Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Celeste Rivas Hernandez is just 13 when reported missing from her family home in Lake Elsinore, 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Celeste at 5 foot 3 and 120 pounds is reported last seen wearing a black shirt, gray pants, and Hello Kitty sandals. And according to close sources and family members, she has a boyfriend named "David." Celeste just entering her teen years is when she becomes friends with singer, D4vd, on social media and runs away to Hollywood to see the rising star. Celeste is returned home to Lake Elsinore by police. Celeste remains in school for a month, then in May, "D4vd" (David Anthony Burke) picks Celeste up in a Tesla to go to the movies and she never returns home. Residents in the Hollywood Hills grow tired of a dusty, 2023 Tesla model Y with a Texas plate parked on the street for a month and report the vehicle. Days later employees at Hollywood Tow notice a foul odor coming from the Tesla and call police. When officers arrive, they discover human remains wrapped in plastic, placed in a bag and hidden in the frunk of the Tesla. Police identify the person/victim as female, 5 foot 2, weighing 71 pounds, with wavy black hair, wearing a tube top and black leggings. Reports later state the remains are severely decomposed, partially dismembered and identified as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the child who was reported missing more than a year ago. Authorities report the Tesla is owned by singer/songwriter D4vd, who is reported to be living in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood near where the Tesla was abandoned. Follow Crime Stories with Nancy Grace for the latest updates in the Celeste Rivas Hernandez case and more crime cases of victims and loved ones seeking justice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 46-year-old Alaska cardiologist charged with possessing child sex abuse material was found dead inside his burned Wasilla home just one day after his release on bond, as investigators continue to determine how the fire and his death occurred. A Christmas Day drive through the Sierra nearly ends in disaster when an SUV spins out on icy Highway 50 and hangs over a steep drop, until an Air Force staff sergeant rushes in and helps save the trapped couple. A quick-thinking Long Island seventh grader escaped through a window and called 911 after realizing a burglar had broken into his home, leading police to arrest the suspect within minutes. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Fyfe leaves his Massachusetts security screening job to follow his dreams of becoming a cop. New Orleans catches Fyfe’s eye, actually circulating ‘help wanted’ posters amid a hiring slump. Fyfe begins as a patrol officer in Algiers and works his way up the Fourth District Task Force into property crimes. After time on the Violent Crime Abatement Investigation team, Fyfe finally gets a shot in the homicide division, just as NOLA sees a huge spike in violent crime. While many detectives only handle about five homicide cases a year, Fyfe is assigned to nearly 40 cases over three years because he keeps clearing them! Since 2022, Fyfe has closed 24 consecutive cases he is assigned to, with his co-workers keeping track on a white board they’ve dubbed the "Fyfe-o-meter." Fyfe’s work helps the homicide division bring its ‘clearance rate’ from 40% in 2022 to above 76%. As 2024 nears the end, Thanh Vu tends her supermarket, but three "customers" are seeking more than groceries. Thanh, 61, was held at gunpoint while thieves emptied the register and pocketed cigarettes. When Thanh fights back, she’s shot and left for dead. Joining Nancy Grace: James Fyfe - Homicide Detective, New Orleans Police Department, Criminal Law Degree from Northeastern University, and Master’s at Suffolk University; Increased Homicide Unit’s Clearance Rate from 40% to 75% from 2022-2024 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two teenagers in Florida have been indicted in the killing of 14-year-old Danika Troy of Pace, whose body was discovered earlier this month. Authorities say a reserve police officer and his wife are facing criminal charges after investigators concluded their biological and foster children were subjected to severe abuse. A man accused of fatally shooting his grandfather two years ago has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is expected to testify against his mother, whom prosecutors say orchestrated the killing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mother in St. Cloud, Florida, hires around-the-clock nursing care in her home to help care for her teenage daughter. The 18-year-old is developmentally disabled, non-verbal, quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, and has minimal vision. To cover the 24 / 7 schedule, nurses work 12-hour shifts, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. in their St. Cloud home. Checking on her disabled daughter Saturday morning, the mother notices red scratches around her daughter's mouth and eyelid; the scratches were not present the previous evening, and as a quadriplegic, it is impossible for her daughter to scratch herself in such a way, so she reviews surveillance camera footage from the previous night and calls the police immediately. The nurse during this time was Nia Ayers, a 24-year-old Licensed Practical Nurse who had cared for the girl on Friday night into Saturday morning for over a year. She has been licensed since 2021 and has not had a single disciplinary action or even a complaint in her nursing career. Joining Nancy Grace: Ben Powers - Criminal Defense Attorney, Facebook: Legal Powers PLLC, Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski - Forensic Psychologist, Author: “Darksides;" YouTube: "Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski, Forensic Psychologist" Chief Douglas Goerke - St. Cloud Police Department in Florida; stcloudfl.gov Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast, "Mayhem in the Morgue," and Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, "Crime Stories" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.