Celeste Rivas Hernandez and the disturbing reports surrounding her death were directly addressed by the LAPD this week as officials moved to shut down misinformation about the teen’s body being found frozen or mutilated in d4vd‘s Tesla.
LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division Captain Scot Williams spoke plainly to People, frustrated by the swirl of online speculation.
“Celeste’s body was not frozen,” he said. “She was not decapitated. The whole frozen thing doesn’t even make sense. Her body was in the car for weeks.”
Williams added that the science alone debunks the frozen theory.
“Even if she had been frozen solid when she was put in the car (which there is NO evidence to suggest she was), five or more weeks in the trunk of a car in sweltering heat in the middle of summer would not have resulted in a partially frozen body being discovered on September 8th.”
The 15-year-old disappeared from her Lake Elsinore home in April 2024. Her remains were discovered five months later, one day after what would have been her 15th birthday, inside a Tesla towed to a Hollywood Hills impound lot.
The vehicle was registered to 20-year-old R&B artist d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.
Police sources told People they believe d4vd “most likely had help dismembering and disposing” of Celeste’s body, suggesting the case may involve more than one person. No one has been charged.
The investigation remains tangled, with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner placing a security hold on all documents connected to Celeste’s death. A court order requested by police is preventing public access to her autopsy and cause of death.
“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 office said in a statement, adding they recognize “the public’s interest in this case.”
While LAPD leads the probe, d4vd has reportedly not been helpful. Law enforcement sources say he is “not cooperating,” despite earlier claims from his team that he was “fully cooperating” with authorities.
At the time her body was discovered, the singer was on tour. Police later executed a search warrant at a residence where he had been staying, but no arrests have been made.
Celeste’s family situation adds another layer of heartbreak. A post circulating on social media shows her mother expressing anguish, writing, “I haven’t seen my daughter in years!!!!”
The message has drawn attention to the teen’s vulnerable state before her disappearance.
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