A little after noon on Sept. 8, Los Angeles officers responded to a call from a tow yard in Hollywood about a “foul odor” coming from an impounded Tesla. When investigators opened the front trunk, they found a black plastic bag containing human remains that were already decomposing.
The body had deteriorated so severely that it took medical examiners an entire week to confirm that the victim was Celeste Rivas, a teenager whose family had reported her missing in both February and April 2024. What authorities did verify right away was that the 2023 Tesla Model Y with Texas plates belonged to David Anthony Burke, the legal name of rising artist D4vd.
Burke was traveling for tour dates at the time of the discovery, and a representative said he was “cooperating” with officials. Investigators have not yet identified a suspect or even announced a person of interest, and no arrests have been made.
As the investigation continues, here is what has surfaced about this disturbing case so far.
After locating Rivas’ body, a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner described her as a female with wavy black hair wearing a tube top and black leggings in a small size, along with yellow metal stud earrings and a yellow metal chain bracelet. She was listed at five foot two. Due to the advanced decomposition, examiners could not determine her eye color, age, or ethnicity.
One of the very few identifying details examiners mentioned was a tattoo on her right index finger that read “Shhh …”
On Tuesday, about a week after the discovery, officials confirmed that the victim was Celeste Rivas, a fifteen year old from Lake Elsinore, California, who had been reported missing last year. A GoFundMe has been launched to help her family pay for funeral expenses.
Following the announcement, reporters gathered outside the family home. While the family did not speak to the media, TMZ reported that Rivas’ mother said her daughter had been dating someone named “David” before her death.
A family friend, Rubi Alonso, visited the home and remembered Rivas as kind and “studious.” “It is heartbreaking,” Alonso tells Rolling Stone. “She was very beautiful.”
Even with Rivas identified, investigators have not revealed a confirmed cause of death. A listing on the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner site noted that the determination is still “deferred” pending additional review.
Much of the public attention around the case has focused on the impounded Tesla. The car was removed from the upscale Bird Streets area in the Hollywood Hills and had been at the tow yard for three days before the odor prompted the call.
Residents told Rolling Stone the Tesla had been spotted around different parts of the neighborhood for months, dating back to late May. The city towed the vehicle after someone reported it had been abandoned for more than seventy two hours. Locals said the car had remained in its final location on Bluebird Avenue for at least three weeks.
“It moved around,” one resident said to Rolling Stone. “It is terrifying.”
The investigation escalated Wednesday night after authorities confirmed the victim’s identity. A law enforcement source said officers searched a home nearby on Doheny Place that evening. After spending several hours inside, police left with multiple items. ABC7, the first outlet to report the search, noted that investigators removed a computer from the property.
The homeowner, Mladen Trifunovic, later told Rolling Stone that the contemporary four bedroom property had been rented to Burke’s manager, Josh Marshall, last year. The lease began in February 2024.
“This was all a total shock to me,” Trifunovic says. “I never knew D4vd and I did not know he had ever stayed in the house.”
Burke’s Instagram account with 2.1 million followers includes several photos from inside the Hollywood Hills home dating back to February. One image shows him at a grand piano beside a white column and a row of windows, which match features from the house’s online listing. Other photos show Burke next to a sculpture of the No. 4 painted to look like it was splattered with blood. A different photo posted in July also shows him inside the home.
On November 18, people familiar with the investigation told NBC News and ABC that Burke has been identified as a suspect in Hernandez’s death. However, Burke has not been charged and there are no arrests. ABC reports that the investigation remains active.
Aside from the initial statement noting he was “cooperating,” Burke’s representatives have not made any further comments. For several days, Burke continued performing live dates in support of his debut album, Withered, which came out in April. At a show on Sept. 9, the day after the body was discovered, D4vd performed in Minneapolis, where he tossed Labubus into the audience and hyped up his song “Crashing” with singer Kali Uchis. (“Not my friend I did a song with him which is currently in the process of being taken down given today’s disturbing news,” she wrote on social media after the discovery.)
D4vd’s rise has been rapid over the past few years. He first gained attention in 2022 with the tracks “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” both of which became popular on TikTok. He released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns, in May 2023 and followed it later that year with The Lost Petals.
While Burke has appeared outwardly unaffected by the investigation, the discovery of the body did prompt fashion brands Crocs and Hollister to pause a campaign featuring him. “We are aware of this developing story,” the companies said in a joint statement. “With respect to the current situation, we have removed campaign content featuring D4vd while the investigation continues.”
On Wednesday, as news of Rivas’ identity spread, D4vd had his first show canceled, a performance at Showbox SoDo in Seattle. On Friday, Sept. 19, he canceled his final two North American dates and a European tour scheduled for October. A planned deluxe release of Withered that was supposed to arrive Sept. 19 was also not released.
Rivas’ identification sparked widespread speculation about her possible connection to Burke. (As of press time, Burke has not been charged with any wrongdoing.) TMZ has surfaced several alleged links, including a photo that seems to show Burke with a “Shhh …” tattoo similar to Rivas’. The outlet also found a photo of Burke in Lake Elsinore, near where Rivas lived before she went missing, although the date of the photo is unclear. An unreleased D4vd track titled “Celeste” has also reportedly begun circulating online.
