The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner lists the Celeste Rivas Hernandez case as #14252. To the family, friends, and community members who loved her, however, she was much more than just a number. Rivas Hernandez, a teenager with her whole life ahead of her, went missing from Lake Elsinore in 2024. Investigators are now working to fill in the gaps and determine how she ended up in the trunk of a Tesla belonging to D4vd, a rising star in the music business.
Initial details about the investigation have emerged from the medical examiner’s report and questions posed by KTLA to the medical examiner’s office.
The Medical Examiner’s Findings
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s official date of death is listed as September 8, 2025, because that is the date death was pronounced. Her body was reportedly badly decomposed, and it’s likely she had been in the vehicle for a much longer time. The place of death is listed as “a vehicle” because that is where her body was found. The case is being investigated as a homicide.
The cause of death has been deferred – We asked the medical examiner just what that means:
The cause and manner of death have been deferred which means the deputy medical examiner completed an examination, but a cause of death has not been determined. The deputy medical examiner is requesting additional testing and/or studies in order to make a determination.
Regarding the types of tests (toxicology or otherwise):
Due to the ongoing death investigation, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner cannot disclose what testing and/or studies were requested. Deferred cases can take a few months before a cause of death is determined.
D4vd’s tour canceled and Tesla footage
Pop and R&B singer D4vd has made no public comments regarding the investigation, and our requests for official comment have gone unanswered. Reports that he is cooperating with police have not been officially confirmed. His tour has been canceled, and some of his sponsors have removed him from their campaigns.
In addition to the medical examiner’s report, investigators are likely looking for any security camera video that could shed light on what happened. Teslas have a robust camera system, known as Sentry Mode, which can record four external angles of the vehicle and video inside the cabin. When asked whether the LAPD has consulted with Tesla or if onboard footage exists from this particular vehicle, the automaker did not respond to our requests for comment.
The importance of the autopsy report
According to KTLA’s legal analyst Alison Triessl, the autopsy is “a common, strong piece of evidence that can determine an entire investigation.” Triessl explained that the autopsy for Celeste Rivas Hernandez will first be able to reveal the cause of death—whether that is strangulation, blunt force trauma, or poisoning, among other things.
“Once the medical examiner determines this, this information can help investigators direct their focus and look for possible suspects or potential murder weapons,” Triessl told us.
As for the additional testing likely being conducted, since the cause of death was deferred:
“The results are crucial to investigators, however, as a toxicology report can reveal to investigators whether there was any poisoning, an overdose, or incapacitation,” Triessl said. “If the victim was intoxicated on the night of death, a toxicology report can show a timeline of when substances were last ingested.”
The family’s statement
The Rivas family has been largely quiet, but on a GoFundMe site, they released a statement:
As many of you know, Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been identified as the body found last week. She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend. Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.
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