Los Angeles County officials are investigating whether more than a dozen employees at the Department of Medical Examiner, commonly known as the coroner’s office, accessed confidential files without authorization following leaks of graphic details surrounding the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The probe by the county’s Department of Human Resources focuses on whether investigators and administrative staff improperly viewed records related to Rivas Hernandez before her autopsy report was officially released to the public, as reported by NBC4 Los Angeles.
The 15-year-old victim’s body was discovered inside the trunk of an abandoned Tesla sedan in a Hollywood tow yard last September. The vehicle was registered to David Anthony Burke, a 21-year-old pop musician who performs under the name D4vd.
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC4, the Department of Human Resources recently ordered the medical examiner employees to appear for recorded interviews.
The Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, the union representing the department’s investigators, confirmed to the outlet that some members received letters regarding the inquiry. The union stated it expected the county to conduct the investigation fairly and encouraged the public to let the process run its course before drawing conclusions.
A county official added that personnel investigations generally remain confidential until a final determination is made.
The high-profile murder investigation previously led Los Angeles Police Department detectives to request that the medical examiner’s office shield the teenager’s files from public view. The coroner’s office initially rejected the request, citing a lack of jurisdiction, which prompted police to secure a court order to lock down the file.
In April, Burke was arrested and charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors alleged that Burke was in a sexual relationship with the minor and killed her when she threatened to expose his criminal behavior.
At a recent court hearing, prosecutors claimed Burke’s phone contained a significant amount of child pornography, which forms part of 40 terabytes of evidence compiled by the state, as reported by The Independent.
Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home multiple times before vanishing in April 2025. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference that the victim had last been seen entering Burke’s rented home in the Hollywood Hills.
An autopsy report indicated the teenager died from “multiple penetrating injuries” caused by a sharp instrument, though medical examiners stated the examination was limited due to extensive postmortem decomposition.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His defense attorneys stated that they intend to vigorously defend his innocence.
The musician, who gained fame on TikTok with the 2022 song “Romantic Homicide,” is currently being held without bail ahead of a preliminary hearing that a judge rescheduled for July 21. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty.
