D4vd is at the center of a disturbing investigation after the body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered inside his Tesla. The car, registered under the singer’s legal name David Burke, was towed to a Hollywood lot in early September. On September 8, workers noticed a foul smell and opened the trunk, where they found the teenager’s remains.
Speaking with People, LAPD Captain Scot M. Williams confirmed the details. “We know for sure that Celeste Rivas Hernandez died and someone placed her body in the front trunk area of David Burke’s Tesla,” he said. Williams noted that the vehicle had been parked in the same spot for weeks before it was removed, adding, “It is very likely Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been dead for several weeks prior to her body being discovered.” He also explained that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not determined a cause or manner of death, which means police cannot yet say “if anyone has any criminal culpability for her death beyond the concealment of her dead body.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Tesla was first flagged by parking enforcement on August 27th, when an officer marked the car in the Hollywood Hills. By September 3rd, the car was cited for staying past the 72-hour limit. Two days later, it was towed. Investigators have since executed a search warrant at a nearby residence but have not disclosed what was collected.
Legal experts stress that the autopsy findings will guide the next steps. “First, they need to figure out if it’s a homicide or not, and the autopsy report will help give them that. Then they have to figure out the who and the how in order to bring charges,” explained ABC News contributor Brian Buckmire.
Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore, had been reported missing multiple times earlier this year. Her family received her body last week and will hold a memorial service on Saturday.
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