Dismembered Teen's Death Records Sealed After Singer D4vd Named Suspect

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — After authorities removed public records of a teenage girl found dead and dismembered inside an R&B singer’s Tesla, the Medical Examiner’s Office itself pushed back, calling the move a step away from transparency.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed Monday that the office received a court order to place a security hold on records related to Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

The hold, initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department, means that "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 news comes as police named D4vd , who owns the Tesla the teen's body was found in, as a suspect. Over the weekend, reports that Rivas' body parts were found partially frozen surfaced, which may make it difficult for the medical examiner to establish a cause of death, KTLA reported.

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo criticized the LAPD’s decision to remove Rivas’ records from public view, asserting that maintaining public access to such information supports the department’s mission of transparency.

“The practice of security holds is virtually unheard of in other counties and has not been proven to improve outcomes in the legal system. We are dedicated to serving our community with full transparency; however, the law precludes us from doing so while the court order remains in this case.”

Ukpo says Since becoming the department head, he has worked to end the practice of placing security holds on Medical Examiner's findings when requested by police.

The office added that it previously denied a request from the Los Angeles Police Department for a security hold on Rivas' case on Sept. 15 due to "insufficient justification to warrant the hold."

Rivas' body was found the day after her 15th birthday on Sept. 9, nearly two months ago, but as of last week, her death was still listed as "deferred" by the Medical Examiner's office.

While this might come as a surprise, toxicology reports can take four to six months to complete, according to a legal analyst at KTLA.

“The results are crucial to investigators, as a toxicology report can reveal whether there was poisoning, an overdose, or incapacitation," Triessl told the station. "If the victim was intoxicated on the night of death, a toxicology report can show a timeline of when substances were last ingested. So the investigation is essentially dependent on the findings of the autopsy report."

Celeste, 14, was reported missing from Lake Elsinore in April 2024.

Last week, authorities identified singer D4vd (David Anthony Burke) as a suspect, though no arrests have been made. His Telsa, containing Rivas' body, had been abandoned near a home in the 1300 block of Doheny Place in Los Angeles, not far from a home D4vd had rented.

The teenager's body was identified by the Medical Examiner's Office, though the manner of her death remains a mystery. Her "head and torso" were found inside a bag in the trunk, the Los Angeles Times reported. Her body was so severely decomposed that authorities were unable to determine her age or ethnicity at the time. The condition of severely decomposed bodies makes it challenging for investigators to identify the cause of death.

TMZ previously reported that the girl's mother confirmed Celeste had a tattoo of the word "Shhh..." on her finger, a detail noted in the Medical Examiner's report. She also said her daughter's boyfriend is named "David." The singer has a similar tattoo.

D4vd was on the last leg of a U.S. tour when Rivas' body was discovered. Several shows were cancelled, including one that had been scheduled at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre.

According to various reports, his label, Interscope Records, has halted all promotion of Burke's latest record, "Withered."

READ MORE:

• Singer D4vd Is Suspect In Death Of Lake Elsinore Girl Found Dismembered In His Tesla: Reports
• Teen Whose Body Was Found In Singer's Car, Remembered 1 Year After Reported Missing
• Teen's Dismembered Body Was Frozen When Found In D4vd's Car: Reports