Celeste Rivas case: Singer D4vd reportedly viewed as a suspect in teen's death

LOS ANGELES - Singer D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is being viewed as a suspect in the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, law enforcement sources told TMZ. 

FOX 11 reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for independent confirmation, but the department said they have nothing to confirm at this moment. 

According to TMZ' sources, there is no paperwork classifying D4vd as a suspect, but one of their sources told TMZ, "Investigators are looking at D4vd as a suspect."

TMZ also said that on Monday, LAPD told them that they are ‘not close to making an arrest’.

Teen found dead in Tesla trunk 

The backstory:

The dismembered remains of Rivas were discovered on Sept. 8, a day after her birthday, inside D4vd's Tesla after employees at Hollywood Tow reported smelling a strong odor. 

When police arrived, they discovered the body wrapped in a bag inside the Tesla's trunk. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: D4vd world tour shows in US, Europe canceled amid investigation into dead body found in his Tesla

According to the LAPD, the Tesla was impounded and towed to the yard — an "official police garage" — by the city Department of Transportation because it was "parked on a public street for more than 72 hours." 

Neighbors said the Tesla had been moved several times over the past three months before it was found on Bluebird Avenue, where it was ultimately located.

According to the LAPD, the Tesla was ticketed just 11 days before Rivas Hernandez was found. 

The county medical examiner has not yet released a cause of death.

The connection between Celeste and D4vd 

Dig deeper:

Rivas was 13-years-old when she was reported missing on April 5, 2024 in Lake Elsinore.

Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing at least three times in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Her mother reportedly claims that before the teen went missing in April 2024, she was dating someone named David, but she had never met him. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 

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• D4vd hires Hollywood's top criminal defense attorney amid Celeste Rivas death investigation

Friends of D4vd told TMZ the two were "romantically involved" but that they believed she was a 19-year-old student at USC. They said they didn't think she was a minor because she attended multiple age-restricted events.

Law enforcement sources previously confirmed to TMZ that Rivas Hernandez had multiple fake IDs which could have given the teen access into such events.

Defense attorney hired

In early October, D4vd hired renowned criminal defense lawyer Blair Berk amid the intensifying investigation into Rivas' death, LA Magazine reported.

While Berk has limited experience with murder cases, she has handled them before. Her past clients, primarily in the entertainment industry, include Harvey Weinstein, Lindsay Lohan, Kanye West, Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, and Reese Witherspoon.

Most recently she represented Monica Sementilli, who in June was sentenced to life in prison for the 2017 murder of her husband, celebrity hairstylist Fabio Sementilli.

How events unfolded

Timeline:

• April 2024: Rivas Hernandez is reported missing by her family in Lake Elsinore. She is found by police in Hollywood and returned home.
• May 2024: Rivas Hernandez is reported missing again.
• Aug. 27, 2025: The position of the tires on a Tesla registered to singer D4vd, legal name David Anthony Burke, is marked by authorities.
• Sept. 3, 2025: Parking citation issued.
• Sept. 5, 2025: Tesla impounded.
• Sept. 8, 2025: Rivas Hernandez's remains were found in the trunk of the Tesla a day after her 15th birthday.
• Sept. 17, 2025: Detectives with the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division served a search warrant on D4vd's $20,000 a month rental home located not far from where the Tesla was parked. Several bags of evidence were seized from the home.
• Sept. 19, 2025: D4vd cancels his "Withered" world tour.
• Sept. 24, 2025: Rivas Hernandez's body is released back to her family. The same day, movers are seen hauling boxes and other items from the home into a moving truck. The homeowner confirmed with TMZ that D4vd's manager, Josh Marshall, informed him they'd be breaking the lease and move out by the end of the week.