New, gripping details have surfaced amid the ongoing investigation into the tragic death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Following the harrowing discovery of the 15-year-old's body on September 8, nestled in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to singer D4vd, detectives took swift action. They executed a search warrant at the Hollywood Hills property, situated near where the vehicle was located before it was towed to a Hollywood impound lot, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Law enforcement sources, privy to the case's inner workings but bound by confidentiality, revealed to the outlet that investigators unearthed a variety of items from the Sunset Blvd. residence, including electronics and computers. D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is not the owner of the property but had reportedly been residing at the rental home prior to embarking on his Withered World Tour at the dawn of summer, according to previous statements from law enforcement sources to ABC News.
Authorities are meticulously piecing together the enigmatic connection between Rivas Hernandez and D4vd. The Times noted that the case falls under the purview of robbery-homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department. As of now, the LAPD has refrained from naming any person of interest or suspect in the case.
A spokesperson for D4vd informed NBC News on September 17 that the 20-year-old artist is "fully cooperating with the authorities." The "Romantic Homicide" singer has also canceled the remaining dates of his tour, with no upcoming concerts currently listed on his website.
Rivas Hernandez's body was initially discovered at the Hollywood impound lot after police were summoned due to a "foul odor emanating from a vehicle." The body was subsequently identified as the missing teen, who had been reported absent since April 5, 2024, from Lake Elsinore, Calif., a city roughly 70 miles from Los Angeles. She was just 13 years old at the time of her disappearance.
Her cause of death remains undetermined, with records from the Medical Examiner’s Office viewed by E! News on September 17 listing the date of her death as September 8—the very day her body was found. However, officials observed that her body appeared to have been in the car for a considerable period before its discovery and was "severely decomposed."
According to the LA Times, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing at least three times in 2024. Her body was released to her grieving family on September 23, as confirmed by the Los Angeles County Coroner to TMZ.
