The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the teenager's autopsy report following murder charges against singer D4vd
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NEED TO KNOW
- Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s cause of death was publicly released months after her dismembered remains were discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to singer D4vd
- The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the 14-year-old died from “multiple penetrating injuries caused by object(s)” and ruled the manner of death a homicide
- The 21-year-old musician, born David Anthony Burke, allegedly killed Rivas on April 23, 2025, dismembered her on May 5, 2025 and kept her remains in the vehicle’s trunk for months before they were found on Sept. 8, 2025, according to the District Attorney’s Office
A toxicology analysis conducted on liver tissue from Celeste Rivas Hernandez detected a “low level of ethanol,” according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office — offering new insight into the teenager’s final hours.
Investigators noted the finding may have resulted from “postmortem changes or ingestion, and does not appear to be contributory to the cause of death.” That detail was included alongside the rest of her drug testing analysis.
The findings state she had alcohol in her system at the time of death and tested as "presumptive positive" for benzodiazepines, methamphetamines and MDMA on the initial drug screening. However, further testing is needed to confirm, the report noted.
Additionally, methamphetamine and designer opioids were "inconclusive due to interfering substance(s)" on the second drug screening.
MDMA and benzodiazepines were also not detected in the final drug screen confirmation.
Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty
The official autopsy report released on Wednesday, April 22, concluded that Rivas, 14, died from “multiple penetrating injuries."
She suffered two "penetrating wounds" to her torso, right abdomen with injury to her liver, left chest and disruption to her adjacent ribs, bilateral dismemberment of her upper and lower extremities, per the report.
Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.
After being under seal for months, the report was made public after singer D4vd, 21 — whose real name is David Anthony Burke — was charged with Rivas’ murder on Monday, April 20.
Credit: Antoine Flament/Getty
The 26-page autopsy report, which was obtained by PEOPLE, comes seven months after the teen's dismembered remains were discovered in the trunk of a towed and impounded Tesla registered to Burke.
An official determination of Rivas’ cause of death was delayed for months.
In September, the LAPD stated there were no named suspects or arrests at that time, noting that the medical examiner had not yet “determined the cause or manner” of death, leaving it unclear at the time whether there was “any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body.”
Law enforcement obtained a court order in November 2025 preventing the medical examiner’s office from releasing its findings. It was unsealed during an arraignment earlier this week by Judge Theresa McGonigle.
At the time, the medical examiner's office opposed the restriction saying it prevented the agency from serving the community with full transparency.
“The department’s mission is to have full transparency with the community by providing information about our cases to empower people to make changes that save lives,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo said to PEOPLE on Nov. 24, 2025.
“Since becoming the department head, I’ve worked on eradicating the practice of placing security holds on medical examiner cases simply by law enforcement request. The practice of security holds is virtually unheard of in other counties and has not been proven to improve outcomes in the legal system," he said.
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“After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss,” said Dr. Ukpo in another statement Wednesday, April 22. “It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter.”
A narrative portion of the report released Wednesday adds further detail beyond earlier findings. It concludes that Rivas was dismembered and so severely decomposed that her eye color, age and ethnicity could not be determined. The report also notes that her arms and legs appeared to have been “dismembered into several fragments.”
It further documented a distinct tattoo on her right index finger that read, “Shhh…” — a similar tattoo was later seen in a photo of Burke that surfaced after Rivas was identified.
Burke was arrested last week and formally charged Monday with one count of first-degree murder with special circumstances, including lying in wait, murdering a witness in an ongoing investigation and financial gain.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Rivas had been a witness in a separate investigation into Burke involving “lewd and lascivious sexual acts” with a person under 14 prior to her death.
Credit: Lyvans Boolaky/Getty ; Riverside Sherrif’s Office
Following the singer's arrest, the girl's father, Jesus Rivas, said, "Thank God … justice for Celeste,” according to a statement family attorney Patrick Steinfeld previously provided to PEOPLE.
In addition to the murder charge, Burke is also facing charges of sexual acts with a person under 14 and mutilating human remains. Because of the special circumstances, the charge carries a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office had not decided whether to pursue the death penalty in the case.
D4vd was arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty. He was denied bail and is currently being held at Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, April 23.
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