Coroner's office under investigation for leaks related to D4vd murder trial

Coroner's office under investigation for leaks related to D4vd murder trial Officials are investigating more than a dozen employees at a US county medical examiner's office following leaks of graphic details surrounding the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez Officials are investigating more than a dozen employees at a US county medical examiner's office following leaks of graphic details surrounding the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Investigators and staff members at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department have been ordered to appear for recorded interviews to determine whether they accessed the investigation files without specific authorisation, sources familiar with the matter told NBC4 Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Department of Human Resources launched an investigation after concerns were raised that media reports contained specific information about the teenager's death before the autopsy file was officially made public. Celeste’s body was found in September 2025 inside a towed Tesla registered to pop singer David A Burke, who goes by the stage name D4vd. Burke, 21, was arrested and charged with Rivas Hernandez' murder in April., and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other counts. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a court filing that Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18, and killed her when she threatened to reveal their inappropriate relationship. Prosecutors say Burke stabbed Rivas Hernandez multiple times then dismembered her body using chainsaws in his garage. Her body was reportedly so badly mutilated upon discovery that investigators feared it would be impossible to formally identify her. An autopsy report later indicated that she had died from "multiple penetrating stabbing injuries" caused by a sharp instrument, and was identified by a distinctive tattoo on her right index finger which read "Shhh..." Burke also has a tattoo with the same letters tattooed on his own finger. During a previous court appearance, prosecutors claimed Burke possessed a ‘significant amount’ of child sexual abuse material on his phone. While the medical examiner's office told NBC4 that it could not comment on pending investigations, the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, the union representing the office's investigators, confirmed to the outlet that some members had received letters regarding the investigation. "We expect the County to conduct any investigation professionally, fairly, and without prejudice," the union told the outlet on Monday. "We encourage others to allow the process to run its course before making conclusions." SEIU 721, which represents other staff members of the medical examiner's office, told the outlet that while it could not comment on the nature of the inquiry, it "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 added. Burke's attorney's have maintained they will "will vigorously defend David's innocence" and said they believe the "evidence will show that David did not kill Celeste".