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.
The Rivas case itself may have led to the inquiry by the LA County Department of Human Resources, which 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.
The union that represents investigators at the Medical Examiner, the LA County Professional Peace Officers Association (PPOA), said it could not comment on ongoing personnel investigations, but verified some employees had received notifications from the County about the inquiry.
“We expect the County to conduct any investigation professionally, fairly, and without prejudice,” the PPOA emailed Monday. “We encourage others to allow the process to run its course before making conclusions.”
SEIU 721, the union that represents other members of the Medical Examiner’s administrative staff, said it could not comment on the nature of the inquiry.
“However, we can say – unequivocally – that our union remains firmly committed to safeguarding the privacy of all victims. Patient privacy is an issue we take seriously, especially since so many of our union members are in the healthcare field and working with patients either directly or indirectly,” it said in a statement.
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.”
The LA County Department of Human Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though one official said the county’s personnel investigations are generally kept confidential until they’re concluded.