In a case that has sent shockwaves through the music industry, authorities have identified the body of a dead teen girl found in a car registered to singer D4vd. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains found in the impounded Tesla belong to 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, a girl who had been missing from Lake Elsinore, California, since April 2024. The grim discovery was made on September 8 after workers at a Hollywood tow yard reported a foul odor emanating from the abandoned vehicle.
The vehicle in question is reportedly registered to David Anthony Burke, the 20-year-old artist known as D4vd. The car, which had been abandoned on a Los Angeles street for several days before being towed, became the focus of a police investigation following the discovery of the decomposing body. Officials found the remains, which were wrapped in plastic, in the car’s trunk. The identity of the deceased was confirmed through forensic examination, though a cause of death has yet to be determined and remains “deferred” pending further investigation. The Los Angeles Police Department is treating the case as a homicide.
In a related development, law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News that a Hollywood Hills home where D4vd had been staying was searched overnight. While the singer does not own the residence, the search warrant was executed as part of the ongoing investigation. Authorities reportedly seized a computer and other items from the property.
The investigation has also brought to light some eerie coincidences. Rivas’ mother told TMZ that her daughter had a boyfriend named David and also had a tattoo on her right index finger that read “Shhh…” D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has an identical tattoo. “When they said it was her, I knew,” her mother stated, acknowledging the unsettling similarities. Despite this, authorities have not named D4vd as a suspect or person of interest, and a representative for the artist has stated that he is “fully cooperating with authorities.”
The fallout from the incident has been swift, with multiple brands, including Crocs and Hollister, dropping their campaigns with the artist. D4vd, who rose to fame on TikTok and has millions of monthly listeners, was in the midst of his world tour when the discovery was made. Subsequently, he has canceled at least one scheduled performance. As the investigation progresses, questions linger about the circumstances of Rivas’ death and how her body ended up in a car registered to the popular singer.
