Singer D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in an abandoned car he owned.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s decomposed body was found seven months ago in the trunk of a Tesla that he owned. The car had been parked in the Hollywood Hills and towed on Sept. 5 after a report of abandonment, The New York Times reported. Three days later, on Sept. 8, the day after her 15th birthday, her body was found after reports of an odor at the impound.
She was reported missing as a 13-year-old seventh grader in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, The Associated Press reported.
Officials believe she was killed last spring at the age of 14, but she was last seen alive on April 5, 2024, KNBC reported.
The 2023 Model Y was registered in D4vd’s name at an address in Texas where his family members lived. Investigators searched the vehicle as it sat in a tow yard. They found Rivas Hernandez’s remains in a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay.”
“Detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso,” according to court documents.
When they removed the bag from the car, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office found her arms and legs had been cut from her body. A second bag was found in the vehicle containing the body parts. A cause of death has not been released.
D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, was on tour when Rivas Hernandez’s body was found. Eventually, his final U.S. shows were canceled, as was the European tour.
This is the first time the singer has been officially named as a suspect, but he had been under investigation by a grand jury. The actual proceedings were secret, but it was known that he was the focus after his parents and brother filed objections to the grand jury’s subpoenas.
D4vd is being held in jail without bail.
Police did not specify what led them to the singer, the Times reported.
His attorneys released a statement which read, “Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.”
They added, “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Police plan to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, where the Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine if there’s enough evidence to file charges.
D4vd gained fame after his music went viral on TikTok, where he has 3.8 million followers. He eventually signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, KNBC reported.
He released his first album, “Withered,” in April 2025.
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