Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s Cause of Death Revealed
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s death has gripped headlines since September. While plenty of people were talking about the teen’s mysterious and tragic death, little was known about what actually happened to her. The LAPD was careful to keep the details of its investigation quiet, ordering the medical examiner to do the same. Now that D4vd, the musician accused of sexually abusing and murdering the teen, has been arrested, more information is being made available. Hernandez’s cause of death has been made public.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s cause of death has been released
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for Celeste Rivas Hernandez to be multiple penetrating injuries caused by unknown objects. The report ruled Hernandez’s manner of death a homicide in December 2025. The medical examiner’s wording is careful and a bit vague. Still, experts note that the wounds are consistent with a stabbing death.
While the actual medical examiner’s report fails to set an official death date, investigators believe the teen was murdered on April 23, 2025, at D4vd’s rental home in the Hollywood Hills. From there, investigators believe D4vd waited two weeks to dismember Celeste’s body, placing her remains in cadaver bags. Investigators believe he then placed the bags inside his front trunk. It is unclear how often D4vd drove the car between May 2025, when they believe he placed her in the trunk, and September 8, 2025, when police discovered the remains after the vehicle was impounded.
While it took months for the medical examiner to issue an official cause of death, the office did release the teen’s body to her family in late September. According to 6ABC, Celeste Rivas Hernandez was laid to rest on October 6, 2025, at Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Mortuary in Rowland Heights, California. The cemetery is not far from her home in Lake Elsinore. The funeral was private.
What are the charges against D4vd?
Music artist D4vd has been arrested and charged with multiple crimes in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The most serious charge, first-degree murder with special circumstances, could result in the death penalty. He has also been charged with lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body. D4vd is accused of grooming the teen and coercing her into a sexual relationship. They theorize that the relationship began when Celeste was just 13.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman explained the special circumstances during an April 20 press conference. Hochman revealed that investigators believed D4vd lured the teen to his home and “laid in wait” for her. He went on to say D4vd allegedly killed a witness in an investigation and carried out the murder for financial gain.
More details of the sordid events leading up to the teen’s death have come to light. D4vd’s activities before and after the death are being revealed, too. During a recent court appearance, prosecutors argued that the 21-year-old musician had a significant amount of child sexual abuse images on his iPhone. He is being held in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility without bail.
