Singer D4vd has been identified as a suspect in the death of a 15-year-old girl who was found dead in a vehicle owned by the singer in September, according to a Los Angeles Police Department source with direct knowledge of the investigation.
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has not been charged with any crime.
The singer has not been cooperative, the source told NBC Los Angeles. The teen likely died in the spring, and D4vd likely had help in dismembering and disposing of the body,” the source said.
Burke’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening. But a spokesman for the singer in September said he was “fully cooperating with authorities.”
The remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez were found Sept. 8 in the trunk of a Tesla at a Los Angeles impound lot, police have said.
The Tesla had been towed after being parked for several weeks, “so Ms. Rivas Hernandez may have been deceased for several weeks before the discovery of her body,” the LAPD said on Sept. 29.
The teen was reported missing from Lake Elsinore, California, last year. She was last seen April 5, 2024, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
D4vd on Aug. 1, 2024, in Chicago.Josh Brasted / FilmMagic via Getty Images file
The cause and manner of her death was still “deferred” on Tuesday, which indicates a determination is pending further investigation, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said. A manner of someone’s death includes whether it was a homicide or not.
Weeks after the 15-year-old was found dead, the LAPD said that because a manner of death had not been determined, “it remains unclear whether there is any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body.”
The LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division “is thoroughly examining every aspect of this case to uncover the truth and seek justice for Celeste Rivas Hernandez and her family,” the police department said on Sept. 29.
D4vd in September canceled the remainder of his U.S tour as the investigation was ongoing.