Celeste Rivas Hernandez reason behind loss of life revealed – NBC New York

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has revealed the reason for loss of life Wednesday for 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose stays had been discovered final 12 months within the entrance storage space of an deserted Tesla owned by the singer and TikTok star often known as D4vd.

The health worker listed a number of penetrating accidents attributable to an object or objects as the reason for loss of life for the teenager, whose decomposed stays had been found in September 2025 contained in the Tesla that was impounded after it had been parked for an prolonged interval in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood not removed from a rental property the place Burke had been dwelling.

Police mentioned Celeste’s loss of life doubtless occurred within the spring of final 12 months.

The trigger and method of loss of life, murder, had been decided Dec. 9, however in November the health worker acquired a courtroom order to position a safety maintain on data linked with the case. The order meant that no data or particulars concerning the case, together with reason behind loss of life, may very well be revealed, till additional discover.

In an announcement, the chief health worker known as the household’s look ahead to solutions “unfathomable.”

“After a number of months, I’m grateful this data can now be launched, not solely to the general public, but additionally to the grieving household enduring loss,” mentioned Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo. “It’s unfathomable they’ve needed to wait this lengthy to study what occurred to their daughter. The transparency of the knowledge contained in our findings and experiences is important for empowering the neighborhood to make knowledgeable modifications to affectively scale back worry and permitting the neighborhood to take knowledgeable motion.

“Making the Division’s data publicly obtainable is not only about accountability, it’s about social justice and prevention. By guaranteeing entry to this data, we strengthen our means to study, to behave, and in the end to stop the subsequent tragic lack of life. I need to lengthen my gratitude to our associate companies for taking the mandatory step of submitting an order with the courtroom to make this disclosure potential.”

D4vd, whose actual title is David Burke, was arrested Thursday within the months-long investigation that started after Celeste’s stays had been discovered within the automobile at a Hollywood tow yard. Burke was charged Monday with first-degree homicide, together with particular circumstances allegations. He additionally faces one rely every of steady sexual abuse of a kid beneath the age of 14 and illegal mutilation of human stays.

His lawyer entered a not responsible plea on his behalf at his first courtroom look later that day. He was scheduled to look in courtroom once more Thursday.

Celeste’s household issued an announcement earlier this week.

“We wish to thank the Los Angeles Police Division and the District Lawyer’s Workplace for his or her arduous work,” an announcement by Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, the woman’s mother and father, mentioned. “We might additionally wish to thank the folks of Lake Elsinore for all their help.”

Celeste, who disappeared within the Lake Elsinore space in 2024, was recognized by forensics. She was final seen April 5, 2024, within the western Riverside County neighborhood.

Celeste’s brother advised NBCLA final 12 months that members of the family, who nonetheless reside in Lake Elsinore, had been conscious that the woman knew D4vd.

Her decomposed physique was discovered Sept. 8 after staff at Hollywood Tow reported a powerful odor coming from the Tesla registered to the singer. Officers opened the entrance trunk, often known as a frunk, and located the stays in two cadaver baggage.

The Tesla was impounded by LA parking enforcement officers after somebody reported it was deserted within the Hollywood Hills, the place neighbors say it had been parked for greater than a month.

The stays had been discovered a day after what would have been Celeste’s fifteenth birthday.

The singer often known as D4vd makes his first courtroom look. Alex Rozier experiences for the NBC4 Information at 3 p.m. on Monday April 20, 2026.

Extra particulars about occasions resulting in her loss of life had been offered at a Monday information convention with District Lawyer Nathan Hochman when he introduced expenses. Hochman and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell mentioned Celeste visited Burke’s Hollywood Hills dwelling April 23, 2025, however was by no means “heard from” once more.

Burke faces a number of particular circumstances allegations, which may enhance penalties at sentencing, together with mendacity in wait, homicide for monetary acquire, murdering a witnesses in an investigation and an allegation that Burke personally used a lethal and harmful weapon, a pointy instrument, to commit the crime, Hochman mentioned.

The monetary acquire allegation stemmed from the singer’s music profession, which was being threatened by his alleged sexual relationship with the underage woman, Hochman mentioned. Celeste was thought of the important thing witness in that investigation, warranting the allegation of murdering a witness, he mentioned.

“Because the proof will present, the monetary acquire was for Mr. Burke to take care of a profitable musical profession that Celeste was threatening that evening,” Hochman mentioned.

Hochman mentioned potential sentences, if Burke is convicted as charged, embrace life in jail with out the opportunity of parole or the loss of life penalty. A call will likely be made at a later date.

Burke’s attorneys, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, issued an announcement after the announcement.

“The precise proof on this case will present that David Burke didn’t homicide Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the reason for her loss of life,” the attorneys mentioned. “We’ll vigorously defend David’s innocence”

The “Romantic Murder” singer’s world tour was in Minneapolis on the time of the invention with a cease in Kansas Metropolis the subsequent day. A consultant advised NBCLA on the time that D4vd was cooperating with authorities of their investigation.

In November, an LAPD supply with direct information of the investigation advised NBC4 Investigates that the Houston-raised artist has not been cooperative within the investigation.

In February Burke’s mother and father and brother, who reside in Texas, requested a choose to dam LA grand jury subpoenas for his or her testimony, and the courtroom there filed the grand jury paperwork in an open courtroom file. The choose there declined to intervene, and it appeared the members of the family had been compelled to come back to Los Angeles and seem earlier than the grand jury in February or March, however prosecutors declined to debate what occurred, citing the secrecy of grand jury proceedings previous to an indictment.

D4vd had not beforehand been publicly recognized as a suspect within the teen’s loss of life, however regulation enforcement sources advised NBC4 Investigates months prior that he was the focus of the investigation.

Regulation enforcement sources additionally advised NBC4 Investigates that a couple of particular person could have been concerned in Celeste’s loss of life and the tried disposal of her physique.

Citing the continuing investigation, the LA County Division of Medical Examiner eliminated public data concerning the case final November, which indicated on the time that Celeste’s reason behind loss of life was nonetheless undetermined.

D4vd is a singer-songwriter who rose to fame with viral hits on TikTok, the place he has 3.8 million followers. That success led to signings with Darkroom and Interscope Data.

Born in Queens, New York, Burke moved to Texas in his early teenagers and gained a following on YouTube taking part in Fortnite and different on-line video games. He began creating authentic music, a few of which went viral on TikTok.

D4vd launched his debut album “Withered” in April 2025 and launched into a world tour.

In an interview on the “Zach Sang Present,” D4vd mentioned the 4 substituted for the a in his title was for search-engine optimization and a illustration of 4 cinematic universes with numerous characters that he was creating.