Slain Teen Found In Singer's Tesla Was Not Decapitated Or Frozen, LAPD Says

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday issued a statement clarifying what officials described as "misinformation" reported in the media about the teenage girl found dead inside an R&B singer’s Tesla.

It has been widely reported that Celeste Rivas Hernandez's head and torso were found inside the Tesla owned by the singer D4vd in October at a Hollywood tow yard. It has been widely reported, including by Patch, that the 15-year-old's body was dismembered and partially frozen when it was discovered by authorities.

On Tuesday, the LAPD issued a statement countering those reports, officials wrote they "would like to dispel some misinformation contained in their reporting."

Celeste's body "was not frozen when it was discovered on Sept. 8," the statement reads. "She had not been decapitated."

TMZ's headline stated that Celeste's body was "found in frozen state," but the article states that her "body parts were 'partially frozen' ... and had, apparently, been thawing out while sitting in the trunk of D4vd's Tesla." The LAPD's statement did not appear to rule out that her body may have been frozen at some point in time.

The LAPD also referenced reporting regarding a trip to Santa Barbara County taken by the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. TMZ previously reported that he traveled to a remote part of the county in the spring to dismember Celeste's body with at least one other person.

"We have evidence that D4vd travelled to the Santa Barbara area sometime during the Spring of 2025," the LAPD announced. "The reason for that trip is still under investigation, and we've drawn no conclusions at this point about the relevance of the trip to this case."

The LAPD's statement comes a day after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced that the office received a court order to place a security hold on records related to Celeste.

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."

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 LAPD offered a response to that assertion in its Tuesday statement.

"That order was sought only to ensure detectives from Robbery-Homicide Division learned of important information surrounding her death before the media and the public. The order was not sought to undermine transparency," the LAPD statement reads.

In the meantime, TMZ cited an unnamed source connected to the medical examiner's office who specifically contradicted the LAPD's assertion. The source said Celeste's body was partially frozen when it was discovered inside the Tesla.

TMZ cites a medical examiner's document that describes how authorities were unable to collect her fingerprints because they were "waterlogged."

The LAPD's statement mirrors comments made by the commanding officer of the Robbery-Homicide Division in an interview with People published Monday evening.

“Celeste's body was not frozen,” Capt. Scot Williams said. “She was not decapitated. The whole frozen thing doesn't even make sense. Her body was in the car for weeks."

The back-and-forth between the medical examiner's office and the LAPD speak to how "strained" the relationship between the two agencies has been in recent years, TMZ reported.

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