Music

Los Angeles police confirmed Monday that the Tesla registered to platinum-selling singer D4vd, which was found to have the decomposed remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez stashed in its trunk, had been parked in its final spot for “several weeks” before it was finally towed earlier this month. The update verifies a Sept. 18 report in Rolling Stone.

Sources in the upscale Birds Streets neighborhood of the Hollywood Hills, where the car was last parked, previously told Rolling Stone that the black 2023 Tesla Model Y didn’t budge from its parking space on Bluebird Ave. for at least three weeks before it was cited and towed away on Sept. 5. They said before that, the car moved around intermittently and was spotted parked on a nearby street as far back as May.

“The vehicle had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so Ms. Rivas Hernandez may have been deceased for several weeks before the discovery of her body,” the new statement from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released Monday afternoon said. The department said its Robbery-Homicide Division has been “diligently investigating” the case, but it’s also waiting for an official ruling on the cause of Rivas’ death. Though many online have speculated the teen must have been the victim of a homicide, considering how she was found, the medical examiner has yet to rule out the possibility that she suffered an accidental death, such as an overdose, or a suicide.

“The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of Ms. Rivas Hernandez’s death. As such, it remains unclear whether there is any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body,” the new LAPD statement released Monday said. “RHD is thoroughly examining every aspect of this case to uncover the truth and seek justice for Celeste Rivas Hernandez and her family.”

D4vd, born David Burke, was out of state on a national concert tour when news broke on Sept. 8 that human remains were recovered from his Tesla. Rivas’ body was found after staff at the tow lot reported that the vehicle was “emanating a foul odor and attracting flies,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Rolling Stone.

Rivas, who would have turned 15 years old the day before she was discovered, had been reported missing by her family on multiple occasions in 2024, according to online missing person fliers. The family has not responded to requests for comment, but Rivas’ mother reportedly told TMZ that her daughter had a “boyfriend” named David. Photos and video purportedly showing Rivas and Burke in close proximity have circulated on social media over the last few weeks, but police have not named Burke, or anyone, as a person of interest in the case. Burke’s lawyer has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

In another twist, Rivas had a tattoo on her right index finger that read, “Shhh…”, the medical examiner revealed when it identified Rivas as the victim in the Tesla. Burke appears to have a similar tattoo on the same finger, according to a photo published by People in April.

Police later searched a rental house in the Hollywood Hills that’s a block and half from where the Tesla was towed. The home’s owner confirmed to Rolling Stone that it was rented to Burke’s manager. The four-bedroom house was the backdrop for photos and content posted online by Burke, and it appears he was living in the home before he went out on tour.

In his first interview with the media after the search, the home’s owner, Mladen Trifunovic, told Rolling Stone on Sept. 18 that he had no idea that Burke had been living at the property until his real estate manager informed him that day.

“This all came as a complete shock to me. I only found out about the police activity this morning,” Trifunovic said at the time. “Until then, I had no idea anything had happened at the house or what was going on with D4vd and the missing girl. I never knew D4vd, and I wasn’t aware that he had ever lived in the house.”

Trifunovic said his lease was with Burke’s manager, Josh Marshall. The lease began in February 2024, he said. Marshall has not responded to requests for comment.

Burke, 20, has not commented publicly on the teen’s death. A day after the grisly discovery of Rivas’ remains, Burke performed at a show in Minneapolis, tossing Labubu toys to his fans. The rest of his tour was later cancelled.

It took investigators more than a week to identify Rivas as the victim. Her body was so “severely decomposed” that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office could not distinguish her eye color or race and listed her weight as 71 pounds. “She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found,” the medical examiner’s office said in an online report. The cause of the teen’s death is still listed as “deferred.”

When the body was first discovered, a law enforcement source confirmed the Tesla was registered to Burke at an address in Hempstead, Texas. Burke was notified of the investigation and was “cooperating” with authorities, a source close to the singer confirmed to Rolling Stone.

Though Burke seemed unfazed leading up to Rivas’ identification, the fashion companies Crocs and Hollister pulled back on a campaign that featured the musician modeling a collaboration between the popular brands. “We are aware of this developing story. With respect to the current situation, we have removed campaign content featuring D4vd while the investigation continues,” the brands said in a joint statement sent to Footwear News.

Burke, born in New York, first gained notoriety as a Fortnite gamer and musician with the self-produced song, “You and I,” released online. He broke through to mainstream success in the summer of 2022 with the hit singles “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” after they garnered so much traction on TikTok, they jumped to spots on the Billboard charts. He released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns, in May 2023. His debut studio album, Withered, was released in April 2025.