Singer D4vd arrested in teen’s Tesla death investigation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles police arrested singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, on a probable-cause warrant in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he is being held without bail while prosecutors decide whether to file charges. The move marked the sharpest turn yet in a case that had already grown into a grand jury investigation and drawn intense attention because Burke’s fame kept the spotlight fixed on every new development.

Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered on Sept. 8, 2025, inside the front trunk of a Tesla that had been impounded at Hollywood Tow after officers responded to a foul odor coming from the vehicle. The car had been abandoned on a Hollywood street and sat at the tow yard for two days before the discovery. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the remains as Celeste Rivas Hernandez and said the cause of death was deferred.

Authorities have not publicly filed a criminal complaint or indictment. ABC News reported that the arrest was based on evidence and probable cause, not a grand jury indictment, and LAPD said the case will go to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, April 20, for filing consideration. Earlier court filings confirmed Burke was the target of a grand jury investigation, and they said he may have been involved in the death of the teen. Those filings also described the case as involving possible foul play.

The missing-person trail stretches back to Lake Elsinore, where KTLA reported that Rivas Hernandez was last seen on April 5, 2024, when she was 13 years old, wearing gray pants, a black sweater, Hello Kitty sandals and a hat. That gap, more than a year between the disappearance and the arrest, has made the case especially grim for investigators, who had already been examining it for months before Burke was taken into custody. The arrest now pushes the investigation out of the suspicion phase and into the hands of prosecutors, where the next decision could determine whether the case becomes a formal murder filing.