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D4vd case update: Why cops may never determine Celeste Rivas' cause of death
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered body parts were “partially frozen” and thawing in an abandoned Tesla registered to D4vd.
The horrific state of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body may never let cops determine the exact cause of her death, a TMZ report has said. The body of the 15-year-old girl was found dead in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered to D4vd. Investigators trying to determine her cause of death have said from the start that her remains were “severely decomposed” when found.
Hernandez’s dismembered body parts were “partially frozen” and thawing in the car. This left the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner struggling to determine an official cause of death, sources told the outlet. The cause of death “will most likely be ‘undetermined,’” the outlet stated.
Hernandez’s remains may have been “refrigerated” before being wrapped in a black bag, a source with knowledge of the investigation told Rolling Stone. The investigators are “exploring” the theory that the remains were either frozen or refrigerated before the transfer, the source claimed. Outside experts have been called in to weigh in on what may have happened before a final autopsy is released.
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D4vd is now considered a suspect in Hernandez’s death, sources told NBC News and ABC7. A second person has been linked to the death too, with American lawyer Mark Geragos saying on TMZ’s ‘2 Angry Men’ podcast that the individual, who remains unnamed, may have been in the singer’s car where Hernandez’s body was found.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez ran away from home, her mom said
Hernandez’s mother previously told TMZ that the teen ran away from her home in Lake Elsinore in 2024 at age 13 after she got into a relationship with someone named “David.” After she was found dead, police raided a $20,000-a-month Hollywood Hills mansion leased by D4vd’s manager. The singer is known to have spent his time here.
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Private detective Steve Fisher, who was hired by the owner of the Hollywood Hills manse, Mladen Trifunovic, claimed that “farm” tools were found in the posh pad. He added that these tools “could be used to get rid of a body.”
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has not been charged with any crime. No official paperwork has been filed classifying him as a suspect. However, a police source with direct knowledge of the probe told NBC4 Investigates that D4vd has not been cooperating with investigators.
