The LAPD said the request was made so detectives could review important information about the deaths "before the media and the public" and was "not sought to undermine transparency."
Medical examiner records connected to the Rob and Michele Reiner homicide investigation have been sealed under a court order sought by Los Angeles police, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
The court-ordered "security hold" bars the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office from releasing or posting any information about the case -- including the medical examiner's report -- until further notice, after police said they wanted detectives to receive "important information" about the Reiners' deaths "before the media and the public," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement to NBC 4, which was first to report the news.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement issued Monday, Dec. 29, that it "received a court order, initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department, to place a security hold" on the Rob and Michele Reiner case on the morning of Dec. 24.
"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 read. "No other case information or records, including the Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice."
The announcement added, "The Department understands the public's interest in these cases and remains committed to transparency when possible. Information will be made available once the court order is lifted."
The court order, obtained by PEOPLE, restricts "the public release of any investigative information, notes, reports, or photos" to anyone other than the "assigned investigators."
The LAPD confirmed to PEOPLE that it "sought to seal the records of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's investigation into Robert and Michele Reiner's deaths."
The LAPD added, "The causes of death of Mr. and Mrs. Reiner have already been made public. The order was sought only to ensure detectives from Robbery-Homicide Division learned of important information surrounding their deaths before the media and the public. The order was not sought to undermine transparency."
Rob and Michele's official death certificates, obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday, Dec. 23, stated that Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, died of "multiple sharp force injuries" inside their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14, caused "with [a] knife, by another." The time between the onset of injuries and death is listed as "minutes."
The death certificates indicate Rob was found first, at about 3:45 p.m. local time, and Michele, who is listed as "widowed," was discovered at 3:46 p.m.
The Medical Examiner's office previously released the Reiners' cause of death on Dec. 17.
Rob and Michele's 32-year-old son, Nick, was arrested several hours after his parents' bodies were found on Sunday, Dec. 14. He is facing two counts of first-degree murder in connection with Rob and Michele's deaths and is being held without bail.
Nick appeared in court briefly on Dec. 17, shackled and wearing a blue anti-suicide smock. His attorney, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea on his client's behalf, and an arraignment was slated for Jan. 7. According to multiple reports, Nick was being treated for schizophrenia before the killings.
Rob and Michele met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and got married in 1989. The couple had three kids: Nick, Romy and Jake. Rob also adopted his daughter Tracy during his first marriage to Penny Marshall.
Information about a memorial service honoring Rob and Michele will be shared "at a later date," a spokesperson for Romy and Jake said on Dec. 22.
In a statement shared Dec. 17, Jake and Romy said, "Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. 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."