Big Update in Celeste Rivas Case: Why Investigators Say D4vd’s Involvement Leaves Her Cause of Death Undetermined

The Celeste Rivas case has taken a stark new turn as investigators now say her body was frozen before being found in singer D4vd’s Tesla. Officials believe this has made it nearly impossible for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner to determine how she died. The case remains under active investigation, with detectives still treating it as a likely homicide even as the official cause of death may be listed as “undetermined.”

Rivas, a 15-year-old from California, was found dismembered and decomposing in the trunk area of a Tesla registered to D4vd after the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills. The discovery pushed the rising musician into the center of a high-profile death investigation. Authorities have since identified him as a suspect, though no criminal charges have been filed so far.

How the Condition of Celeste Rivas’s Body Affects the Case

Investigators say Rivas’s body showed clear signs it had been frozen and later partially thawed before authorities received it. Sources close to the investigation indicate that when the remains reached the medical examiner, the body was in extreme condition. The head had been removed, the limbs were cut into pieces, and only the torso stayed mostly intact.

The state of the remains has made the medical examiner’s work far more complicated. Freezing, thawing, and dismemberment can erase or obscure vital forensic clues, including internal injuries, subtle trauma, or certain toxicology markers. As a result, officials now expect the manner of death to be formally recorded as “undetermined,” even though detectives are proceeding as if they are dealing with a homicide.

Early in the investigation, examiners reportedly struggled even to confirm the victim’s sex based on the condition of the body. Over time, identification was confirmed as that of Celeste Rivas through forensic methods, while investigators continued building a timeline of what happened before and after her death. The body is believed to have been dead for weeks before being discovered, adding another layer of difficulty for forensic analysis.

Authorities say the Tesla where her remains were found had been parked for days near a rental home linked to D4vd in the Hollywood Hills. The vehicle was eventually towed and stored before workers noticed a strong odor and summoned police. When officers opened the vehicle, they found Rivas’s remains inside a bag in the trunk area, leading to an immediate major case investigation.

D4vd’s Status, Second Suspect, and the Santa Barbara Freezer Theory

D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has now been formally identified by law enforcement sources as a suspect in the Celeste Rivas case. Police sources and crime reports say investigators believe he “most likely had help” in dismembering and disposing of the body. They also say he has not been cooperating with detectives, despite earlier statements from representatives claiming he was working with authorities.

Attorney Mark Geragos has publicly stated that investigators are looking at a second person who may have been involved “before, during, and after” Rivas’s death. That second individual has not been named, but law enforcement has reportedly used phone and social media data to place another person in the same Hollywood Hills area and timeframe tied to the Tesla and to Rivas’s death. Detectives are now working to understand whether that person helped with moving or storing the body.

A key focus for investigators is a trip linked to D4vd’s Tesla to a remote area in Santa Barbara County earlier in the year. Detectives suspect that this journey may be tied to where Rivas’s body was stored for a period of time. One working theory is that the body may have been kept in some kind of freezer for weeks or months before being moved into the car in late summer.

So far, officials have not publicly confirmed the exact location or type of freezer they believe was used. But the frozen condition of the remains aligns with the theory that the body was hidden and preserved before being transported. That would also help explain why the cause of death is so hard to pin down, even as investigators continue to treat the case as a homicide and search for evidence of what happened to Rivas before she died.

Ongoing Investigation and What Comes Next in the Celeste Rivas Case

The investigation into the Celeste Rivas case remains very active. Law enforcement has served search warrants, seized electronic devices, and obtained surveillance footage from the Hollywood Hills rental home where D4vd had been staying. Detectives are combing through digital records, location data, and communications to understand how Rivas ended up in the singer’s car and who else may have been involved.

At the same time, public interest in the case continues to grow. Many fans of D4vd, as well as people who had never heard his music before, are now closely following every development. Rivas’s family, meanwhile, has spoken of their grief and called for justice for the teenager, who had been reported missing more than once before her body was discovered. The tension between public speculation and the slow, methodical pace of a homicide investigation is shaping how this story unfolds.

For now, the Celeste Rivas case sits in a painful middle ground. Investigators say the body’s frozen, dismembered state means her cause of death may never be fully known, yet they continue to treat the Celeste Rivas case as a homicide with D4vd as the main suspect and a second person possibly involved. Until charges are filed or authorities give a fuller account, the case will remain one of the most closely watched and unsettling investigations in recent memory.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What is the latest update in the Celeste Rivas case?

The latest update is that investigators now say Celeste Rivas’s body had been frozen and partially thawed before being found in D4vd’s Tesla. Because of this, the medical examiner is expected to classify her cause or manner of death as undetermined, even as detectives continue to treat the case as a homicide.

Q2: Is D4vd officially considered a suspect?

Yes. Police sources and multiple reports say singer D4vd has been identified as a suspect in the death of Celeste Rivas. He has not been charged at this time, but investigators continue to focus on his actions and movements around the time of her death.

Q3: Why can’t the medical examiner determine how Celeste Rivas died?

Authorities say the body was frozen, then partially thawed, and had been dismembered before it reached the medical examiner. Those conditions can erase or hide the forensic signs that usually reveal how someone died, making it very difficult to pinpoint a clear cause of death.

Q4: Who is the second suspect linked to the Celeste Rivas case?

Investigators believe a second, unnamed person may have helped dismember and dispose of Celeste Rivas’s body. Attorney Mark Geragos has said this person may have been involved “before, during, and after” her death, based on information shared with him from people tied to the case.

Q5: What is the Santa Barbara trip investigators are looking at?

Detectives are examining a trip linked to D4vd’s Tesla to a remote area in Santa Barbara County earlier this year. They suspect that Celeste’s body may have been stored in a freezer connected to that trip for a period of time before being moved into the Tesla that was later found with her remains inside.

References

TMZ. (2025). Celeste Rivas’ Body Discovered Frozen, Cause of Death Likely ‘Undetermined’. Published November 22, 2025.

People. (2025). Investigators Believe d4vd ‘Had Help Dismembering and Disposing’ of Teen’s Body: Police Source. Updated November 19, 2025.

NBC Los Angeles. (2025). Singer D4vd identified as suspect in connection with death of Celeste Rivas, LAPD says. Published November 18, 2025.

ABC News. (2025). Body found in D4vd’s Tesla: Teen’s cause and manner of death still undetermined. Published September 29, 2025.

Times Now. (2025). Big Update in Celeste Rivas Case: Investigators Explain Why Cause Of Her Death Can’t Be Determined. Published November 23, 2025.