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LAPD Captain: Celeste Rivas Hernandez Was Not Frozen or Decapitated When Found in d4vd’s Tesla

Key points: LAPD Capt. Scot Williams says Celeste Rivas Hernandez was not frozen or decapitated when her body was found in a Tesla linked to musician d4vd. The teen was reported missing on April 5 and her remains were discovered Sept. 8 in an impounded Hollywood Hills vehicle. Authorities have named d4vd (David Anthony Burke) as a suspect, but no charges have been filed. A court-ordered security hold now prevents release of the Medical Examiner's report.

07:05 AM, 11/25/2025Society
LAPD Captain: Celeste Rivas Hernandez Was Not Frozen or Decapitated When Found in d4vd’s Tesla

Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Scot Williams, who leads the Robbery-Homicide Division, told PEOPLE that the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were neither frozen nor decapitated when they were recovered from the trunk of a Tesla linked to musician d4vd (David Anthony Burke).

Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing from her Lake Elsinore, California, home on April 5, 2024, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Her body was discovered in an impounded Tesla in the Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8 — one day after what would have been her 15th birthday. Investigators say the vehicle had been in police custody for weeks prior to the discovery.

"Celeste's body was not frozen. She was not decapitated. The whole frozen thing doesn't even make sense," Williams said. He added that even if the body had been frozen before being placed in the car, weeks in a hot trunk during summer would have made a partially frozen state impossible to find on Sept. 8.

Law enforcement sources have identified d4vd as a suspect in the teen’s death. Sources told reporters the singer was allegedly "not been cooperative" with investigators; representatives for the artist earlier told local media he had been "fully cooperating." No criminal charges have been filed to date.

In September, investigators executed a search warrant at a Hollywood Hills residence where the artist had been staying. The exact cause and manner of Rivas Hernandez’s death remain under investigation.

On Nov. 24, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner announced it received a court order, requested by the LAPD, placing a security hold on the case file. The office said no records or details associated with the case — including the cause and manner of death and the Medical Examiner report — may be released or posted online while the hold is in effect. The medical examiner added that it will provide information publicly when the court order is lifted.

This remains an active investigation. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.

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