Medical examiner rules Celeste Rivas Hernandez death a homicide

A sealed autopsy finally answered one central question in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez: the 15-year-old died from multiple penetrating injuries caused by object(s), and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide.

That finding, released April 22, came months after the cause and manner of death were determined on December 9, 2025, but kept under a court-ordered seal. For Yuma County residents who have followed the case closely, the disclosure clarifies how Hernandez died, while underscoring how long her family waited for that answer.

The medical examiner said Hernandez was discovered at 11:00 a.m. on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a vehicle at a tow yard in Los Angeles. A deputy medical examiner examined her two days later, on September 10. The autopsy was limited by extensive postmortem changes, but investigators documented two penetrating wounds to the torso, along with additional wounds that penetrated the liver and chest.

The report also listed presumptive positives for benzodiazepines and meth/MDMA in Hernandez’s system. Even with those findings, the place and date of injury were listed as unknown, leaving open a major gap in the timeline of what happened to the teenager before her body was found.

David Anthony Burke, who performs as D4vd, has been charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. Prosecutors have said the case includes special circumstances, and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has described the charges as the most serious his office can bring.

The delay in releasing the cause of death has added to the anguish for Hernandez’s family, which said it is devastated and asked for privacy, understanding and patience as it processes the findings. Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo said it was unfathomable that the family had to wait so long to learn what happened to their daughter, and said the disclosure came after partner agencies sought a court order to lift the restriction.

The ruling answers one part of a case that has already shaken the community, but it also sharpens the focus on what investigators knew, when they knew it and what comes next in a homicide investigation centered on a child victim.