The Los Angeles County chief medical examiner has called for greater transparency in high-profile death investigations, arguing that unnecessary secrecy around autopsy reports undermines public trust and delays vital information for grieving families.
Dr. Odey Ukpo made the remarks after the autopsy report of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was released. The report included an unusual statement from him describing it as “unfathomable” that her parents had to wait months to learn how their daughter died.
The autopsy on the teenager, whose dismembered body was found in a Tesla in the Hollywood Hills, had been sealed by a court order during the investigation that resulted in murder charges against singer D4vd, who has pleaded not guilty.
Ukpo said his office must remain independent of police and prosecutors while making death information available to the public as quickly as possible.
His agency determined that Rivas Hernandez died from stab wounds. It has also handled several other prominent cases, including the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry and the killings of director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner.
Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, Ukpo said celebrity cases attract intense scrutiny and misinformation, making thorough forensic work even more important.
“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.
He questioned the value of sealing autopsy reports during criminal investigations, including in the killing of Rivas Hernandez.
“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.”
Court-ordered security holds continue to keep the Reiners’ autopsy reports sealed. Authorities said after their deaths that they had been stabbed by their son, who has pleaded not guilty. Ukpo said he would discuss the findings if permitted.
“The Reiners’ case is one that’s straightforward,” he said. “It’s unclear to me what sort of information we have that would ruin the case.”
He also challenged the argument that withholding autopsy reports protects investigations.
“People say: ‘Why would they get the information out there? Because then the case is just going to go awry.’ But awry? How? What information?” he said, adding: “The killer knows what they did.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department defended the practice, saying security holds are rarely requested and only used when necessary to protect sensitive investigative information that could help detectives verify witness statements or expose false confessions.
Ukpo became the county’s chief medical examiner in 2023, becoming the agency’s first Black leader since its establishment in 1850. His office investigates more than 12,000 sudden, unexpected and premature deaths each year.
He supported removing the word “coroner” from his official title, saying it wrongly suggested the office was part of law enforcement rather than an independent medical agency.
“‘Coroner’ just kind of confused our purpose and suggested that we were within a law enforcement agency,” Ukpo said. “It’s so important to establish our independence.”
Legal experts acknowledged the importance of independence but cautioned that medical examiners should also work effectively with investigators and prosecutors.
Dr. Michelle A. Jordan, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, backed Ukpo’s position, saying the organisation supports forensic pathologists providing transparent death investigations that are free from undue influence.
Ukpo said his approach is driven by public service and ensuring communities understand the circumstances surrounding deaths.
“What I’m trying to shift during my leadership here is to try to focus on community first,” he said. “Death doesn’t just happen for the family, for the individual. When a death happens, it reverberates.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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