Celeste Rivas Hernandez case: Private investigator reveals date last photos of teen were taken

PREVIOUS: Timeline of body found in D4vd's Tesla

LOS ANGELES – Steve Fischer, the private investigator hired by the owner of the Hollywood Hills home where singer D4vd once resided, recently shared new details about the Celeste Rivas Hernandez case on “Law & Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber.”

Hernandez, 15, was found dead in the trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd after workers at a tow yard detected a foul odor. Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department believe Hernandez may have been dead for weeks before her remains were discovered.

Homeowner hires P.I.

What we know:

TMZ reported that Mladen Trifunovic, the man who owns the home D4vd was renting for an estimated $20,000 a month, hired a private investigator to find answers about what happened to Hernandez and whether any criminal activity occurred at the home.

“Our private investigator’s work is still ongoing, and I don’t have any findings to share at this time. It’s still early in the process, and I want to respect both the LAPD’s investigation and the memory of the victim,” Trifunovic said in a statement to TMZ.

What they’re saying:

In an interview with “Law & Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber,” Fischer clarified that while D4vd lived at the home, it was actually leased to D4vd’s manager, Josh Marshall. The singer’s manager has publicly denied any involvement in Hernandez’s death.

Fischer said he was hired shortly after a forced-entry search warrant was served at the Hollywood Hills home.

“There have been things that we learned that we turned right over to LAPD, but we think there are significant things that could help,” Fischer said.

New evidence revealed

“We don’t have any evidence that anything happened to Celeste at that house, but there’s definitely evidence that we’ve collected that helps the timeline,” Fischer explained. “We now have a better understanding of when that Tesla arrived at that final parking spot. I do have surveillance from different houses in the neighborhood showing the Tesla being moved.”

“There were some things that were not taken into custody by LAPD that we think are significant, including digital media and other things that really help nail down the timeline,” Fischer added.

Who left D4vd’s Tesla parked on Bluebird Avenue?

Fischer then revealed he knows who was behind the wheel of what investigators believe was the final parking spot before the Tesla was towed.

“It’s very clear. That neighborhood is filled with surveillance cameras,” he said. “Once we learned those dates, and we could see other things that were happening that were even public on Instagram and what was going on in those people’s lives, it makes a lot of sense.”

Fischer said he has no evidence of a body being transferred before or after the Tesla was parked on Bluebird Avenue.

“That car had not been used in a very long time. It was super dirty, caked-on dirt; I’ll tell you this was in late July,” Fischer told the Law & Crime Network host.

“It’s bizarre because we also got media that the car was used a lot. David even spoke about it on Instagram videos. He took it to a detail shop and stuff like that, and all of a sudden, at the very beginning of the year, that car; something happens, and that car doesn’t show up anymore.”

Fischer then added investigators learned when the search warrant was served, there was another Tesla parked in the garage. Fischer said he learned the second Tesla was leased on Feb. 1.

Fischer said he’s gone public with his findings because in the digital age, people are more prone to come forward with information.

When were the last photos of Celeste Rivas Hernandez taken?

“There are people that have photos and videos, and we’ve gotten a lot of photos and videos from inside the home itself, so we can put people at certain dates and times at the house, and there are a lot of them. It’s in the thousands.”

So far, Fischer said they have yet to find evidence Hernandez was at the Hollywood Hills home.

“It really makes me think that it’s likely she had another place she was staying,” he alleged. “I can tell you there was a lot of time spent toward downtown LA, and I’ll say the last photos that we have of Celeste is Jan. 2, 2025.”

Watch the full interview below.

Hernandez was reported missing before her remains were found

The backstory:

Last year, Hernandez was reported missing from Lake Elsinore when she was 13 years old. A day after her 15th birthday, officials discovered her remains, and the following week, LAPD detectives executed a search warrant at D4vd’s Hollywood Hills rental.

Since the investigation was launched, the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has made some major financial and legal moves. Late last month, D4vd quietly moved out of Los Angeles, and he has since transferred ownership of his two Texas homes to his mother.

Earlier this month, it was revealed he has hired Blair Berk, who has represented several high-profile clients, including Harvey Weinstein, Kanye West, Britney Spears, and Mel Gibson.

D4vd has yet to be named as a suspect in the case. In addition, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he is unable to comment on the case because it has yet to be turned over to his office, TMZ reported.

The Source: This story was written with information from Steve Fischer’s interview with Law&Crime Network released on Oct. 17, 2025, TMZ and previous FOX 11 reports.

Crime and Public Safety Entertainment Hollywood Hills Downtown LA

Celeste Rivas Hernandez case: Private investigator reveals date last photos of teen were taken

Tags: