Scandals

Gruesome photos of Celeste Rivas' dismembered and decomposing remains were shown during D4vd's preliminary hearing ... but testimony about the unimaginable smell was just as powerful.

Dr. Grant Ho of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner told the judge the odor emanating from the teen's remains was so overwhelming they could actually be smelled down the hall before being brought into the examination room for the autopsy.

The horrifying detail is compelling because it was the smell of her decomposing remains that resulted in the case being opened in the first place ... the odor leading to the grisly discovery last September inside a Hollywood tow yard.

Prosecutors laid out the evidence they've gathered so far in their murder case against D4vd, but they also revealed a lengthy list of items investigators still haven't recovered ... including the alleged murder weapon and a couple of Celeste Rivas' allegedly severed fingers.

According to prosecutors, Celeste's left ring finger -- which was allegedly tattooed with D4vd's name -- and her pinky finger are unaccounted for. They say D4vd murdered Celeste with a sharp object, but they don't have the object and don't even know exactly what was allegedly used.

They say D4vd was in possession of those two fingers at some point ... ditto for a shovel, a blue Makita 10-inch chainsaw and a fire mat -- key evidence they say is MIA.

Additionally, both Celeste's and D4vd's cell phones, Celeste's purse, and security footage from his Hollywood Hills home recorded between 10:10 PM and 10:31 PM on April 23, 2025 -- the period when prosecutors allege D4vd murdered Celeste -- are still not available to investigators.

Savannah Guthrie's plea Monday to her mother's kidnappers contained a very intriguing phrase -- "We have done our part" -- and now we know what she meant.

Our FBI sources tell us, they knew in advance Savannah was going to post another plea to the kidnappers. Our sources say it was an issue of timing -- this week marks 6 months since Nancy's kidnapping, and, as one FBI source tells us, "Anniversaries are the time to go back to the public and reignite interest [in a case]."

As for what Savannah meant by "We have done our part," we have checked the Bitcoin address from the first ransom note and no money has been recently deposited (The FBI deposited several hundred dollars months ago in an attempt to trace the account, to no avail). Our FBI sources say they continue to work with the Guthrie family and they have not sent the kidnappers money.

Angela Diaz from Netflix's "A Toxic Love Story" has seemingly turned a new leaf since she framed Michelle Hadley for cyberstalking ... we've learned she now works at an abortion support organization.

Angela -- who now uses her maiden name Connell -- goes by Angi C. and is the Director of Peer Counseling Services for Exhale Pro-Voice, an organization that provides support services for people who have had abortions.

Her bio even mentions she'd spent time in prison before pursing a Master's degree in psychology and justice studies and "deepening her commitment to transformative justice."

Gov. Gavin Newsom's former lover is pulling back the curtain on their affair ... revealing the lengths she went to get him alone -- and the advice Kamala Harris gave her when the scandal exploded.

Ruby Rippey writes in a new Vanity Fair essay that professional boundaries with Newsom began crumbling while she worked as his secretary during his time as San Francisco mayor.

Rippey says she would scan Newsom's calendar for openings, show up wherever he was expected to be and make sure he spotted her before slipping away. She says her phone would soon light up with a text asking, "Where are you?"

There's new video evidence Nolan Wells was not aboard his friends' boat when it was being towed from Horn Island ... which backs up what two witnesses told law enforcement -- Nolan was still on the island after the boat headed home.

Never-before-seen video and photos appear to show Nolan's friends on the boat, preparing to be towed back to the mainland without him ... there are seven people on board, and Nolan is NOT seen in the footage, which was obtained by "The Officer Tatum Show."

The footage seemingly confirms what we first reported ... sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told us authorities have evidence of Nolan being on Horn Island after the boat departed on the Fourth of July.

Mama June's daughter Jessica Shannon is officially pulling the plug on her marriage after her estranged wife admitted to cheating.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Jessica beelined it to court July 24 and filed for divorce from Shyann McCant. She listed June 1 as their date of separation and said the marriage is "irretrievably broken."

The former couple married in September 2025 and later filmed another ceremony for WE tv’s "Mama June: Family Crisis."

The United Cajun Navy is pushing back against the ongoing debate over claims about Nolan Wells' clothing when he was found, saying the focus on the phrase "fully clothed" is taking attention away from the facts.

In a statement posted online, the United Cajun Navy said Wells was wearing only swim trunks when he was discovered and denied ever telling attorney Ben Crump or Wells' family that he was found "fully clothed."

"Did Attorney Crump lie about UCN? Yes," the organization wrote, claiming it never spoke with Crump and never provided information that Wells was found fully clothed.

Nolan Wells' friends say he hung back on Horn Island with a girl when they left in their boat ... but the girl is apparently telling a different story.

19-year-old Katie McCormack spent time with Nolan on the island before his disappearance and death, according to the Daily Mail ... and Nolan's friend, Warren Hudson, says their group was frantically rushing off the island as their vessel took on water ... claiming Nolan refused to leave Katie and join them on their journey back to the Mississippi mainland.

Thing is ... Katie's sister, Gracie, told the Daily Mail ... "Katie had a conversation and assumed that Nolan was getting ready to get on the boat he came out on."

Katie's sister added ... "Katie assumed the 'friends' telling him to get on the boat wouldn't have left him."

Nolan Wells repeatedly refused to leave Horn Island on his buddy's boat ... at least according to his best friend.

Warren Hudson went on "The Officer Tatum Show," where he told Brandon Tatum that Nolan was repeatedly asked to get on their boat before they took off.

The way Warren tells it, it's not uncommon to go to Horn Island on one boat and come back to the mainland on a completely different one.

The parents of Nolan Wells’ friend allowed their boat to be searched by police amid the investigation into the teenager’s death ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources report detailing the search, which was launched after Nolan's mom reported him missing on July 4.

As you know, Nolan and his friends went out to Horn Island, but he never returned home. His body was found on July 6 near the last spot he was seen. His pals told cops Nolan told them he was staying on the island to hang out with a girl … but the girl told police Nolan said he was headed back with his friends.

4:02 PM PT -- The other woman who Jelicia says lied is firing back. She wrote on social media, "You can't threaten me with a lawyer because you're the one who dragged me into this. I wanted nothing to do with it. You mentioned my name -- otherwise, I would have kept my mouth shut. You know you're screwed, that's why you're scared."

Soccer star Maduka Okoye's baby mama, Jelicia Westhoff, is preparing to take legal action over what she claims are fake DMs circulating online ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to Jelicia tells TMZ ... she's met with lawyers after a woman posted screenshots purporting to show an Instagram direct message conversation between them.

The alleged messages appear to show Jelicia denying Maduka ever abused her ... a sharp contrast to what she previously posted on social media, where she accused Maduka of cheating and abuse.

Cardi B is tired of the rumors surrounding her dating life ... and it sounds like she's already over the stories going around about her new man Maduka Okoye and his baby mama Jelicia Westhoff.

In audio obtained by The Neighborhoood Talk, the rapper lamented that speculation spreads anytime she's out with someone.

You can hear her say ... "Y'all see what happens as soon as I sneeze on somebody?"

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources says it mistakenly released records tied to Nolan Wells' death investigation ... and now prosecutors are telling the agency to keep the rest under wraps.

In a letter responding to a TMZ public records request, the MDMR acknowledged it had "inadvertently released records" related to Nolan's case. The agency did not identify which records were disclosed or to whom they were released.

The MDMR says it was later notified by Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath that Nolan's death remains under investigation and will be presented to a grand jury.

This new video from the day Nolan Wells went missing might reveal the first clues about who he was with during the last hours of the Horn Island 4th of July party.

TMZ obtained the video recorded that fateful day ... as the camera pans around to show multiple boats and tons of people partying, you can see a Black man standing on the back deck of a boat, apparently bending over to get a drink.

Check the video ... the man is wearing trunks matching the color of the ones Nolan was wearing in the infamous July 4 pic with his friends on a boat.

Former NFL linebacker Thomas Davis's ex-wife cut a deal in her assault case ... avoiding a criminal trial over an alleged attack on a woman she believed had hooked up with the athlete.

Kelly Davis entered a pretrial diversion program Monday and agreed to complete a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention course, stay away from alleged victim Laura Watterson, and pay $1,380 in restitution, according to North Carolina court records obtained by the California Post.

Kelly's attorney, James J. Exum, told the outlet the charge will be dismissed if she completes every condition of the program ... calling it a "very fair resolution" for someone with no criminal history.