Death of Teen Found in d4vd's Trunk Is Murder Probe — and Releasing Medical Records Could 'Endanger' Witnesses: LAPD

5 days ago 8
d4vd; Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Credit :

Antoine Flament/Getty; Riverside Sherrif's Office

NEED TO KNOW

  • An LAPD detective referred to the case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's death as an "ongoing investigation of murder"
  • Releasing the medical examiner's findings could "endanger the lives of witnesses and/or compromise the investigation," the detective wrote
  • Rivas Hernandez was discovered dead inside the trunk of a Tesla belonging to singer d4vd on Sept. 8 after the car was impounded in the Hollywood Hills

A Los Angeles Police Department detective asked a judge to seal autopsy findings in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, citing an “ongoing investigation of murder.”

In a declaration filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and reviewed by PEOPLE, LAPD detective Joshua Byers said releasing the medical examiner’s records could jeopardize the case and potentially "endanger" witnesses. 

Making the documents public, he wrote, "will reveal or tend to reveal the ongoing investigation and the integrity of the investigation as well as the identity of witnesses and/or informants who are cooperating with law enforcement and the content of the information they have provided, which could endanger the lives of witnesses and/or compromise the investigation."

On Monday, Nov. 24, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Richman ordered that all documents related to the court order be sealed “until further order of this court or other competent court having jurisdiction over this matter,” per the order.

The request for order to seal documents was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

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Rivas was first reported missing from her home in Lake Elsinore, Calif., on April 5, 2024, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told the Los Angeles Times.

She was later discovered dead inside the trunk of a Tesla belonging to singer d4vd on Sept. 8 after the car was impounded in the Hollywood Hills. She was 14 at the time she died.

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d4vd.

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

The singer (whose real name is David Anthony Burke) was identified as a suspect in her death last week, a police source confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.

According to the police source, the musician has allegedly "not been cooperative." The police source also said charges have not been filed in the case.

The LAPD, d4vd's lawyer and a rep for the singer didn't immediately respond when previously contacted by PEOPLE. The singer's representative previously told NBC Los Angeles that his client was "fully cooperating" with police.

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said it received the court order, initiated by the LAPD, to place a security hold on Rivas Hernandez’s case on Friday, Nov. 21.

“No records or details associated with the case, including the cause and manner of death and Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice,” the medical examiner said in a Nov. 24 statement to PEOPLE.

"The Department understands the public’s interest in this case and remains committed to transparency when possible. Information will be made available once the court order is lifted."

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