Police say it’s “very likely” Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been dead for “several weeks” before her body was discovered in the trunk of a towed Tesla registered to d4vd.
Human remains, later determined to be those of 15-year-old Celeste, were found in the vehicle on Sept. 8 after Los Angeles Police Department officers responded over reports of a “foul odor.” In the weeks since, speculation has continued to surround the case, all while questions remain about the timeline of events that may have led to Celeste’s death.
In an interview with People published this weekend, Scot M. Williams, the commanding officer of LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, said the Tesla in question had been “parked at the location from which it was towed” for several weeks. By extension, Williams noted, it’s likely Celeste had been dead for the same amount of time before her body was found.
"We know that the Tesla had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so it is very likely Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been dead for several weeks prior to her body being discovered," Williams was quoted as telling the publication.
Elsewhere, Williams said investigators “know for sure” that Celeste’s body was placed “in the front trunk area” of a Tesla registered to d4vd. Williams also pointed out that saying anything about speculations into the nature of d4vd’s connection to Celeste, a candlelight vigil for whom was held earlier this month, “would be premature” at this point.
When reached for comment by Complex on Monday, Sept. 29, an LAPD rep confirmed detectives were currently awaiting autopsy results.
“At this time, there is no new information available related to the investigation,” the LAPD rep told Complex. “LAPD detectives are still waiting on the results of the autopsy, and the investigation is ongoing.”
Last week, a rep for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed that a cause of death had not yet been determined.
“The deputy medical examiner is requesting additional testing and/or studies in order to make a determination,” the rep told Complex.
Police, meanwhile, are following up on “several leads” in the investigation. At this time, a possible suspect has not been named, and d4vd has not been charged with a crime.