The girl whom singer d4vd is charged with killing died of ‘multiple penetrating injuries,’ autopsy finds

Krdo · Apr 23, 2026 · 749 words · By CNN Newssource

Criminal Investigation/Crime Details Celebrity Involvement/Scandal

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What to know about Criminal Investigation/Crime Details

The girl whom singer d4vd is charged with killing died of ‘multiple penetrating injuries,’ autopsy finds By Andi Babineau, CNN (CNN) — The seventh-grade girl whom singer d4vd is charged with killing and dismembering died of “multiple penetrating injuries,”…

Claims checked 19

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, had wounds on her chest and abdomen that “may represent sharp force injuries,” the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said in the report, which was signed in December but sealed for months at the request of law…

Common ground

A tattoo reading “Shhh….” was found on the inside of her right index finger, the autopsy report said, similar to the tattoo d4vd has on his finger.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Criminal Investigation/Crime Details story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Prosecutors claim d4vd had a sexual relationship with Celeste and killed her “when she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career,” according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman?
How does this story connect Criminal Investigation/Crime Details with Celebrity Involvement/Scandal over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2026/04/23/celeste-rivas-herna…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “Prosecutors claim d4vd had a sexual relationship with Celeste and killed her “when she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career,” according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “On Celeste’s left hand, two fingers had been removed.”

CORROBORATED

At least one web search result explicitly states, 'On Celeste's left hand, two fingers had been removed.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Celeste Maloy (born May 22, 1981) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for Utah's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_Maloy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Anthony Burke (born March 28, 2005), known professionally as D4vd, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New York City and raised in Houston, Texas, Burke began composing music in 2021 for h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D4vd

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On September 8, 2025, the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in Los Angeles, California, inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to David Burke, a musician …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Celeste_Rivas_Herna…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, had wounds on her chest and abdomen that “may represent sharp force injuries,” the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said in the report, which was signed in December but sealed for months at the request of law enforcement.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office stated that Celeste Rivas Hernandez had wounds on her chest and abdomen that 'may represent sharp force injuries.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Celeste Thais Dupuy-Spencer (December 22, 1979 – April 10, 2026) was an American painter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_Dupuy-Spencer

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Celeste had been reported missing by family and friends multiple times, starting in early 2024.”

CORROBORATED

Both a cross-reference and multiple web search results confirm that Celeste Rivas Hernandez was reported missing multiple times starting in early 2024.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Celeste had been reported missing by family and friends multiple times beginning in early 2024.Celeste was also photographed backstage at one of his Los Angeles shows in June 2024. She was last seen a…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/22/us/d4vd-celeste-rivas-hernand…

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web search NEUTRAL — Rivas is reported missing a second time around March 19, according to 911 logs and missing posters. For a third and final time, she is reported missing on April 5, according to the Riverside County Sh…
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/abandoned…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 2024: Rivas Hernandez is reported missing again.Friends of D4vd told TMZ the two were "romantically involved" but that they believed she was a 19-year-old student at USC. They said they didn't thi…
https://www.foxla.com/news/celeste-rivas-hernandez-d4vd-homi…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 5: “Celeste was also photographed backstage at one of his Los Angeles shows in June 2024.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only the cross-reference source mentions that Celeste was photographed backstage at one of d4vd's Los Angeles shows in June 2024. No other independent source corroborates this specific detail.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Celeste was also photographed backstage at one of his Los Angeles shows in June 2024.
https://krdo.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2026/04/22…

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Claim 6: “A tattoo reading “Shhh….” was found on the inside of her right index finger, the autopsy report said, similar to the tattoo d4vd has on his finger.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that a tattoo reading 'Shhh….' was found on the inside of Celeste Rivas Hernandez's right index finger and that this was similar to a tattoo d4vd has on his finger.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Romantic Homicide" is a bedroom pop song by American singer-songwriter D4vd. It was released on July 20, 2022, through DistroKid and later included as the second single from his debut EP, Petals to T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_Homicide

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “She was last seen alive going to d4vd’s home in April 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Celeste’s arms and legs had been severed, and blue plastic fragments were “embedded in the cut surfaces” and submitted into evidence, the report details.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “She and d4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, appeared together in a Twitch livestream that January.”

CORROBORATED

Both a cross-reference and multiple web search results confirm that Celeste and d4vd appeared together in a Twitch livestream in January, and that d4vd's legal name is David Anthony Burke.

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web search NEUTRAL — D4vd, the 21-year-old singer born David Anthony Burke, was arrested on suspicion of murder on April 16, 2026, at a Hollywood Hills home not far from the Los Angeles tow yard where 14-year-old Celeste …
https://www.bet.com/article/s7nnd1/the-investigation-trail-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — David Anthony Burke (born March 28, 2005), known professionally as D4vd,[a] is an American singer-songwriter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D4vd

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web search NEUTRAL — She and d4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, appeared together in a Twitch livestream that January, and between then and March 2024, he was photographed getting out of a black Tesla near the…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/22/us/d4vd-celeste-rivas-hernand…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 10: “D4vd pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old and mutilating human remains.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “The findings revealed more gruesome details seven months after Celeste’s dismembered remains were found in d4vd’s Tesla in Los Angeles.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results mention the autopsy findings and the timeline related to the discovery of the remains, but the specific detail that the findings were released 'seven months after' the remains were found is only present in the context of the web search results, not independently corroborated across multiple distinct sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "One More Dance" is a song by American singer-songwriter D4vd. It was released on February 7, 2025, as the second single from his debut studio album, Withered, under Darkroom and Interscope Records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_More_Dance_(D4vd_song)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “The vehicle was apparently abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and towed to a police impound lot, where an employee noticed a foul smell emanating from the trunk last September and alerted authorities.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results corroborate that the Tesla was found in a tow yard/impound lot, that it was abandoned, and that the discovery involved a foul smell or decomposing body.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tesla, Inc. ( TEZ-lə or TESS-lə) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it designs, manufactures, and sells battery electric vehicles (BEVs…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla,_Inc.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “The seventh-grade girl whom singer d4vd is charged with killing and dismembering died of “multiple penetrating injuries,” according to an autopsy report released Wednesday.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results mention the cause of death as 'multiple penetrating injuries' (AOL, CNN), but the claim specifies that the autopsy report stated this finding on a particular day ('Wednesday') and that the victim was a 'seventh-grade girl.' The evidence is heavily focused on the general finding of 'multiple penetrating injuries' for Celeste Rivas Hernandez, but does not independently corroborate the specific details of the 'seventh-grade girl' or the exact timing/source of the report as stated in the claim.

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web search NEUTRAL — The body of Celeste Rivas, who'd disappeared when she was 14, was found in a car registered to singer D4vd, in Los Angeles.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/was-celest…

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web search NEUTRAL — Disturbing new details in the grisly case of dismembered remains of a 15-year-old girl found in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla earlier this month may provide investigators with additional links to…
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/new-details-may-tie-singer-…

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web search NEUTRAL — On September 8, 2025, the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in Los Angeles, California, inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke, a m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Celeste_Rivas_Hernand…

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Claim 14: “The singer was arrested last week and has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “D4vd’s attorney said his client is innocent.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 16: “She also had skin abrasions, but the medical examiner couldn’t determine the causes because of the severe decomposition of the body.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 17: “Between then and March 2024, he was photographed getting out of a black Tesla near the seventh grader’s home.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was returned from the search that specifically corroborates the claim that d4vd was photographed getting out of a black Tesla near the seventh grader’s home *between January and March 2024*. While Claim 7 mentions this period, the evidence provided for Claim 8 itself is empty.

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Claim 18: “Alcohol was also detected in her system, but the medical examiner said it’s unclear whether it was present due to ingestion or decomposition.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 19: “The injuries described were most consistent with stabbing and the girl was likely dismembered after she died, said Dr. Priya Banerjee, a board certified forensic pathologist who reviewed the report that was made public and is not involved with the case.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.