(NewsNation) — A grand jury in Los Angeles has heard evidence in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teen runaway whose remains were found Sept. 8 in a Tesla owned by recording artist D4vd, according to published reports.
The Los Angeles Times, citing two law enforcement sources, said the district attorney’s office this month had presented information to an investigative grand jury, a panel that can be convened to subpoena witnesses, secure evidence and recommend charges. It wasn’t clear if the proceedings have wrapped up, but several witnesses reportedly have been called.
Word about the grand jury comes as police persuaded a judge to bar the Los Angeles Medical Examiner from releasing results of Hernandez’s autopsy. In a court petition related to that decision, a detective refers to investigative efforts as “an investigation into murder.”
TMZ has reported the Los Angeles Police Department considers D4vd and a second individual to be suspects in the death of Hernandez, who is believed to have been 14 when she died.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said “accountability is coming” and that detectives “are going to get justice for Celeste Rivas,” the L.A. Times reported.
The career of 20-year-old D4vd — real name, David Anthony Burke — came to an abrupt halt after a high-end Tesla he owned was towed Sept. 5 from the Hollywood Hills after it had been abandoned not far from the rental home where the musician then resided. The trunk of the vehicle was opened three days later after a foul odor was detected coming from the Tesla. Inside were the remains of Hernandez.
In the ensuing weeks, media reports have linked D4vd with Hernandez, who previously had run away from her Lake Elsinore, California, home.
Private investigator Steven Fischer, who was hired by the singer’s landlord, told “Banfield” last month the Tesla was driven from the residence July 29 to the spot from where the vehicle was later towed and impounded. He said he uncovered surveillance video of the person behind the wheel during that last run and turned the footage over to LAPD.
“You can see the person … they’re wearing something pretty distinctive, and there’s photos that I have from 12 hours earlier of a person at the house wearing the same thing,” said Fischer, who declined to offer more information.