Celeste Rivas Hernandez case: Why are autopsy results taking so long?

Nearly two months after the body of missing Lake Elsinore teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in the front trunk of a Tesla at an Los Angeles tow yard, we still don’t know exactly what happened to her.

But one thing we do know: The extended time being taken to finalize the autopsy—possibly weeks longer—is nothing unusual as the Medical Examiner awaits other test results.

As of today, Oct. 31, the case of Hernandez (2025-14252) is still listed as deferred, which the Medical Examiner explains as pending additional investigation. Oftentimes, that includes toxicology and other tests, according to experts NewsNation’s KTLA spoke with.

The Tesla, which we’ve known for weeks, is linked to rising R&B singer D4VD, who was said to be cooperating with the investigation. But was a crime committed?

LAPD, in its most recent comments, will only say, “The vehicle had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so Ms. Rivas Hernandez may have been deceased for several weeks before the discovery of her body. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of Ms. Rivas Hernandez’s death. As such, it remains unclear whether there is any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body.”

We asked the L.A. County Medical Examiner just how many pending cases they are sitting on. They didn’t have an exact number but confirmed that 90% of L.A. County Medical Examiner cases are now closed within 90 days.

While that might seem like a lot, that’s actually a vast improvement from several years ago. In 2022, dealing with the increased pandemic caseload, that turnaround time to close a case was three to six months. The Medical Examiner’s office says it has made big efforts to improve the process and decrease that turnaround time.