In April 2026, d4vd was charged with murder in connection with 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found in his car in September 2025
Celeste Rivas Hernandez would have turned 15 just one day after she was tragically found dead in singer d4vd’s car in September 2025.
Rivas’ body was discovered after the “Romantic Homicide” singer’s Tesla was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and later taken to an impound lot, where authorities were alerted because of a foul odor, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Shortly after her body was found, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified her as Rivas with her date of death listed as Sept. 8. In November, d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was identified as a suspect, a police source previously confirmed to PEOPLE. Prior to that, his rep said he was “fully cooperating” with the investigation.
D4vd was officially arrested in connection with Rivas’ death on April 16, 2026. The Los Angeles Police Department announced on X that the singer was “being held without bail.” He was later charged with murder and he pleaded not guilty. At the time of Rivas’ killing, d4vd was allegedly under investigation for sexually abusing her.
Here’s everything to know about Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl whose body was found in D4vd’s car.
She was a 14-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, Calif.
Rivas was from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, Calif., which is located around 80 miles southeast of where her body was found in the Hollywood Hills.
Rivas’ remains were discovered on Sept. 8, a day after her birthday, according to Fox 11. Shortly after she was identified, her family launched a GoFundMe titled, “Help Lay Celeste Rivas Hernandez to Rest,” on Sept. 17.
“She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend,” her family wrote. “Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.”
Rivas’ neighbors have also been mourning her death. The owner of a corner store that she frequently visited told the Los Angeles Times, “Everybody in the community is sad, not just the children. You can see it with anyone that comes here.”
Rivas was reported missing in April 2024
In the year before Rivas was found, she had been reported missing at least three times, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told the Los Angeles Times. The outlet reported that she ran away from home for the first time on Valentine’s Day 2024 and returned a few days later.
Rivas’ family reported her missing for a second time on March 19, 2024, but she returned. Then again, when Rivas was 13 years old and in seventh grade, she was reported missing for a final time on April 5, 2024.
From then on, her family reportedly had several meetings with police, scoured neighborhood surveillance footage and begged neighbors and friends for help. She reportedly called home in May 2024, but her family had not heard from her since, according to ABC7.
Some residents in Lake Elsinore reported that they had seen her in the area after she had been reported missing, while others alleged that Rivas had run away from home before. Her whereabouts in the weeks leading up to her death have not been disclosed.
Her mom alleged that Rivas was dating a man named David
Before Rivas went missing in April 2024, she was reportedly dating someone by the name of David.
Her mother claimed to TMZ that Rivas told her that she had a boyfriend named David. The mother further claimed that she hadn’t met the alleged partner.
When d4vd was formally charged with murder, District Attorney Nathan Hochman claimed that the singer had repeatedly sexually abused Rivas.
Her body was discovered in Dv4d’s car in September 2025
On Sept. 8, 2025, the Los Angeles Police Department was called to investigate a Tesla that had been impounded in the Hollywood Hills. They opened the car upon a complaint of foul odor and subsequently found human remains in the trunk.
Authorities later linked the car to d4vd, as it was registered to him in Hempstead, Texas. According to a timeline shared by the LAPD, Rivas was likely dead for weeks — or even months — before her body was found. Residents began complaining about the car as early as August.
“I’m not sure exactly when the parking complaints about the Tesla began, but it was closer to the beginning part of August,” Captain Williams told the Los Angeles Times.
Dv4d was identified as a suspect in Rivas’ death
More than two months after Rivas’ body was discovered in d4vd’s car, the singer was identified as a suspect in connection with her death, a law enforcement source told TMZ, ABC and NBC.
At the time, the police department, d4vd’s lawyer nor his representative addressed the reports or responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
However, shortly after the news of Rivas’ death broke in September, a spokesperson for d4vd told NBC Los Angeles, “d4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities.”
In September, the LAPD obtained a search warrant to investigate a home in the Hollywood Hills where d4vd had been living, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times in mid-September.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Sept. 18, a spokesperson for the LAPD said, “Several items of evidence were recovered and will be analyzed by detectives in the coming days. Investigators are following up on several leads.”
