LOS ANGELES, California – A judge has ordered the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner to seal all records in the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, blocking the release of any information about how or when she died.
Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered in early September inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Houston-raised pop singer David Burke, known as D4vd. The discovery sparked a far-reaching LAPD homicide investigation that remains active.
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The Medical Examiner confirmed to NBC4 in Los Angeles it received a court order on November 21 requiring a full security hold on the case. The order prevents the agency from releasing documents, cause and manner of death, or any other details while detectives continue their work. An earlier informal request from LAPD in September to withhold information was denied.
Investigators have not said how or when the teen died, but an LAPD official told NBC4 last week detectives now consider the 20-year-old artist a suspect in the case. The official also said they believe Rivas Hernandez died sometime in the spring, months before her remains were found, and that a second person likely helped dispose of her body.
Detectives with LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division searched a Hollywood Hills rental home where Burke had been staying and collected several items as part of the investigation. The same LAPD official said Burke has not been cooperating with detectives.
The Tesla had been parked in the Hollywood Hills for roughly a month before neighbors reported it, leading to the impound and the discovery of the remains. Burke was on tour at the time. His remaining “Withered World” tour dates were later canceled after the teen was identified.