Singer D4vd detained in death of missing California teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Los Angeles police detained singer D4vd on suspicion of murder after linking him to the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the California teen whose decomposed remains were found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to his legal name, David Anthony Burke. He was being held without bail as investigators prepared to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday for filing consideration.

The arrest closed a months-long investigation that began on Sept. 8, 2025, when officers were called to a Hollywood tow lot because of a foul odor coming from the vehicle. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said the remains were severely decomposed, and the cause and manner of death had not been made public before the arrest. NBC News reported that law enforcement sources said the remains were not intact and that the medical examiner believed she had likely been dead in the car for an extended period.

Rivas had last been seen on April 5, 2024, in Lake Elsinore, California, and had been reported missing from the area that year. FOX 11 reported that law enforcement sources said she was found dead just days before what would have been her 15th birthday, while Forbes reported that her body was discovered one day after that birthday would have passed. Her death has centered the victim in a case that unfolded under intense public scrutiny because the remains were found in a celebrity’s car and the investigation stretched for months before any arrest.

Court filings earlier this year identified Burke as the subject of a grand jury investigation in Rivas’ death. ABC News reported that Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman described Burke as the target of the secret grand jury probe and said the victim may have been the victim of foul play. Police also searched a Hollywood Hills home connected to the investigation in September 2025 and recovered items for analysis.

Burke had said he was fully cooperating with authorities when the case first became public, and later canceled the rest of his U.S. tour. His attorneys said they would fight the case, with one lawyer stating, “the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez.” Rivas’ family has said it is struggling to cope with her death, while prosecutors now weigh whether to file charges in a case that has drawn national attention and renewed focus on how a high-profile suspect can distort a homicide investigation before the facts are settled.