The ongoing investigation into the tragic passing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has become a case study in celebrity power, legal loopholes, and public deception. What began as a missing person search and ended with the discovery of human remains in a high-profile musician’s vehicle has spiraled into a complex saga of denials, circumstantial evidence, and questions about who is truly pulling the strings behind the scenes. At the heart of the latest controversy is the musician David’s manager, Josh Marshall, whose carefully crafted public statements have only served to intensify scrutiny, fueling the widely held suspicion that key figures are actively suppressing the truth.

The latest reports have stunned observers: David is reportedly not currently a suspect in Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s death. This development stems not from a lack of evidence pointing toward the artist, but from a harrowing medical reality. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of death. The official statement from Rolling Stone confirms that until a cause of death is established, the criminal culpability remains unclear beyond the initial charge of concealing a body. For the public, however, the fact that an individual tied to the discovery of dismembered remains in a vehicle is not classified as a suspect is nearly incomprehensible, suggesting a deeply flawed or heavily influenced legal process.

The spotlight has now swung violently toward Josh Marshall, David’s manager, who finally broke his silence in one of the most unorthodox ways possible: a short, defensive comment thread on TikTok. Marshall’s decision to address a case of such gravity via a social media comment, rather than a formal press release or through legal counsel, immediately raised red flags. His statement was simple, dry, and intended to shut down rumors fast, yet the claims he made have created more noise than the rumors themselves.

Marshall stated unequivocally: “I receive no emails and I’m no one’s roommate. I live full-time at home with my wife and kids.” He further emphasized his distance from his client, claiming, “I work remotely 95% of the time and barely interact with most of my clients. David has other people handling him day-to-day, not me.”

This carefully constructed narrative of detachment, however, appears to crumble under the weight of available reporting. Claims made by a TikTok user named Girl Town and private investigator Steven Fiser alleged that Marshall received an email in February 2024 detailing Celeste’s missing person report, with the family believing she was staying with David and Marshall. If true, this single piece of correspondence would obliterate Marshall’s claim of “zero knowledge” and confirm his awareness of Celeste’s age and status as a minor at that time. Marshall’s outright denial of receiving this email leaves a glaring question: If he is telling the truth, then a private investigator is lying to the public, a possibility that is difficult to believe given the high-stakes nature of the case.

The contradictions deepened when reports surfaced challenging his claim of not being David’s roommate and not living in California. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Marshall was allegedly responsible for moving his and David’s possessions out of the luxury Hollywood Hills home—an action that strongly suggests shared residency. Most damningly, records reportedly tie Marshall’s name to the lease for David’s opulent California residence, a property said to cost approximately $20,000 per month. For a manager claiming to “barely interact” with his client and to be living “full-time” with his family outside of California, having his name on a multi-thousand-dollar lease for his client’s home is a massive financial and circumstantial liability. This disparity between his public denial and his alleged financial commitment to the California property has made him appear less like a concerned father and more like an individual desperately attempting to cover his tracks.

Adding another layer of complexity to Marshall’s fragile defense are his own words about the emotional toll of the tragedy. He claimed the news was “affecting so many lives” and that he was with his family, “helping them emotionally get through the news of this tragedy.” This level of intense emotional involvement seems to starkly contradict his insistence that David is a peripheral client whom he “barely interacts” with. If his involvement was truly remote, why would the tragedy—which, according to his own account, should have no direct tie to him—be so emotionally devastating to his immediate family? It leads to the inevitable conclusion that Marshall’s ties to David and the situation were far deeper than he is willing to admit in his rushed TikTok rebuttal.

The reason for the legal ambiguity surrounding David is a devastating one. The severe and graphic condition of Celeste’s remains—which were found dismembered and severely decomposed after 11 days in the August Los Angeles heat inside the Tesla—has created a high chance of an inconclusive autopsy. The report described internal organs and soft tissues as having broken down to the point where even toxicology tests might be useless. Her body weighed only 71 pounds. The extreme environmental conditions destroyed critical forensic evidence, making the investigation into the direct cause of death a nightmare.

If the medical examiner is forced to label the cause of death as “undetermined,” prosecutors will be unable to rely on concrete medical proof and must instead build a difficult, circumstantial case based on the location of the body, witness statements, and David’s connection to Celeste. This provides a critical legal loophole for David’s high-powered legal team, led by renowned attorney Blair Berk. Without a clear medical ruling, they can—and likely will—argue that there is no irrefutable proof of a crime, potentially allowing David to walk away free. This terrifying possibility underscores the desperate need for the public to focus on the trail of circumstantial evidence that points toward a concerted cover-up.

Further muddying the waters are accusations of selective media reporting. Many have noted the suspicious silence from David’s professional circle—producers, collaborators, and friends who have seemingly vanished from social media. This collective withdrawal from the conversation stands in stark contrast to typical public crises, where a circle of supporters usually emerges to defend the accused. The silence, in this context, speaks volumes.

Allegations surfaced that David’s PR team deliberately wiped his social media accounts right before police served a search warrant on the Hollywood Hills property, removing every photo and tag involving Celeste. This is textbook damage control, the act of attempting to erase an entire chapter of a client’s life when reporters started asking questions about Celeste’s final location.

Even major news outlets like TMZ have come under fire. Observers noted that the outlet seemed to shift its focus, choosing to blast out old, sometimes negative, clips of Celeste—moments that paint her in a less favorable light—rather than conducting a real deep dive into David, the central living figure in the investigation. The suspicion intensified when TMZ hosts hinted on a live stream that they had off-camera information about two separate, substantiated theories regarding the situation, only to immediately backtrack and refuse to share details. The on-air tension led many to speculate that TMZ was holding back critical information, possibly due to a powerful influence. This theory is bolstered by the purported close relationship between TMZ head Harvey Levin and David’s lawyer, Blair Berk, leading to public speculation that David’s team may be purchasing favorable or, at the very least, protective coverage.

Ultimately, the search of David’s Dhini Place home, where police seized a laptop and other items, confirmed the severity of the investigation. The discovery of dismembered body parts—a head, a torso, and other limbs—further emphasized the gruesome nature of what transpired. The existence of David’s song, “Celeste,” where he mentions her name, says he loves her, and that he is missing her, alongside the timing of his hit, “Romantic Homicide” (released on Celeste’s birthday and containing lyrics like, “In the back of my mind you died I didn’t even cry not a single tear”), presents a disturbing narrative that authorities must fully address.

The public outcry for justice for Celeste Rivas Hernandez is deafening, and every new detail that surfaces—from the contradictions of his manager Josh Marshall to the devastating legal uncertainty of the autopsy—only reinforces the suspicion that the full, unvarnished truth is being intentionally obscured by those with the most to lose. As the investigation remains a “death investigation” and not a homicide, the fight for accountability continues, driven by the belief that the truth will ultimately break through the calculated silence.