Celeste Rivas' Frozen Body Leaves Medical Examiners Baffled, Delays Investigation

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner faces serious hurdles in establishing just how 15-year-old Celeste Rivas died after her partially frozen and dismembered body was found inside the trunk of a Tesla linked to Hip-Hop artist D4vd. The state of the remains has left investigators with limited answers.

Authorities say the teen's decapitated and severed body parts were found after a tow company noticed a bad smell coming from the vehicle, which had been left on a residential Hollywood Hills street for days. Forensic specialists now warn that the frozen state of the remains may have destroyed important markers that normally help establish cause and manner of death.

"It will most likely be 'undetermined,'" one source told TMZ, speaking about how the Medical Examiner will likely classify the cause of death.

The state of decomposition has destroyed or compromised key forensic evidence, such as signs of trauma and toxicology results. Investigators said they suspect the body was intentionally frozen to stall discovery and hinder the investigation.

One law enforcement source told TMZ that "an arrest could still be made even without a confirmed cause of death," thus allowing the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division to continue treating the case as a murder investigation.

The case took another twist with reports that authorities believe a second person involved helped in dismembering and moving Rivas' body. Attorney Mark Geragos recently spoke about the potential for an accomplice during an appearance on the "2 Angry Men" podcast. A neutral lead-in sentence is included before his comment.

Geragos said he "knows the name" of who might have been involved "before, during, and after" the teen's death.

Investigators are also looking into an overnight trip D4vd reportedly took to a secluded region of Santa Barbara County in spring 2025. Authorities have said they believe Rivas' body was kept in a freezer there for months before being relocated.

Rivas vanished from her Lake Elsinore home back in April 2024 when she was just 13 years old. According to reports highlighted by AllHipHop, her family told police she had a boyfriend named David-who has since been identified as D4vd.

Her remains were found on September 8, 2025-one day after her 15th birthday. The investigation is ongoing, with the LAPD continuing to collect digital evidence and interview witnesses. As of Nov. 22, 2025, no arrests had been announced.