L.A. medical examiner reveals cause of death for Celeste Rivas Hernandez
Fifteen-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez died from multiple penetrating injuries caused by object or objects, and her death has been ruled a homicide, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
The findings were released on Wednesday months after Celeste’s body was found on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a vehicle at a tow yard in Los Angeles. The medical examiner said she was discovered at 11 a.m. and was pronounced dead by an LAPD detective.
The medical examiner said a deputy conducted an examination on September 10, 2025, and determined the cause and manner of death on December 9, 2025. The findings had not been made public earlier because of a court order sought by LAPD, according to the department.
The release comes two days after Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced murder and child sex abuse charges against musician David Anthony Burke, who performs as D4vd, in Celeste’s death. Burke, 21, pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Prosecutors said Burke is accused of killing Celeste after inviting her to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025. They allege she was never seen or heard from again after arriving there.
According to prosecutors, Celeste’s decomposed and dismembered remains were found in two bags inside the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla after the vehicle had been impounded and reported abandoned. Hochman said the body had remained there for more than four months before it was discovered.
Burke has been charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors also filed special circumstance allegations including lying in wait, murder for financial gain and murder of a witness, along with an allegation that Burke used a sharp instrument in the killing.
Hochman said prosecutors allege Burke killed Celeste after she threatened to expose sexual abuse that he said had taken place while she was under 14, and that she was killed to protect his “very lucrative musical career.” Prosecutors also allege she was killed because she was a witness in an investigation tied to the sexual abuse charge.
The district attorney said the murder charge and special circumstance allegations make Burke eligible for life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted, though a decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made later.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
