LAPD Refers To Case Involving D4vd, Celeste Rivas As A Murder Investigation

A detective from the Los Angeles Police Department has officially referred to the case involving singer d4vd and the late Celeste Rivas as a murder investigation for the first time.

According to a report The Los Angeles Times published on Monday, November 24, LAPD Det. Joshua Byers of the department's Robbery Homicide Division filed a request to block the medical examiner's office from releasing their findings from Rivas' autopsy. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Richman approved the request and ordered the results to “be sealed and maintained in a secure location in the custody of the clerk of the court until further order of this court."

In the court documents, Byers said the release of the medical examiner's findings could “will reveal or tend to reveal the ongoing investigation and the integrity of the investigation as well as the identity of witnesses and/or informants who are cooperating with law enforcement and the content of the information they have provided, which could endanger the lives of witnesses and/or compromise the investigation.” As a result, the medical examiner has been ordered to hold all “details associated with the case, including the cause and manner of death and Medical Examiner report.”

Law enforcement sources have long said that the decision to rule Rivas' death as a homicide was dependent on the final results of the medical examiner's findings. Rivas' remains were found in a bag inside the front trunk of singer d4vd's Tesla that was towed to an impound lot after it had been abandoned near a home in Hollywood Hills, where he briefly lived. Police searched the house, which was rented by d4vd's manager, for blood and other evidence.

Despite his established connections with Rivas, d4vd had not been considered a suspect until recently. Police are reportedly focused on a late-night trip d4vd took in Spring 2025. He allegedly traveled in his Tesla to a remote location in Santa Barbara County with another person. They believe d4vd could've had help dismembering Rivas' body, and storing it in a freezer. Outlets like TMZ reported that Rivas' body parts were found "partially frozen" and her head was decapitated, which made it nearly impossible to determine a cause of death. However, LAPD Capt. Scot Williams disputed those claims and confirmed Rivas was “dead for at least several weeks” before she was discovered.

“Accountability is coming," said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton. "Our RHD detectives have been working and not waiting for that decision [by the medical examiner]. They are going to get justice for Celeste Rivas... No one is off the table, including him [D4vd].”

D4vd has yet to publicly comment on the situation.