Rivas Hernandez’s family made their first public statement about her death this week, following Burke’s arraignment in court on Monday. <\/p>\n
They thanked the police, prosecutors and the residents in their community of Lake Elsinore for the support over the months. <\/p>\n
“Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together,” her parents Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez said in a statement. <\/p>\n
“We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is Justice for Celeste.”<\/p>\n
Family attorney Patrick Steinfeld, in a statement to the BBC, said that the family was “devastated after hearing the gruesome details that came out in David Burke’s arraignment”. <\/p>\n
At a news conference, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the teen went to Burke’s home in the Hollywood Hills on 23 April 2025 and “she was never heard from again”.<\/p>\n
“A parent’s nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back,” Hochman said.<\/p>\n
Her parents had reported her missing in April but it wasn’t until September when she was found dead. More than seven months passed after that<\/a> before police arrested the Romantic Homicide and Here With Me singer in Los Angeles last week.<\/p>\n