The severely decomposing body discovered at a Los Angeles impound lot inside a Tesla, which was found to be registered to up-and-coming singer D4vd, has been identified as a missing Inland Empire teen whose death may soon launch a homicide investigation.
Celeste Rivas, 15, had been missing for nearly 18 months before her body was discovered at Hollywood Tow on Sept. 8. Rivas was identified after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner shared that the girl had a right index finger tattoo that reads “Shhh…” Her mother understood this to be her daughter and contacted the news outlet TMZ, the L.A. Times reported this week. Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.
“The deceased was found severely decomposed inside a vehicle,” a statement from the medical examiner’s office reads. “She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found.”
The tragic case quickly gained further attention when the owner of the Tesla, where Rivas’ dismembered remains were found inside a bag in the car’s front trunk, was discovered.
D4vd, a 20-year-old TikTok and SoundCloud breakthrough in 2022, had a quick career takeoff and found himself opening for SZA and performing at Coachella before his first album dropped. D4vd now has 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify and a deal with Darkroom/Interscope. His debut album, Withered, released in April, has the distinction of its vocals mostly recorded on an iPhone in his sister’s closet, as he told The Hollywood Reporter in May.
Born David Burke in Queens, New York, and raised Christian and on gospel and classical music by a mother who wanted him to be a genius, as he has said in interviews. His family moved to Houston while he was young and he spent his formative years there, but his career brought him to Los Angeles, where he is staying in the Hollywood Hills, but has yet to purchase a home. The abandoned car where Rivas’ remains were found after a foul odor coming from within led to a call to homicide detectives, has a Texas license plate.
D4vd’s tour date in Seattle on Wednesday night was canceled amid the news surrounding the case, and on Friday, as seen on the ticketing website AXS, his gigs scheduled in San Francisco at the Filmore tonight and in Los Angeles at the Greek Theatre on Saturday have been canceled.
Burke was out on his Withered World Tour and promoting his debut LP at the time the vehicle was discovered and according to a source who spoke with NBC News L.A., is cooperating with investigators looking at his possible ties to Rivas. Detectives are currently reviewing photos of Rivas from 2024 to determine why she may have been in the area and any possible connection to Burke. No person of interest has been announced in the investigation. Meanwhile, authorities are waiting on word from the Medical Examiner to either move forward with this as a homicide case or pursue other avenues in their probe. As of now, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is leading the death investigation.
The Tesla where Rivas remains were discovered is one of several vehicles owned by the singer; many people may have been using the vehicles at a given time, a senior LAPD source told ABC News this week.
Messages sent by The Hollywood Reporter to Universal Music Group seeking comment from the singer’s representative and attorney were not immediately returned on Friday afternoon. This story will be updated once the singer’s reps are reached.
