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A Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective has apparently revealed in a new court filing that the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in the trunk by singer D4vds Tesla is a murder trial.
Detective Joshua Byers of the LAPD called the case an “investigation into murder” when he sought a court order preventing the release of Rivas’ autopsy results. This is reported by the Los Angeles Times, citing a statement filed on Friday that has since been sealed. Byers argued that publicly releasing details of Rivas’ death could jeopardize the murder investigation and should be protected.
The judge ultimately granted the request. He ordered the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s results sealed, the medical examiner’s office confirmed in a statement Monday. The LAPD previously said it was awaiting an official determination of the cause of death. In the meantime, it remains “unclear whether there is criminal responsibility beyond the concealment of her body.”
According to sources, D4vd is considered a suspect
Last week, sources told NBC News and ABC7 that D4vd is now considered a suspect in Rivas’ death. The musician, born David Anthony Burke, was out of state on a national tour when his beat-up 2023 Tesla Model Y was towed from the affluent Bird Streets area of the Hollywood Hills. This happened on September 5th. The tow yard called the police. And reported that the impounded vehicle “emitted a foul odor and attracted flies,” according to a search warrant viewed by ROLLING STONE. Sources in the neighborhood where the Tesla was last parked told Rolling Stone that the sedan had been at its final location on Bluebird Avenue for at least three weeks before it was towed.
For two months, investigators kept a low profile with information about their investigation. Which fueled speculation. On Monday, an LAPD official took the rare step of speaking out publicly and denying reports published on TMZ.com over the weekend.
“They report that Celeste’s body was frozen when discovered, which is not true,” LAPD Robbery Homicide Division Captain Scot M. Williams told KNX News. “Celeste was not beheaded,” he added. He also described this report as “factually inaccurate.”
Body found in garbage bag
When investigators opened the trunk on Sept. 8, they found the girl’s decomposed remains in a black trash bag. Rivas, who would have turned 15 the day before her discovery, was later identified as a missing teenager from Lake Elsinore, a city about 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles. According to online flyers, relatives reported Rivas missing in February 2024. Again two months later in April 2024.
In his court statement, Byers reportedly said that public release of Rivas’ autopsy would “reveal or tend to reveal the ongoing investigation and its integrity, as well as the identities of witnesses and/or informants cooperating with law enforcement and the content of the information they provide, which could endanger the lives of witnesses and/or compromise the investigation.” The judge ordered that Byers’ statement and the court order itself “be sealed and stored in a secure location in the custody of the clerk until further order of this court,” the Times reported.
Forensic doctor criticizes sealing practice
Over the weekend, the Rivas case disappeared from the medical examiner’s website. In its statement Monday, the Medical Examiner’s Office said it received the court order at 10:54 a.m. Friday after it was “initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department.” The decision imposes a “security hold” on Rivas’ case. Which means that “no documents or details related to the case, including the cause and manner of death and the medical examiner’s report, can be released or posted on the website. Until further notice.” The agency’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Odey Ukpo, made it clear that he disagreed with the judge’s decision.
“The agency’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,” said Dr. Ukpo in a prepared statement. “Since becoming chief executive, I have worked to eliminate the practice of placing security holds on medical examiner cases simply at the request of law enforcement. The practice of security holds is virtually unheard of in other counties. And has not proven to be conducive to improved outcomes in the legal system. We are committed to serving our community with full transparency. However, the law prevents us from doing so while the court order in this case stands.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office said the LAPD previously requested a security hold on September 15, 2025, “which was denied due to insufficient justification for the order.” The agency said it “understands the public interest in this case. It remains committed to transparency where possible.” “Information will be made available once the court order is lifted.”
Connections between Rivas and Burke
Rivas’ mother previously told TMZ that her daughter was dating someone named “David” before she disappeared. Photos shared online by people who have followed Burke’s career appear to show him with a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Celeste. In another twist, Celeste had a tattoo on her right index finger that read, “Shhh…”, the Medical Examiner said. A Getty Images photo showed Burke with a similar tattoo.
Burke’s defense attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment from ROLLING STONE.