What to KnowSinger D4vd is suspected in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, who was reported missing in the spring of 2024. The Lake Elsinore girl’s decomposed body was found Sept. 8 in the front trunk of a Tesla impounded at a Los Angeles tow yard.The car was impounded after someone reported it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, where neighbors say it had been parked for more than a month. They were found a day after what would have been Celeste’s 15th birthday.The “Romantic Homicide” singer’s world tour was in Minneapolis at the time of the discovery with a stop in Kansas City the next day.
The singer known as D4vd was arrested Thursday in the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenager last seen alive a year ago and whose decomposed remains were found in the trunk of the singer’s abandoned Tesla, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates.
The development in the months-long investigation comes after D4vd, a 21-year-old TikTok star whose legal name is David Burke, was identified by authorities in November as a suspect in connection with the death of the 14-year-old Southern California girl.
The teen’s remains were discovered in September 2025 inside the front storage area of a Tesla registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his family. The car had been towed from a Hollywood Hills neighborhood — not far from a rental property where Burke had been living — where it was parked, seemingly abandoned, for an extended period.
Burke was arrested at a home on Marmont Avenue in the Hollywood Hills just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday on a probable cause warrant without any issue, the law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates.
The singer was being held without bail as of Thursday.
Attorneys for Burke said they were prepared to “vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
“Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement Thursday night after his arrest. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion.”
Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. Police said they followed the evidence and were careful not to compromise the investigation, which is why the arrest came months after Celeste’s body was found.
Investigators arrested the singer in Hollywood Hills Thursday afternoon without an incident, the LAPD said.
The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on Monday for filing consideration, the LAPD added.
The DA’s office confirmed to NBC News that it is aware of the arrest, adding that prosecutors will review facts and evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file charges.
Following Burke’s arrest, NBC4 reporters visited the neighborhood where Celeste’s family lives and spoke with a neighbor who created a memorial for her.
“I started a memorial for her because she deserves justice, and it’s been 220 days,” Kayleigh Cortez said. “And when I heard the news today that he was finally arrested, I just got chills.”
Around 9 p.m. Thursday, detectives were seen leaving the scene of the arrest with evidence boxes from inside the house. NBC4 reporters knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez is pictured on a missing person poster.
Police said Rivas Hernandez’s death likely occurred in the spring of last year.
Rivas Hernandez, who disappeared in the Lake Elsinore area in 2024, was identified through forensics. She was last seen alive on April 5, 2024, in the western Riverside County community. Rivas Hernandez was a 13-year-old seventh grader when her family reported her missing, however, authorities give her age as 14 when she was killed in court documents.
Details about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance were not immediately available.
Celeste’s brother told NBCLA last year that family members were aware that the girl knew D4vd.
Her decomposed body was found Sept. 8, 2025 after workers at Hollywood Tow reported a strong odor coming from the Tesla registered to the singer. Officers opened the front trunk, also known as a frunk, and found the remains in two cadaver bags, according to LA County grand jury documents made public following a hearing in a Texas court.
The grand jury documents, including subpoenas for the testimony of Burke’s mother, father and brother, said Celeste’s remains were not intact.
They were found a day after what would have been Celeste’s 15th birthday.
The singer known as D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of murder for the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found inside a Tesla last September. Law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates: D4vd, legally known as David Burke, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon and was expected to make an initial appearance in court in Los Angeles on Monday. #nbcla
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The Tesla was impounded by LA parking enforcement officers after someone reported it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, where neighbors say it had been parked for more than a month.
The “Romantic Homicide” singer’s world tour was in Minneapolis at the time of the discovery with a stop in Kansas City the next day. A representative told NBC Los Angeles at the time that D4vd was cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
In November, an LAPD source with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC4 Investigates that the Houston-raised artist had not been cooperative in the investigation.
In February, Burke’s parents and brother, who live in Texas, asked a judge to block LA grand jury subpoenas for their testimony, and the court there filed the grand jury documents in an open court file. The judge there declined to intervene, and it appeared the family members were compelled to come to Los Angeles and appear before the grand jury in February or March, but prosecutors declined to discuss what happened, citing the secrecy of grand jury proceedings prior to an indictment.
D4vd had not previously been publicly identified as a suspect in the teen’s death, but law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles Investigates months prior that he was the focus of the investigation.
D4vd had not previously been publicly identified as a suspect in the teen’s death, but law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates months prior that he was the focus of the investigation.
Law enforcement sources also told NBC4 Investigates that more than one person may have been involved in Celeste’s death and the attempted disposal of her body.
The latest information on the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found inside a Tesla registered to the pop singer D4vd, appeared in Texas, where D4vd’s family tried to block an LA court order.
Citing the ongoing investigation, the LA County Department of Medical Examiner removed public information about the case last November, which indicated at the time that Celeste’s cause of death was still undetermined.
D4vd is a singer-songwriter who rose to fame with viral hits on TikTok, where he has 3.8 million followers. That success led to signings with Darkroom and Interscope Records.
Born in Queens, New York, Burke moved to Texas in his early teens and gained a following on YouTube playing Fortnite and other online games. He started creating original music, some of which went viral on TikTok.
D4vd released his debut album “Withered” in April 2025 and embarked on a world tour.
In an interview on the “Zach Sang Show,” D4vd said the 4 substituted for the a in his name was for search-engine optimization and a representation of four cinematic universes with various characters that he was creating.