When did the LA coroner officially release the cause and manner of death for Rob and Michele Reiner?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
The Los Angeles County coroner had identified Rob and Michele Reiner as the deceased but, according to contemporary reporting, had not officially released an autopsy-determined cause or manner of death as of the updates available in these sources; officials repeatedly said autopsies and coroner findings were still pending . Multiple news outlets covering the investigation on Dec. 16–17, 2025 report that the coroner was still working to determine precise cause, manner and time of death while prosecutors and police announced charges and investigative details .
1. Identification versus cause: what the coroner had confirmed
News coverage makes a distinction between the coroner’s role in confirming identities and in completing forensic determinations: Los Angeles police officials said the coroner had officially identified the two people found in the Brentwood home as Rob and Michele Reiner, but that the coroner had not yet announced final autopsy findings on cause or manner of death . Coverage from major outlets underscored that identity confirmation had been performed while substantive medical-legal conclusions remained pending .
2. Repeated official caveats: autopsies still pending in mid-December
Across press conferences and law-enforcement statements cited by reporters, officials plainly warned that autopsies were required to establish precise cause and time of death; both the LAPD chief and the district attorney referenced awaiting coroner results before firm conclusions could be released . The BBC, CNN and NPR pieces all relay the same caveat — investigators were treating the scene as a homicide and charging the son, but the coroner’s determinations on cause, manner and timing had not been finalized .
3. Prosecutors moved ahead with charges while coroner work continued
Though the coroner’s full report had not been released in the cited reporting window, the Los Angeles County district attorney announced first-degree murder charges against the couple’s son on Dec. 16, 2025, and prosecutors described elements they intended to allege in court; media noted those prosecutorial statements were not a substitute for coroner-determined cause or manner of death . News outlets consistently reminded readers that charging documents and police statements often precede, but do not replace, the technical findings of a medical examiner .
4. What the reporting did say about apparent wounds — and its limits
Numerous outlets reported that sources and witnesses described wounds consistent with stabbing and that authorities characterized the deaths as homicides under investigation, but those contemporary reports also emphasized that such descriptions were preliminary and that the official, autopsy-based cause and manner were pending coroner confirmation [1]. Where outlets quoted law-enforcement spokespeople, they preserved the distinction between observed scene evidence and the coroner’s ultimate determinations .
5. Bottom line and reporting limitation
Based on the assembled coverage, there is no documented date in these sources showing that the Los Angeles County coroner officially released a final cause and manner of death for Rob and Michele Reiner; the coroner had identified the victims but continued to complete autopsies and determine time, cause and manner as reporters filed updates on Dec. 16–17, 2025 . If a formal coroner’s report was published after the timeframe of these articles, that release is not reflected in the provided reporting, and this account cannot assert its timing or contents beyond what these sources state .