Celeste Rivas Hernandez, {the teenager} whose severely decomposed physique was found final fall in the trunk of the singer D4vd’s cardied in a murder involving “a number of penetrating accidents brought on by object(s),” in keeping with a report launched Wednesday by the County of Los Angeles Division of Medical Examiner.
The trigger and method of demise have been decided on Dec. 9, 2025, the workplace stated.
Within the 26-page report, the workplace stated there had been “extreme postmortem adjustments” to the physique when officers examined it, two “penetrating wounds of the torso” — one to the proper stomach and one to the left chest — and “dismemberment of the higher and decrease extremities.” Examiners additionally stated that they had discovered a number of “pores and skin defects.”
The report listed the date and place of damage as “unknown.”
The report’s launch comes greater than seven months after Celeste’s stays have been found within the entrance trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd, whose actual identify is David Burke.
On Monday, prosecutors in Los Angeles charged Mr. Burke21, with murdering Celeste, in addition to with the continual sexual abuse of a kid youthful than 14 and the illegal mutilation of human stays. Prosecutors say that Mr. Burke killed her with “a pointy instrument.”
Mr. Burke has pleaded not responsible, and his attorneys have stated he didn’t trigger Celeste’s demise. His household has additionally expressed help for him.
Throughout the monthslong investigation into Celeste’s demise, the police and the medical examiner’s office apparently clashed over whether or not the health worker’s report ought to be launched. On the request of the police, and over the objections of the chief health worker, a decide positioned a safety maintain on the case that prevented the report’s launch.
The police said the hold was necessary to make sure that its detectives discovered crucial details about Celeste’s demise earlier than the information media and the general public did. With the data below seal, the police wouldn’t say whether or not they thought of the demise a murder.
At Mr. Burke’s arraignment on Monday, a decide ordered the discharge of the health worker’s report.
“After a number of months, I’m grateful this info can now be launched, not solely to the general public, but additionally to the grieving household enduring loss,” the chief health worker, Dr. Odey Ukpo, said in a statement. “It’s unfathomable they’ve needed to wait this lengthy to study what occurred to their daughter.”
The primary-degree homicide cost in opposition to Mr. Burke consists of the particular circumstances of mendacity in wait, committing the crime for monetary acquire and murdering a witness to an investigation. These elements imply that Mr. Burke faces a most sentence of life with out the potential for parole, or the demise penalty. The workplace of the Los Angeles County district lawyer has stated it has not determined whether or not it can pursue the demise penalty.
In a felony criticism, prosecutors stated Mr. Burke engaged in three or extra acts of “substantial sexual conduct” with Celeste within the 12 months between Sept. 7, 2023, and Sept. 7, 2024. On the time, she was 13 years outdated.
On April 23, 2025, when Celeste was 14, she went to Mr. Burke’s home within the Hollywood Hills at his invitation, in keeping with the district lawyer, Nathan J. Hochman, and “was not heard from once more.” The criticism stated the mutilation of human stays occurred on Could 5, 2025.
In accordance with an announcement that Mr. Hochman launched on Monday, after Mr. Burke sexually abused Celeste, she “threatened to reveal his legal conduct and devastate his musical profession.” So Mr. Burke “allegedly murdered her, minimize up her physique and stuffed her physique in two luggage that have been positioned within the entrance trunk of his automobile.”
Celeste’s physique was discovered on Sept. 8, 2025, a day after what would have been her fifteenth birthday.
The automobile through which the stays have been found had been left on a public road for weeks earlier than it was towed to an impound lot in Los Angeles, in keeping with the authorities.
The health worker’s workplace finally recognized the stays as these of Celeste, who in 2024 was reported missing from her home in Lake Elsinore, Calif.about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. However even these preliminary findings have been faraway from the division’s on-line database after the safety maintain was put into place.
The case has captivated the publicwith on-line sleuths saturating the web with theories in regards to the case and with info leaking by means of the native information media.
Repeated efforts to succeed in members of Celeste’s household have been unsuccessful. However in an announcement by means of a lawyer for the household, Patrick Steinfeld, her dad and mom stated they “miss her deeply.”
“All we would like,” they added, “is justice for Celeste.”
