Los Angeles police have prevented the county coroner’s office from disclosing information regarding the death of a teenage girl discovered in the trunk of a vehicle linked to the singer d4vd, as confirmed by the medical examiner’s office on Monday. Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found deceased on September 8 inside an impounded Tesla in Los Angeles shortly after her 15th birthday. Various media outlets indicated that the car was registered to d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, aged 20.
According to the medical examiner’s office, a “court order, requested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD),” has been issued to impose a security hold on Rivas Hernandez’s case. The order, issued on Friday, specifies that no information or records related to the case, including the cause and manner of death and the Medical Examiner report, can be disclosed or published until further notice.
The order was issued following reports by several Los Angeles TV stations that suggested the Houston-born alt-pop artist is a suspect, citing undisclosed sources. The LAPD has not officially confirmed this, and d4vd’s attorney Blair Berk did not provide a comment when contacted on Monday.
LAPD Captain Mike Bland clarified that the security hold was not intended to obstruct transparency but rather to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing police investigation led by detectives from the robbery homicide division. Bland emphasized, “It was done so that our investigators receive the information prior to it being available to the media and the public.”
Dr. Odey Ukpo, the chief medical examiner, expressed that such security holds are uncommon in other California counties. Ukpo noted, “While we are committed to transparently serving our community, legal restrictions prevent us from doing so as long as the court order remains in effect for this case.”
The medical examiner’s office stated back in September that Rivas Hernandez’s body was discovered in an advanced state of decomposition, indicating she had likely been deceased inside the vehicle for a considerable period before being found. The teenager was last seen in April 2024 in her hometown of Lake Elsinore, situated approximately 95 kilometers southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
D4vd rose to fame among Gen Z for his unique fusion of indie rock, R&B, and lo-fi pop. He gained prominence on TikTok in 2022 with his track “Romantic Homicide,” which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. Subsequently, he signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a subsequent album, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023.
At the time Rivas Hernandez’s body was discovered, d4vd was on tour promoting his first full-length album, “Withered.” The final two North American shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as a scheduled performance at the Grammy Museum in L.A., were canceled, along with an upcoming European tour set to commence in Norway on October 1.