“DAD IS DEAD. I CAN’T FIND MOM”: JAKE REINER REVEALS THE CHILLING CALL THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE FOREVER

LOS ANGELES — Jake Reiner was in the middle of a gathering honoring a close friend when his phone rang.

It was his sister, Romy.

At first, Jake did not answer.

Then she called again.

That second call immediately told him something was terribly wrong.

When Jake finally answered, Romy delivered words he says he will never forget:

Their father was dead. And she could not find their mother.

Eight months after filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were found fatally wounded inside their Brentwood home, Jake is publicly recounting the phone call that shattered his world.

“I immediately went into shock,” Jake recalled in a recent interview with KABC-TV.

THE CALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Jake said he initially screened Romy’s first call because he believed he was busy and could call her back.

But when she immediately called again, he knew the situation was serious.

Romy had discovered their father inside the family home.

She then told Jake she could not locate their mother.

For Jake, the next moments became a blur.

He was no longer simply a son receiving devastating news.

He was trying to understand what had happened to both of his parents — and get back to the house where he had grown up.

The home, once associated with family memories and his childhood, had suddenly become the center of a homicide investigation.

A FAMILY HOME TURNED INTO A CRIME SCENE

Rob Reiner, the acclaimed filmmaker and actor known for movies including The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally…, and Michele were found dead on Dec. 14, 2025.

Authorities determined that both had suffered multiple sharp-force injuries.

Their younger son, Nick Reiner, 32, was subsequently arrested and indicted on two counts of first-degree murder.

Nick has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors have alleged that he killed his parents inside their Brentwood home.

He remains in custody without bail as the case moves toward trial.

JAKE’S LIFE HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

Jake, now 35, says the passage of eight months has done little to make the loss feel real.

Instead, he described the period as strangely distorted.

Some days feel like years.

Other moments feel as if the tragedy happened only minutes ago.

“Every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality,” Jake said.

The loss has also been complicated by the arrest of his younger brother.

Jake has described the experience as losing not only his parents but also, in another sense, his brother.

He and Romy are now the two surviving siblings who remain outside the criminal case.

Jake has said he does not understand why the tragedy happened and does not expect that question to have an easy answer.

HIS PARENTS NEVER STOPPED TRYING TO HELP NICK

One of the most painful parts of Jake’s story is the family’s long history of trying to support Nick.

According to Jake, Rob and Michele continued showing unconditional love toward their son despite his struggles.

Rob even worked with Nick on the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” a story about addiction that drew heavily from Nick’s own experiences.

The project was intended, in part, to create a connection between father and son.

Jake has emphasized that his parents never simply gave up on Nick.

That history has made the circumstances surrounding their deaths even more difficult for him to comprehend.

“I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED”

Jake has spoken openly about experiencing intense anger alongside his grief.

In another recent interview, he described that anger as something that can feel overwhelming because the loss was so sudden and beyond his control.

He has also sought therapy as he tries to process what happened.

But therapy cannot answer the question that continues to haunt him:

Why did this happen to his family?

Jake has acknowledged that he may never understand the answer.

And that uncertainty has become part of his grief.

ROMY’S ROLE IN THE FAMILY’S DARKEST MOMENT

Romy, 28, was the sibling who encountered the horrifying situation firsthand and made the call that alerted Jake.

She has largely remained out of the public spotlight since the tragedy.

But Jake’s account makes clear just how important that call was.

In a matter of seconds, Romy went from being a daughter returning to her family home to someone forced to confront the unimaginable.

Then she had to tell her brother.

That phone call became the moment when both siblings’ lives changed permanently.

THE LEGAL CASE IS MOVING FORWARD

Meanwhile, the criminal case against Nick Reiner continues.

A grand jury indicted him on two counts of first-degree murder, with prosecutors adding special allegations including multiple murders and an allegation of lying in wait.

Nick has pleaded not guilty.

His next major pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 15.

Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty.

The allegations against Nick remain allegations unless proven in court.

TWO SURVIVING CHILDREN TRYING TO HONOR THEIR PARENTS

Despite the devastating circumstances, Jake and Romy have also tried to preserve their parents’ legacy.

Earlier this month, the siblings appeared together at Dodger Stadium and threw ceremonial first pitches during a tribute to Rob and Michele.

Baseball had long been an important part of the Reiner family’s life, particularly Rob’s connection to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jake has also become involved with the Los Angeles-based Children’s Institute, which established the Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award in honor of his parents.

The first recipient is longtime family friend Jamie Lee Curtis.

THE MEMORY THAT WON’T GO AWAY

For Jake, however, the public tributes cannot erase the private reality.

His parents are gone.

His brother is facing two murder charges.

And the phone call from Romy remains burned into his memory.

It began with a missed call.

Then came a second ring.

Then a sentence no child should ever have to hear from a sibling:

Dad was dead. Mom could not be found.

Eight months later, Jake is still trying to understand how his family went from an ordinary life in Los Angeles to one of the most devastating tragedies imaginable.

And despite therapy, time and public support, one question continues to follow him:

Why did this happen?

For now, he says he may never have an answer.