() Investigators will need to parse through more evidence after the body of a teen was found in the trunk of a car belonging to singer D4vd before they can file charges in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. 

It is still unclear how the teen died after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed Rivas Hernandez’s cause of death as “deferred” and requested additional testing. 

Without a confirmed manner of death, police are unable to make arrests, attorneys say. Once it’s deemed a homicide, police can dig deeper on potential suspects.

“I think at this point, it’s more about gathering information,” criminal defense attorney Sara Azari told “Banfield.”

“Ultimately, how we defend the case depends on what the evidence is, obviously what the charges are, but do they have digital evidence? Do they have a bunch of snitches flipping? Do they have videos showing a sexual relationship? Or something that shows more than just a connection between an older teen and a younger teen? It really depends on what the evidence is,” she added. 

The teen was reported missing in April 2024 when she was only 13 years old, authorities said.  

Her remains were discovered inside the Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke, D4vd’s real name, at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8. 

LAPD Captain and Commanding Officer Scot M. Williams has said there are still questions related to the teen’s death. “We know for sure that Celeste Rivas Hernandez died and someone placed her body in the front trunk area of David Burke’s (d4vd’s legal name) Tesla,” he told People Magazine.   

Celeste’s body was “likely” in Burke’s Tesla weeks before she was found, he told the outlet.

The singer’s home was thoroughly searched by the LAPD shortly after the body was found. 

Police swooped on the house D4vd had been staying at in search of anything resembling “blood evidence,” TMZ’s Charles Latibeaudiere told “Banfield”.

“They were checking drains to see if there’s any blood evidence or blood or tissue that was in the drains there,” he said. “So they did a scouring of this house, looking for any evidence.”

“We know that Tesla is his,” Latibeaudiere said. “The thing that’s still not clear is who was actually driving the Tesla when the body was placed in the car? Who parked it where it was eventually found and impounded? Those are the dots that still need to be connected here.”

Without these answers, it will be difficult for police to file charges. 

Questions have swirled surrounding D4vd’s relationship with Rivas Hernandez, with some pointing to alleged matching tattoos, song titles and comments from friends.

Friends of the singer “frequently” saw the pair together and believed they “were romantically involved,” TMZ senior news reporter Charlie Neff told in September.

D4vd was on tour when he was contacted by police, who told him a decomposing body was found in his car. 

While police haven’t officially linked D4vd and the victim, a leaked D4vd song mentions Celeste multiple times, Latibeaudiere said. 

The track, which leaked on Soundcloud in December 2023, was titled “Celeste_Demo unfin.” 

The singer canceled the rest of his tour amid an investigation into Celeste’s death.   

’s Teddy Grant and Rob Taub contributed to this report.