LA medical examiner pushes for more transparency in high-profile deaths

By — Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/la-medical-examiner-pushes-for-more-transparency-in-high-profile-deaths Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter LA medical examiner pushes for more transparency in high-profile deaths Nation Jul 20, 2026 1:29 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Autopsy reports rarely come with barbed comments. So eyebrows rose when the autopsy results of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were released with a statement from the Los Angeles County chief medical examiner saying it was "unfathomable" her grieving parents had to wait months to learn how their daughter died. The autopsy performed on the dismembered body found in a Tesla in the Hollywood Hills had been sealed by a court order in the investigation that led to murder charges for singer D4vd. Dr. Odey Ukpo's comment with the report was his most pointed effort yet to emphasize his office's independence from police and prosecutors, as well as his desire to make as much death information public as soon as possible. D4vd, who has pleaded not guilty, this week faces a crucial preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for a trial. Ukpo's agency, which determined Rivas Hernandez died from stab wounds, plays a major role, as it has in other prominent cases, including following the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry and the killings of director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner. Ukpo, 46, sat for a recent interview with The Associated Press in the building where he performed autopsies for nearly a decade before getting the head role in 2023. He has always welcomed the celebrity cases that Los Angeles brings, saying the scrutiny they receive and the likelihood of misinformation spreading are strong incentives to do careful, irrefutable work. And they provide an opportunity to show what his office does and what kind of dangers the community may face. "I should be able to anticipate the strongest arguments or the most interesting questions by the work that I've done," he said. "If I haven't, then something's missing." "Life is complicated, but death is simple," Ukpo said. The medical examiner pushes back on police secrecy Ukpo doesn't believe sealing autopsy reports helps police investigations, including in the killing of Celeste. "That goes completely against our mission," he said. "It's so important for us to release the information that she did not die from something natural, she did not die from drugs, she was stabbed. And then we start to look back at what made her vulnerable to be in that situation." A court-ordered security hold still seals the Reiner autopsies. Authorities said immediately after their deaths that they had been stabbed by their son, who has pleaded not guilty, but little information has followed. Ukpo said he would discuss the findings — if he was allowed. READ MORE: Si