. In its statement, the department emphasized that the causes of death had already been made public and reiterated that the order was sought solely to ensure detectives received important information first.
“The order was not sought to undermine transparency,” the LAPD said.
Rob and Michele Reiner’s official death certificates, obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday, Dec. 23, state that Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, died from multiple sharp force injuries inside their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14. The injuries were caused by a knife and inflicted by another person, according to the documents. The time between the onset of the injuries and death was listed as minutes.
The certificates indicate that Rob was discovered first at approximately 3:45 p.m. local time, with Michele found one minute later at 3:46 p.m. Michele is listed as widowed on her death certificate.
The Medical Examiner’s Office had initially released the causes of death on Dec. 17 before the court order went into effect.
Several hours after the bodies were discovered, the couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was arrested in connection with their deaths. He is facing two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail.
Nick appeared briefly in court on Dec. 17, wearing shackles and a blue anti-suicide smock. His attorney, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea at that time, and an arraignment was scheduled for Jan. 7. According to multiple reports, Nick had been receiving treatment for schizophrenia prior to the killings.
Rob and Michele Reiner met while Rob was directing When Harry Met Sally and married in 1989. They shared three children together: Nick, Romy and Jake. Rob also adopted his daughter Tracy during his previous marriage to Penny Marshall.
In a statement released on Dec. 17, Jake and Romy expressed their grief, saying they were struggling to comprehend the loss of their parents.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” they said. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
Information about a memorial service honoring Rob and Michele will be shared at a later date, according to a spokesperson for the family.