Celeste Rivas' 'Partially Frozen' Body Poses Major Forensic Hurdles: Could It Hide What Really Happened?

A deeply disturbing twist in the shocking death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas has emerged: her remains were reportedly partially frozen, a detail that could severely undermine forensic clarity in a case already rife with unanswered questions.

Investigators discovered Rivas's decomposed body on 8 September 2025 in the front trunk (frunk) of a Tesla registered to singer D4vd (real name David Anthony Burke), after tow-yard workers reported a foul smell.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as 'deferred,' with the manner of death field initially blank, an indication that forensic experts remain deeply uncertain. Now, multiple sources, including law-enforcement-connected insiders, tell TMZ and others that the freezing may have destroyed or distorted key biological evidence.

Forensics Under Siege

If true, the freezing of Rivas's body could cripple vital forensic investigations. Freezing and thawing can degrade DNA, interfere with blood-pathology analyses, and hamper toxicology results. Forensic science draws heavily on post-mortem chemical and cellular signatures, all of which may be disrupted by prolonged freezing.

According to unnamed sources who spoke to TMZ, the body arrived 'in horrendous condition:' decapitated, dismembered, with limbs removed and cut into pieces. The sources claim the medical examiner received body parts that were partially frozen and still thawing while the car sat in the trunk.

Such conditions, they say, may force the coroner to rule the case as 'undetermined. If confirmed, that would be devastating for the pursuit of justice. An 'undetermined' ruling could severely weaken any criminal prosecution, especially when paired with decomposition and freezing that may have eradicated trace evidence.

Questions Around Chain of Custody

Beyond forensic damage, the possibility of freezing raises probing questions about the handling of the body. When, where, and by whom was Rivas frozen? Was she thawed before being placed in the Tesla — or did thawing occur later? These gaps in the chain of custody present a dangerous blind spot.

A private investigator, Steve Fischer, working for a homeowner linked to D4vd, claims to have surveillance footage indicating the Tesla was parked, with the body already inside, by late July 2025.

Fischer also says he shared his findings with the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide division. If the body was moved into the car only after freezing, that would suggest the involvement of more than just concealment; it may point to premeditation.

At the same time, Fischer has publicly speculated that Rivas might have died of an overdose, and that the body might have been hidden to conceal the nature of her relationship with the singer. But without a clear cause of death, that remains unproven.

Artistic Parallels and Public Outcry

The partial-freezing detail has reignited intense public scrutiny around D4vd, not just for what happened to Rivas, but for what his art appeared to foreshadow. A resurfaced interview shows him describing a fictional alter ego who commits murders that his 'detective self' then solves.

Critics are drawing unsettling parallels between that interview, his lyrics (notably in songs like Romantic Homicide), and the unfolding investigation. In the face of outrage, D4vd has cancelled the remainder of his U.S. tour. Some brands have severed ties, while legal and public demands for accountability intensify.

Every day that passes without a definitive cause of death weakens the case's prosecutorial potential. If freezing has indeed compromised forensic samples, DNA and toxicology, two pillars of modern homicide investigation, could be permanently lost.

The clock is ticking. As forensic experts scramble to salvage what remains, public pressure mounts for transparency, accountability, and a full accounting of what really happened to Celeste Rivas.

Her death was a tragedy, but the way her body was stored, treated, and discovered now looms as one of the most brutal and confounding puzzles in recent forensic history. Only rigorous investigation, clear chain-of-custody documentation, and unfiltered forensic results can pierce through the chilling haze of suspicion.