When the stench from an abandoned black Tesla finally drew police to a Hollywood tow yard on September 8, 2025, no one expected to find the dismembered body of a 15-year-old girl tucked inside the front trunk. But that’s exactly what they found — Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a teenager who had vanished nearly 17 months earlier from her home in Lake Elsinore, California. Now, the spotlight has turned to her car’s owner: rising R&B star D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, whose viral hits and 33 million monthly Spotify listeners have made him one of TikTok’s biggest breakout stars. LAPD is treating her death as a homicide, and sources confirm D4vd is now the primary suspect — though no arrest has been made.
The Discovery That Shook Hollywood
It started with a complaint. A tow yard employee near Mansfield Avenue and Romaine Street noticed the odor. The Tesla, parked for two days after being abandoned on a Hollywood street, had been flagged for impound. When officers opened the front trunk — not the main rear compartment, but the smaller, often overlooked front storage area — they found a plastic bag. Inside: human remains, badly decomposed and dismembered. The victim was identified through dental records as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose disappearance in April 2024 had been logged as a runaway case. The timeline doesn’t add up. If she ran away in 2024, why was her body found in a car registered to a 20-year-old musician in 2025? The answer, investigators believe, is murder.
Who Is D4vd?
David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, exploded onto the music scene in 2023 with a moody, bedroom-pop sound that resonated with Gen Z. His songs “Here with Me” and “Romantic Homicide” — the latter’s title now chillingly ironic — racked up hundreds of millions of streams. By early 2025, he had released his debut album, sold out venues, and built a fanbase larger than most artists twice his age. But behind the filters and the fame, LAPD says there’s a darker story. The Tesla was registered in his name. His tour itinerary placed him in Los Angeles just weeks before the body was found. And according to multiple sources, he canceled his entire tour — including a scheduled September 20, 2025, show at the Greek Theatre — without explanation. No press release. No fan apology. Just silence.
Investigation Deepens: Suspicious Moves and Silence
What makes this case so troubling isn’t just the brutality — it’s the pattern of behavior since the discovery. Sources tell ABC News that D4vd has refused to speak with investigators, despite public statements from his PR team claiming he’s “fully cooperating.” That contradiction is raising red flags. Investigators also say he made a mysterious late-night trip to a remote area of Santa Barbara County in spring 2025, staying for several hours with no known purpose. No witnesses. No receipts. No explanation. Meanwhile, court records show he transferred ownership of a Texas property last month — a move that could suggest asset protection, though no charges have been filed to justify such speculation.
The Victim: More Than a Name
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 15. She liked anime, wrote poetry, and had dreams of becoming a graphic designer. Her family reported her missing after she didn’t come home from school in April 2024. They searched for months. Social media posts went viral. Community rallies were held. But as time passed, the case faded — until the Tesla was towed. Now, her name is back in headlines, not as a runaway, but as a victim of what police believe was a calculated, violent crime. Her body’s condition makes the exact cause of death hard to determine, but forensic experts say signs of blunt force trauma and ligature marks were visible before decomposition obscured them. A formal homicide ruling is expected within weeks, which could unlock the ability to file charges.
Why This Case Matters
This isn’t just about a celebrity scandal. It’s about how quickly society forgets missing teens — especially girls of color — and how fame can shield the powerful from scrutiny. Celeste’s case went cold for over a year. D4vd’s fame, meanwhile, skyrocketed. The disconnect is jarring. Experts say cases like this expose systemic failures: under-resourced missing persons units, the normalization of celebrity privilege, and the dangerous allure of online personas that mask real-world harm. The fact that the body was hidden in a car’s front trunk — not the trunk, but the smaller, less obvious space — suggests deliberate effort to evade detection. This wasn’t a crime of passion. It was planned.
What Happens Next?
LAPD has assembled a special task force to handle the case. They’re reviewing surveillance footage from the tow yard, the Tesla’s GPS history, D4vd’s phone records, and any digital footprints from his social media accounts during the months before Celeste’s disappearance. They’re also interviewing friends, former partners, and crew members from his tour. If the homicide ruling is confirmed, prosecutors could move quickly — especially if they find evidence of transportation across county lines or financial transactions tied to the crime. Meanwhile, Celeste’s family has hired a private investigator and is urging anyone with information to come forward. “She wasn’t a hashtag,” her mother said in a recent statement. “She was our daughter. And we won’t stop until justice is done.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why wasn’t Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s disappearance investigated more thoroughly when she first went missing?
When Celeste was reported missing in April 2024, authorities classified her as a runaway due to her age and lack of immediate signs of foul play. Many missing teens — particularly those from low-income or minority backgrounds — are initially deprioritized. LAPD’s missing persons unit was overwhelmed, and without evidence of abduction or a struggle, the case was filed but not actively pursued until her body was discovered nearly 17 months later.
What evidence links D4vd to the crime?
The Tesla was registered solely in D4vd’s name, and its GPS logs show it was parked near Celeste’s neighborhood in Lake Elsinore on multiple occasions in early 2025. Investigators are also analyzing his phone’s location data during the time she went missing, as well as his mysterious trip to Santa Barbara County. Cell tower pings place him within 10 miles of the tow yard the day before the body was discovered. No DNA or fingerprints have been publicly confirmed, but forensic teams are still processing the vehicle’s interior.
Is it common for celebrities to avoid cooperating with police investigations?
It’s not uncommon for high-profile individuals to rely on legal counsel to limit direct interaction with investigators, but outright refusal — especially when publicly claiming cooperation — is unusual and raises suspicion. In past cases, like those involving R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein, non-cooperation often preceded formal charges. Legal experts say silence can be used against a suspect in court, especially if evidence suggests they had something to hide.
What role did social media play in this case?
D4vd’s music and online persona — which romanticize themes of death and isolation — have drawn criticism from mental health advocates. While his lyrics aren’t evidence of a crime, investigators are examining whether his content influenced his behavior or if fans’ online reactions created a culture of desensitization. Celeste’s own TikTok account, which she posted on until March 2024, contained posts about feeling trapped. Those posts are now being reviewed as potential context.
Could D4vd be charged even if no physical evidence directly ties him to the body?
Yes. Prosecutors can build a case using circumstantial evidence — like ownership of the vehicle, suspicious behavior, failure to cooperate, and timeline inconsistencies. In the 2019 case of the disappearance of Mollie Tibbetts, the suspect was convicted without the body ever being found. Here, the dismemberment and concealment suggest intent to evade detection, which can support charges of murder even without a definitive cause of death.
What’s being done to prevent similar cases in the future?
California lawmakers are drafting a bill to require enhanced protocols for missing teen cases involving social media influencers or individuals with public profiles. Advocacy groups are also pushing for better training for police on digital forensics and the risks of glamorizing violence in pop culture. Celeste’s family has launched a nonprofit, “Find Her Voice,” focused on missing youth and digital safety education.
