Officials release cause of death for teen found dead in singer D4vd's trunk

After months of speculation and delays, officials have announced that the teen girl found in the trunk of singer D4vd's car died from "multiple penetrating injuries".

The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office on Wednesday announced that they'd ruled Celeste Rivas Hernandez's death a homicide, noting that the 14-year-old died of injuries caused by an undisclosed object or objects.

She was found dead in the front boot of a Tesla registered to TikTok star D4vd, 21, in September. The singer is facing several charges in her death, including murder.

D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys say they will "vigorously defend his innocence".

The musician's defence team has said it believed the "actual evidence will show that David did not kill Celeste" and he was not the cause of her death.

"We will vigorously defend David's innocence," his attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement to the BBC.

Investigators at the medical examiner's office had examined Rivas Hernandez's body shortly after she was found in September and determined the cause and manner of death on 9 December but were barred from releasing it publicly as police investigated the case.

"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," Chief Medical Examiner Dr Odey Ukpo said in a statement.

"It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter," said Ukpo, who had criticised the decision to hold off on releasing their findings.

Rivas Hernandez's family made their first public statement about her death this week, following Burke's arraignment in court on Monday.

They thanked the police, prosecutors and the residents in their community of Lake Elsinore for the support over the months.

"Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together," her parents Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez said in a statement.

"We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is Justice for Celeste."

Family attorney Patrick Steinfeld, in a statement to the BBC, said that the family was "devastated after hearing the gruesome details that came out in David Burke's arraignment".

At a news conference, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the teen went to Burke's home in the Hollywood Hills on 23 April 2025 and "she was never heard from again".

"A parent's nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back," Hochman said.

Her parents had reported her missing in April but it wasn't until September when she was found dead. More than seven months passed after that before police arrested the Romantic Homicide and Here With Me singer in Los Angeles last week.

The singer, who was detained by police and has been held without bail since, largely retreated from public life after the teen's body was found in his car last year. His world tour was cancelled and deals he had with brands were also reportedly axed.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell on Monday defended his agency's handling of the case and why it took so long to make an arrest.

"I want to be clear about something. My duty is not to fuel speculation. It's to deliver justice, and that requires patience and discipline on everybody's part," he said.

"This investigation was driven by a single purpose to secure justice for Celeste Rivas and for those who loved her. We had to be certain that nothing we did or said would ever jeopardise this case."

He added that conditions of the teen's body delayed determining her cause of death because a "substantial amount of time" had passed between her death and the discovery of her body, which made evidence degrade or disappear.

Hochman, too, noted issues in the case that delayed there being charges filed. Asked by the BBC about those issues, he outlined the difficulties in interviewing multiple people, some of whom were "cooperative" and some who weren't, plus looking at all the evidence.

"It's the type of case that you went to get maximum information," he said, asking anyone with any additional information to come forward.