A medical examiner confirmed that Celeste Rivas’ body sustained two penetrating wounds to the torso.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner has ruled Rivas’ death a homicide. The autopsy report outlined penetrating wounds of the torso with smooth edges that may represent sharp force injuries. It further described a wound measuring 3/4 inch in length and 1.5 inches deep on her upper abdomen, which had penetrated the liver. A second wound, measuring 9/16 inch in length and 2 inches deep, was located on her left chest, penetrating “one of the left intercostal spaces, with disruption of the adjacent ribs’ cortical surfaces.”
Medical professionals also examined any substances that may have been present in Rivas’ system. According to documents obtained by The Express, one screening in Rivas’ autopsy report indicated a “presumptive positive” for methamphetamine and MDMA. However, a separate report returned inconclusive results for both substances.
While the report noted the presence of alcohol in Rivas’ system, it clarified that this was not a direct contributing factor to her death.
“I think the most likely thing you’ll see is some sort of argument that she died accidentally overdose, or some of the reason it panicked and then just disposed of her body,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and President of West Coast Trial Lawyers, previously told The Mirror US.
Regarding the condition of the remains, the medical examiner reported it was “partially skeletonized with an absent left eye” following considerable public speculation. Earlier, unconfirmed reports suggested Rivas’ body was discovered partially frozen, severely decomposed, and dismembered, which became a source of controversy as police repeatedly denied the information.
According to police, Rivas’ body was discovered in D4vd’s Tesla inside black trash bags in September 2025, after the 14-year-old had been reported missing by her parents.
D4vd, a musician, was not in Los Angeles when the discovery was made, but was instead on tour in Minnesota. At first, he cooperated with authorities, but he quickly became a focus of their investigation.
Los Angeles prosecutors convened an investigative grand jury, ultimately arresting D4vd on April 16, 2026. He is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder. D4vd entered a not guilty plea to the charges.
Until April 22, the medical examiner remained silent about details connected to the case. In fact, a court order, requested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), placed a security hold on the case in November 25.
“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 stated at the time.
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“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. We are dedicated to serving our community with full transparency; however, the law precludes us from doing so while the court order remains in this case.”
In a statement provided to The Mirror US, D4vd’s legal team — Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — said, “The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
With the autopsy reported now released, Ukpo shared a new statement. The medical examiner said, “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.
“It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter. The transparency of the information contained in our findings and reports is essential for empowering the community to make informed changes to affectively reduce fear and allowing the community to take informed action.
“Making the Department’s information publicly available is not just about accountability, it is about social justice and prevention. By ensuring access to this information, we strengthen our ability to learn, to act, and ultimately to prevent the next tragic loss of life. I want to extend my gratitude to our partner agencies for taking the necessary step of filing an order with the court to make this disclosure possible.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
