Cause of death revealed for Celeste Rivas Hernandez, teen found in singer D4vd's Tesla
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenage girl who was found dismembered in a Tesla belonging to musician D4vd last year, died from "multiple penetrating injuries," according to the Medical Examiner's report released on Wednesday.
According to the report, the cause and manner of death for the teen was listed as "multiple penetrating injuries caused by object(s)." The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
"After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss," said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo. "It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter. The transparency of the information contained in our findings and reports is essential for empowering the community to make informed changes to affectively [sic] reduce fear and allowing the community to take informed action. Making the Department's information publicly available is not just about accountability, it is about social justice and prevention. By ensuring access to this information, we strengthen our ability to learn, to act, and ultimately to prevent the next tragic loss of life. I want to extend my gratitude to our partner agencies for taking the necessary step of filing an order with the court to make this disclosure possible."
According to the report, Celeste's body weighed just 71 pounds when it was found dismembered in the front trunk of the Tesla.
According to the L.A. County Medical Examiner's Office, one stab wound was on her "right abdomen with (an) injury to (her) liver," and a second stab wound was on her "left chest."
Her body was found in what the medical examiner's office investigators called an "advanced state of decomposition" and dismembered into several parts. Even "the left ring and pinky fingers appear to have been mutilated."
Where her body was dismembered, the report says, "multiple fragments of blue plastic material are found embedded in the cut surfaces."
"That's possibly from fragments of a, say, a plastic device, a knife or something," said Barry Fisher, the former director of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Crime Lab.
The report also shows there were presumptive positives for benzodiazepines and methamphetamine/MDMA in her system.
What the report does not include is any evidence connecting D4VD, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, to her death.
But prosecutors who charged D4vd with murder, mutilation of remains and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 on Monday say they have a strong case through forensic and digital evidence.
"What makes us confident is the totality of the evidence," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
D4vd pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say they'll defend his innocence. He will remain in custody on no bail.
READ MORE: D4vd pleads not guilty to first-degree murder in 'brutal and horrific' killing of 14-year-old girl
When the time comes for the case to go to a jury, the medical examiner's report is one of the pieces of the puzzle that jurors will be considering.
"Well, all this information, in this particular instance, is going to be important for the jury to hear. They're going to want to know the particulars about what had happened," Fisher said.
If a jury is to convict, the specifics of how someone was killed play a huge role in what charges to go with.
Celeste's family attended the singer's first court appearance on Monday and were expected to provide a statement through their attorney outside of the courtroom, but the press conference was canceled.
Instead, the family released their first public statement the following day.
"We would like to thank the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney's Office for their hard work. We would also like to thank the people of Lake Elsinore for all their support. Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together," the family wrote. "We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste."
Latest updates on D4vd's case
Hochman outlined the charges against the singer at a press conference on Monday, where he was accompanied by Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Additional charges against D4vd include "continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14 years old, and mutilating the human remains of a body," according to the district attorney.
"The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death. We will vigorously defend David's innocence," his attorneys wrote in a statement on Monday.
Hochman says D4vd had a long-term sexual relationship with the underage girl while he was an adult, and he killed her to protect his career -- dismembering her and leaving her body in his car.
"These charges include the most serious charges that a D.A.'s office can bring -- that is, first-degree murder with special circumstances," Hochman told reporters. "The special circumstances being lying in wait, committing this crime for financial gain, or murdering a witness in an investigation."
The singer was arrested last week.
The 21-year-old faces a maximum sentence of life, without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty, Hochman said. The DA said his office will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later time.
Hochman says investigators have physical, forensic and digital evidence proving that when Celeste threatened to publicly expose D4vd for having a sexual relationship with her, D4vd invited her to his home, killed her with a sharp instrument, then cut her body into pieces. All, Hochman alleges, to protect his entertainment career.
"This murder was committed for financial gain, as the evidence will show in court. The financial gain was for Mr. Burke to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening," Hochman said.
RELATED: Timeline of investigation into killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez
Throughout the seven-month investigation, LAPD has faced criticism for how it has handled the case and for its decision not to provide details, McDonnell noted at Monday's news conference.
Investigators believe Celeste was dead for many months before her remains were found.
"I want to be clear about something -- my duty is not to fuel speculation, it's to deliver justice," the police chief said. "And that requires patience and discipline on everybody's part. This investigation was driven by a single purpose: to secure justice for Celeste Rivas and for those who loved her.
"We had to be certain that nothing we said or did would ever jeopardize this case," McDonnell said. "The substantial amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared."
READ MORE: Who is D4vd? Singer arrested in 14-year-old's death started as video game streamer
Celeste, a reported runaway from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, when she arrived at D4vd's rented home in the Hollywood Hills, according to McDonnell. She was never heard from again, Hochman said.
April 23 is the same day tickets for D4vd's world tour went on pre-sale. Prosecutors believe Celeste's body was mutilated on May 5, and her remains weren't found until months later, in September.
"During the course of our investigation, detectives learned that she had been involved in a sexual relationship with Mr. Burke when she was a minor and he was an adult," the police chief said.
D4vd -- who first went viral on TikTok, where he has nearly 4 million followers -- had been on his "Withered" world tour when the teen's body was discovered in his vehicle. The last few shows of the tour, including those in San Francisco and Los Angeles, were canceled.
SEE ALSO: What's next for D4vd? Legal experts weigh in after murder charges filed in death of 14-year-old girl
ABC News contributed to this report.
