The mystery deepened this week surrounding the case of a girl whose decomposing body was found in an abandoned Tesla registered to singer D4vd.
The discovery made national headlines earlier this month. On Wednesday, authorities identified the girl as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, an Inland Empire resident who was reported missing in April 2024.
Many things remain unclear, including why the Tesla was found on the street and impounded and how the girl came to be inside. The cause of death has not yet been released, but her death is considered a homicide.
It is also unclear what connection — if any — the singer had to the girl. Los Angeles Police Department investigators are examining photos as part of a wider investigation into Rivas’ whereabouts in the period before her death, according to two sources. Specifically, they are examining her ties to the singer. There are no persons of interest at this point because Rivas’ death has yet to be ruled a homicide.
Human remains were discovered in the trunk of a Tesla after workers at a Hollywood tow yard reported a foul stench coming from the car.
(KTLA-TV)
Police are investigating and say D4vd has been cooperating. Representatives for the 20-year-old singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, did not respond to requests for comment.
Two law enforcement sources told The Times that investigators are trying to determine Rivas’ movements before her body was found. They are looking into photos posted online and trying to determine if there is any connection between Rivas and D4vd, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Investigators served a warrant on a home in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday where the singer lived, the sources added.
According to police, the girl’s severely decomposed body was found in the vehicle at Hollywood Tow on Sept. 8 after it was impounded. Someone noticed a foul odor coming from the vehicle and detectives arrived at the tow yard to investigate.
Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation, but not authorized to discuss the case publicly, told The Times the vehicle was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills five days before it was impounded.
The neighborhood where the car was found.
(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
The car, with a Texas license plate, had been abandoned, and the remains were contained in a bag, according to a law enforcement source.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner determined the remains were of Rivas, who was reported missing April 5, 2024, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
The medical examiner said Rivas had a tattoo on her right index finger that said “Shhh…” and a woman who identified herself as the girl’s mother contacted the publication TMZ to say she believed the body was that of her daughter. Recent photos of Burke appear to show a “Shhh” tattoo on his right index finger.
Rivas was wearing a tube top and small black leggings when her body was found, according to the medical examiner’s office. She had wavy black hair, a metal stud earring and yellow metal chain bracelet.
“The decedent was found severely decomposed inside a vehicle,” reads a statement from the medical examiner’s office. “She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found.”
Gisel Vera, who identified herself as a relative of Celeste and co-founded a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her funeral, said the family had no immediate comment on the case.
The Los Angeles neighborhood where the Tesla was found, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
As questions around the case have swirled online, authorities have stressed that Burke, whose stage name is D4vd and is a Billboard-charting artist, is cooperating with investigators. Representatives for the musician did not respond to requests for comment even as the musician has canceled a recent concert on his national tour.
Burke was raised in Houston and has collaborated with musicians Kali Uchis, Stray Kids’ Hyunjin, Laufey and 21 Savage. He also created an anthem for the game “Fortnite.”
Burke has been on a national tour promoting his debut album, “Withered,” since early August. He performed in Boston, Montreal and Toronto in late August and in early September had stops in Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis. The U.S. leg of the tour is slated to end in Los Angeles in September. The national tour promoter Goldenvoice has not responded to requests for comment and the tour is set to resume in Europe in October.
The Withered world tour includes themes of death and remembrance. Fans entering Burke’s show are greeted by a casket and guest book, where they can pay condolences to a character Burke sometimes reprises in his performances and music videos. Part of that character’s uniform includes a shirt covered in bloody handprints and a blindfold.
“Withered” was released on Darkroom and Interscope Records in April. The album charted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and has more than 521 million streams on Spotify. On Sept. 7, in his last social media post, Burke announced on Instagram he was going to drop a deluxe version of the album. It was one of his last social media posts before Rivas’ body was discovered.
On Wednesday, Footwear News reported that two brands — Crocs and Hollister — were removing him from a new ad campaign.
“We are aware of this developing story. With respect to the current situation, we have removed campaign content featuring D4vd while the investigation continues,” the firms said in a statement to Footwear News.
