The arrest of rising music star D4vd, whose real name is David, on charges of capital murder has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and the internet after authorities confirmed that the body of a 13-year-old girl was found decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla, ending a years-long pattern of alleged grooming, manipulation, and eventual homicide that prosecutors say began when the victim was just 13 years old
According to court documents unsealed this week in Los Angeles, the body discovered in the impounded vehicle last year has been identified as Celeste Hernandez, a teenager from Riverside County who was reported missing in April 2024 at age 13. The LAPD homicide division confirmed that the remains were severely decomposed and not intact, with the medical examiner noting a tattoo on the victim’s right index finger reading “Shh” – a tattoo matching one seen on D4vd’s own finger in multiple social media posts.
Prosecutors allege that D4vd, 22, and Celeste had been in a secret relationship that began when she was 13 and he was 19, using private Discord servers, burner phones, and even paying another student $1,000 to provide the girl with a replacement phone after her parents confiscated it in an attempt to cut off communication. The relationship, investigators say, continued under the radar while D4vd’s music career exploded with hits like “In the Back of My Mind” and “Romantic Homicide,” leading to sold-out tours and millions of streams on Spotify.
The case first broke in September 2025 when workers at an impound lot in Los Angeles noticed a foul odor emanating from a Tesla registered to D4vd. Police searching the vehicle found human remains inside. At the time, D4vd was actively touring and performing, with many fans and even fellow streamers publicly defending him, insisting the reports were false or that he would never be capable of such a crime.
But as the weeks passed, a mountain of digital evidence began to surface, much of it posted online by users who had been trying to expose D4vd for months. Discord chat logs leaked showing him adding underage girls to private servers, with one user claiming to have been silenced with payment. A TikTok video posted ten months before the body was discovered accused D4vd of “giving thousands of dollars to kids,” though the clip was largely ignored until the news broke.
The most damning piece of internet evidence came from a comment left on one of D4vd’s TikTok videos on February 26, 2024, by an account called Robin River. The comment read: “Waiting for LAPD to get you for messing with a 13-year-old girl.” This was more than a year before any public announcement of the case.
The account gained hundreds of thousands of followers overnight, but its owner has not been identified.
Prosecutors laid out a chilling timeline in their charging documents. They say the relationship turned volatile in late 2024, with Celeste allegedly sending D4vd a message saying, “All we do is have sex and just hang out, man. I want more than that for myself.”
On April 22, 2025, the two had a lengthy argument during which Celeste threatened to disclose their relationship and destroy his career. She was last seen alive on April 23, 2025, taking an Uber from her home to D4vd’s residence in Holiday Hills – a journey of nearly an hour and a half.
Court filings reveal that in the days following her disappearance, D4vd allegedly ordered two chainsaws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, a blue inflatable pool, and a burn cage on Amazon, all under a fake name. He also searched for incineration methods. Investigators recovered over 40 terabytes of data from his devices, containing explicit images and videos involving Celeste, along with what prosecutors describe as “a significant amount of illegal material.”
Despite the overwhelming evidence, D4vd has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree capital murder. He was arrested in April 2026 and is being held without bail. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty, though California’s moratorium on executions under Governor Gavin Newsom means any death sentence would effectively be symbolic.
In a macabre twist, a new song titled “Marcescence” appeared on D4vd’s Spotify account just two days ago, then was deleted hours later. The track, recorded during the “Withered Sessions” in March 2025, includes lyrics such as: “I hide my face from you / My lies conceal the truth / But what are you going to do / Oh, what you going to do if you don’t have the proof?” The song ends with the repeated phrase “I think she knows.”
It remains unclear who uploaded the track – D4vd is in jail and cannot access his account, but suspicions have fallen on his management or a scheduled release that was not canceled in time.
The music video, which was also briefly online, shows imagery of a car trunk and a figure walking away from a burning object. Fans and critics alike have condemned the release as tone-deaf and deeply disturbing, given the circumstances.
Celeste’s mother, who contacted TMZ last year after hearing about the tattoo, has spoken publicly only once, saying she hopes “justice is served for my baby.” She added that her daughter had struggled with hidden phone use and secretive behavior in the months before her disappearance.
The case has reignited conversations about the dangers of online grooming and the responsibilities of platforms like Discord and TikTok to protect minors. It also raises questions about how a rising artist with millions of fans could maintain a secret relationship with a child while performing in arenas and releasing chart-topping music.
As the legal process moves forward, the internet remains divided. Many of D4vd’s former supporters have turned against him, while a small faction continues to insist on his innocence, claiming the evidence is circumstantial or manipulated. However, prosecutors remain confident, stating that the digital footprint left by D4vd is “irrefutable.”
The next court hearing is scheduled for August 2026, at which time a preliminary trial date may be set. Until then, D4vd remains in custody, and the music industry is left grappling with the fallout of a case that has shattered the image of a seemingly wholesome artist and revealed a far darker reality.


