More than a dozen employees at the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, including investigators and office staff, have been ordered to answer questions about whether they viewed law enforcement investigation files without specific authorization, after some media reports included graphic details on the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenager allegedly killed by the pop singer known as D4vd, before the autopsy file was officially made public.

Investigation Details

The LA County Department of Human Resources began notifying the employees in recent days and weeks that they were required to appear for recorded interviews, several sources familiar with the probe told NBC4 Investigates. The Department of Medical Examiner, commonly known as the coroner, said Monday it does not comment on pending investigations.

The discovery of Rivas’ remains last September inside an abandoned Tesla sedan registered to D4vd drew intense public attention, leading LAPD Robbery Homicide detectives to request the Medical Examiner’s records be withheld from public view until the investigation was complete. The Medical Examiner initially denied the LAPD’s request, citing “insufficient jurisdiction” to withhold the case information from the public until the LAPD obtained a court order in November to put the case file under lockdown.

D4vd, whose legal name is David A. Burke, was arrested in April on suspicion of murdering Rivas, possibly in April 2025 at his rental home in the Hollywood Hills, according to court documents. He was charged with murder with the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and murdering a witness. Prosecutors also alleged he personally used a sharp instrument to carry out the killing.

Burke has pleaded not guilty, and his defense attorneys said in a statement earlier this year that they will vigorously defend David’s innocence.

Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.