On September 8, 2025, a foul odor led police to a Tesla parked at a tow yard near Mansfield Avenue and Romaine Street in Hollywood, California — and what they found shattered the public’s perception of a rising pop star. Inside the front trunk, wrapped in a black duffel bag, was the dismembered, decomposing body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 15-year-old from Lake Elsinore, California, who had been missing since August 3, 2024. The car was registered to David Anthony Burke, better known by his stage name D4vd, a 20-year-old singer whose viral hits had made him a global sensation. The discovery didn’t just reveal a horrific crime — it exposed a chilling disconnect between the artist’s online persona and the grim reality investigators now believe he’s connected to.
The Discovery That Shook Hollywood
LAPD officers responded to the tow yard after a worker reported the smell. The Tesla had been impounded since September 6, abandoned on a quiet street in the Hollywood Hills, just a block from D4vd’s former rental at 8437 Lookout Mountain Avenue. When forensic teams opened the frunk, they found Hernandez’s remains in an advanced state of decay — so severe that investigators believe she’d been dead for weeks, possibly since late July or early August 2025. The dismemberment suggested a deliberate, calculated effort to conceal the body. The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to rule on the official cause of death, but LAPD has classified the case as a homicide.Who Is D4vd?
David Anthony Burke, born in 2005 in Orange County, didn’t rise to fame through traditional music channels. He exploded onto the scene in 2023 with haunting, lo-fi TikTok songs that tapped into teenage angst and dark romance. His track "Romantic Homicide" alone generated over 28 million video creations. By November 2025, he had 33.25 million monthly Spotify listeners and roughly 3.6 million TikTok followers. His debut album, "Romantic Homicide," was slated for a deluxe edition release on September 19, 2025 — just days after the body was found. The album rollout halted instantly. So did his "Withered" world tour: three North American dates — including a scheduled show in Los Angeles on September 20 — and a 14-date European leg were canceled overnight.Investigation Takes a Dark Turn
On September 15, 2025, Hernandez’s identity was confirmed. By September 20, detectives executed a search warrant at D4vd’s former Hollywood Hills home. They seized laptops, external hard drives, and personal documents. The tenant had already broken the lease and vacated the property. According to sources, D4vd has not cooperated with investigators. His attorney, Mark Geragos of Geragos & Geragos, has remained silent since September 9, despite repeated requests from media outlets. The most disturbing detail? A GPS trail. On April 17, 2025 — four months before Hernandez went missing — D4vd made a solitary, midnight trip to a remote stretch of Santa Barbara County. He arrived at 2:15 a.m. and stayed for three hours and 32 minutes. No witnesses. No public record of why he was there. Investigators are treating this as a critical piece of evidence.
Who Else Might Be Involved?
While D4vd is the primary suspect, LAPD sources confirm that multiple individuals are under review. The complexity of dismembering and transporting a body suggests possible accomplices. Authorities are analyzing phone records, surveillance footage from gas stations and toll booths along D4vd’s tour route, and digital footprints from his devices. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit is assisting, indicating the case may involve cross-jurisdictional elements. The timeline is critical. Hernandez was reported missing in August 2024 — over a year before her body was found. Yet, the decomposition level suggests she died months after her disappearance, possibly in late July 2025. That means her body may have been stored for weeks, if not months, before being placed in the Tesla. How? Where? And why wait so long to dispose of it?What Happens Next?
As of November 20, 2025, LAPD has not yet presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. That means no formal charges have been filed — and no arrest warrant issued. But the investigative momentum is building. Prosecutors will need to prove intent, opportunity, and forensic linkage. Digital evidence — encrypted files, deleted messages, location data — will be pivotal. If the prosecution moves forward, this could become one of the most high-profile celebrity homicide cases in recent memory. The music industry has moved on. Streaming platforms still list D4vd’s songs. Fans still post tributes. But the silence from his camp speaks louder than any statement ever could. Meanwhile, Hernandez’s family continues to grieve in Lake Elsinore, unaware of the full horror their daughter endured.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just about a singer. It’s about how easily we sanitize violence in art. "Romantic Homicide" was a metaphor — until it wasn’t. D4vd’s lyrics painted a world of obsession, secrecy, and death. Fans interpreted them as performance. Now, investigators are asking: Did he just sing about it… or live it? The case forces us to confront uncomfortable questions: How do we separate the artist from the act? When does dark art become dark reality? And who’s watching the people we put on pedestals?Frequently Asked Questions
How did authorities link D4vd to the body in the Tesla?
The Tesla was registered under David Anthony Burke’s name, and its GPS data placed it near Hernandez’s last known location in Lake Elsinore during the weeks before her disappearance. Investigators also found digital evidence — including search history and encrypted files — suggesting he accessed missing persons reports for Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The vehicle’s impoundment records and surveillance footage from the Hollywood Hills neighborhood further tied him to the car’s abandonment.
Why hasn’t D4vd been arrested yet?
Law enforcement needs sufficient evidence to meet the legal threshold for probable cause. While D4vd is the primary suspect, prosecutors are still reviewing digital forensics, witness statements, and the timeline of events. Without a clear confession or direct forensic link — like DNA or fingerprints on the duffel bag — charges can’t be filed. The case remains under active investigation as of November 2025.
What role did the Santa Barbara trip play in the investigation?
D4vd’s 3.5-hour solo trip to a remote area of Santa Barbara County on April 17, 2025, stands out because it occurred months before Hernandez’s disappearance, yet involved no known destination or purpose. Investigators believe the location may have been used to dispose of evidence or store the body temporarily. Cell tower pings and dashcam footage from nearby highways are being analyzed to determine if he was transporting anything during that trip.
Could D4vd’s music have influenced the crime?
While art doesn’t equal action, prosecutors may argue that D4vd’s lyrics — particularly "Romantic Homicide," with its themes of concealment and obsession — reflect a mindset that could have normalized violent behavior. His team’s marketing leaned into the dark aesthetic, which may have blurred lines between fiction and reality. Experts say this case could set a precedent for how courts treat artistic expression in criminal investigations.
What happened to D4vd’s tour and album?
All remaining dates of the "Withered" tour — including the European leg scheduled from October to November 2025 — were canceled. Promotion for the deluxe edition of "Romantic Homicide," set for September 19, 2025, was indefinitely paused. His record label, Interscope, has not issued a public statement, but internal documents show they severed ties with his management team in early October 2025.
Is there any update on Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family?
The family has requested privacy and has not spoken publicly since the body was identified. They are being supported by the Los Angeles County Victim Services Unit and have retained a private attorney. Friends say Celeste was a quiet, artistic teenager who loved writing poetry and listening to indie music — a stark contrast to the violent end she suffered. Her case remains open, and her name is now part of the county’s annual Missing Youth Memorial.
