A California teenager who once dated Celeste Rivas back in middle school is speaking out ... saying she had a troubled home life before running away -- and her mom treated her badly.
00:04Uh, through a friend. Tell me how that whole relationship started.
00:09Uh, she was, I guess she liked me or she was looking for someone.
00:14And yeah, she just, we started talking.
00:18And what school was this in?
00:20Uh, Lakeland Village.
00:22Was she sweet? Was she kind? Was she bubbly?
00:24What do you remember about her?
00:26She was really kind and she said she wanted something serious.
00:29And how old were you when you met her?
00:31Uh, 13 or 14.
00:34So, at what point did you feel or did you hear from Celeste that there were problems at home?
00:41She said how her mom didn't treat her well or whatever and she didn't like where she was at.
00:47Did she talk at all about her relationship with her parents?
00:51Uh, kinda. She just said they were mean or whatever. She didn't like them.
00:57And then, you guys broke up and the next thing you know, you find out that she's involved with this internet sensation, David.
01:05Yeah, I didn't think it was gonna happen. Like, at all. Cause like, she was always like, so happy and stuff.
01:12What is your last memory that you have of Celeste?
01:16Uh, we were at PE and she told me, my friend, that she was running away.
01:22And, she said it was cause of her parents. And, she was like, joking about it. And, she was like, happy. Like, joking like she always was.
01:32And like, it didn't seem real. Cause like, she was like, playing around, joking about it.
01:37And, the next day, she wasn't at school. And like, that's the last time I saw her.
01:43Did it break your heart that you were not gonna be with her? Or, did you feel upset about losing the relationship?
01:49Uh, not really. It was kinda clear that we're like, better as friends. But, um, it was kinda sad that I wasn't able to like, say goodbye.
01:58But, like, see how she was doing. Like, when she ran away.
02:01What was your reaction when you saw the breaking news that they had found your ex-girlfriend's body in the trunk of his car?
02:10Uh, my heart dropped. I was like, I don't know. I just couldn't believe it. I thought, I mean, I kinda had a feeling when I saw, like, the first thing.
02:24I was like, what if it is her? But, I just, like, brushed it off. But, when I saw it really was her, I was like, damn, I really knew.
02:33So, let me just make sure I'm understanding this correctly. You had seen the news out of Los Angeles that a body was found in his car.
02:39Yeah.
02:40And, you immediately had a sinister thought about Celeste?
02:44Yeah, cause one of my friends told me.
02:47Were you at home with your mom when they identified Celeste and you saw it all over the news? Can you remember that moment for us?
02:54Uh, yeah. I was on the way to school. And then, like, she just, like, showed me. And, like, I took a picture of it and I sent it to one of my friends.
03:00And he's like, yeah, I saw it too. It's crazy. And I just couldn't believe it.
03:04So, this has been the talk at the school?
03:07Yeah.
03:08Just the fact that it was someone that my son was so close to at one time and how everything happened, it's kind of scary. It's really close to home.
03:19And if it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone. And everyone just needs to be very careful on social media.
03:25What about you? What do you think about at night when this kind of flashes through your mind?
03:32I just think, like, if someone actually, like, did something, like, when she said she was going to run away.
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