A delayed autopsy of the 14-year-old girl who was found in singer D4vd’s Tesla trunk has revealed she died from “multiple penetrating injuries.”
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of an apparently abandoned car belonging to the 21-year-old musician, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, in a Hollywood tow lot last September.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office determined that Rivas Hernandez had two penetrating wounds to her torso that may represent “sharp force injuries,” according to newly released autopsy details reported on by several news outlets.
D4vd, pronounced “David,” was arrested last week and later charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating a body in the killing of Rivas Hernandez.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his defense team has vowed to “vigorously defend his innocence.”
The medical examiner’s office said in its death investigation summary that the teen’s autopsy was limited by “extensive postmortem changes.”
Rivas Hernandez had other wounds that penetrated her liver and chest, according to the death investigation
Hernandez was 13 years old when she was first reported missing from Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, in February 2024. She was reported missing by her family several times over the following months, last vanishing in April of that year.
D4vd had engaged in three or more acts of “substantial sexual conduct” with Rivas Hernandez between September 2023 and September 2024, several news outlets reported, citing official documents.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Rivas Hernandez was last seen entering D4vd’s Hollywood Hills home in April 2024 and was “not heard from again.”
”I am a parent of three children, and a parent’s nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back, as we will show in a court of law,” Hochman said Monday.
A day after Rivas Hernandez would’ve turned 15, her body was found in D4vd’s Tesla.
D4vd allegedly killed the teen because she threatened to report their sexual relationship, which he was afraid would ruin his music career, prosecutors claim.
“When she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career, Burke allegedly murdered her, cut up her body and stuffed her body in two bags that were placed in the front trunk of his car,” Hochman said in a written statement Monday.
D4vd went viral on TikTok in 2022 with his hit song “Romantic Homicide,” and grew his Gen Z fan base with his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop.
The singer’s last two U.S. tour stops and his European leg were canceled amid the death investigation.
“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,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo said in a statement.
Rivas Hernandez’s body was examined last September, and her cause and manner of death were determined three months later. But the medical examiner’s office was initially barred from publicly releasing its findings due to a court order initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
“It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter,” Ukpo said. “The transparency of the information contained in our findings and reports is essential for empowering the community to make informed changes to affectively reduce fear and allowing the community to take informed action.”
D4vd is being held without bail. During his arraignment on Monday, his lawyer demanded a public preliminary hearing within 10 days.
This is a developing story…
