Celeste Rivas Hernandez's body was not frozen or decapitated when it was discovered in D4vd's car, LAPD says

On Monday, November 24, LAPD Captain Scot Williams spoke exclusively spoke to PEOPLE about the condition of Celeste Rivas Hernandez' body when it was discovered in D4vd's Tesla two months ago.

A report claimed Celeste Rivas Hernandez's body had been frozen when it was found in singer D4vd's Tesla. That theory was later rejected by the LAPD, but retired forensic pathologist and former medical examiner Dr. Michelle DuPre tells @BanfieldonNN that freezing the body weeks… pic.twitter.com/NXo6Ucc6Zm

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Williams, who is also the commanding officer of LAPD's Robbery-Homicide divison, debunked reports of local media about Rivas's body being decapitated and/or frozen at the time, saying:

"Celeste's body was not frozen. She was not decapitated. The whole frozen thing doesn't even make sense. Her body was in the car for weeks."

The officer continued:

"Even if she had been frozen solid when she was put in the car (which there is NO evidence to suggest she was), five or more weeks in the trunk of a car in sweltering heat in the middle of summer would not have resulted in a partially frozen body being discovered on September 8th."

For the unversed, the discovery of Celeste's body in the trunk of rapper D4vd's car came more than a year after the teenager first went missing from home. Rivas's parents - living in Lake Elsinore, California - first reported her missing on April 5, 2024. 

At the time of the discovery, D4vd was on a tour supporting his first album. The rapper - whose real name is David Anthony Burke - was naturally considered a suspect in the case, and was even questioned by officers.

However, the nature of his involvement in Celeste's murder remains unclear, with no arrests made so far. 

Records of Celeste Rivas Hernandez's case has been sealed by court

A court has ordered the details surrounding the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez be sealed. The 15-year-old’s body was found Sept. 8 in the trunk of singer D4vd’s Telsa. Hernandez was last seen in April 2024 outside of Los Angeles.

Full story: https://t.co/FGfO6D47ji pic.twitter.com/n8QOzmEs6g

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) November 25, 2025

Officer Scot Williams' exclusive statement about Celeste Rivas's body comes on the same day as the LA Department of Medical Examiner's. Dr. Odey Ukpo - the chief medical examiner - spoke about receiving a court order asking them to keep details of the case on a security hold, adding: 

"No records or details associated with the case, including the cause and manner of death and Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice. The Department understands the public’s interest in this case and remains committed to transparency when possible. Information will be made available once the court order is lifted."

Dr. Ukpo added that such security holds are not heard of in other counties, and that he doesn't see how it could improve the outcome of the investigation. Because they've been precluded by law to hold records, they cannot offer full transparency until it remains.