Jake and Romy Reiner, two of the children shared by Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, have released a statement in the wake of their parents’ killings.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” the siblings said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “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.”
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,” the statement continues. “We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
Their brother, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, accused of fatally stabbing their parents, who were killed in their Los Angeles home during the early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 14, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said.
A source familiar with the investigation told PEOPLE the couple were killed and later found in their bedroom.
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The New York Times previously reported that Rob and Michele’s daughter, Romy, found her father’s body after a massage therapist said she couldn’t reach her parents.
Romy reportedly “fled” the house without seeing that her mother had also been stabbed and was later told by a paramedic, per the Times.
Nick was arrested on Sunday, several hours after his parents were found dead. He is being held without bail.
Multiple sources previously told PEOPLE that Rob and Nick engaged in a “very loud argument” at a party hosted by Conan O’Brien, hours before the alleged killing.
“Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous,” one of the sources said.
Rob and Michele got married in 1989 after meeting while he was directing When Harry Met Sally.
In addition to When Harry Met Sally…, Rob directed several classic films, including The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men, and starred on the groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family.
Prior to marrying Michele, Rob adopted Tracy, the daughter of his first wife, Penny Marshall.