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D4vd Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder Of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Mary Varvaris

The dead body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in a Tesla registered to d4vd in Los Angeles last September.

d4vd
d4vd(Credit: Max Durante)

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21-year-old singer and TikTok star d4vd – legal name David Burke – has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the dead body of a teenage girl was found in his car in September.

Last year, it was reported that a “severely decomposed” dead body was found in an impounded Tesla registered to d4vd in Los Angeles. According to Entertainment Weekly, decomposing human remains were found in the vehicle when police responded to calls of a “foul odour” emitting from the car in a Hollywood tow yard.

As the investigation progressed, the body was identified as that of a missing teenage girl, 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Her death was being treated as a homicide, with d4vd being the prime suspect. Rivas’ mother alleged that before her daughter’s disappearance in 2024, she had a boyfriend named David.  

The Los Angeles Police Department reported that d4vd was cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation in September, but in November, said he was no longer being cooperative.

D4vd was arrested in Hollywood on Thursday (16 April), with the LAPD issuing a probable cause warrant. Police reportedly explained that because they were following evidence and didn’t want to compromise the investigation, the arrest warrant was served months after Rivas’ body was found.

As of Thursday, d4vd was being held without bail. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on Monday, 20 April, for filing consideration, NBC Los Angeles reports.

“Detectives from Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery-Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21-year-old resident of Los Angeles, for the murder of Celeste Rivas,” the LAPD announced on social media.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last seen in the western Riverside County community in April 2024. Details about her disappearance at that time were unknown.

After amassing viral fame on TikTok, d4vd signed record deals with Darkroom and Interscope Records. His most recent album, WITHERED, was released last April.

D4vd was set to perform at Spilt Milk Festival and tour across Australia last December, but all his appearances and tour dates were quietly cancelled.

A week after removing his name from their website and marketing, Spilt Milk organisers issued a statement on social media, writing that they’d removed d4vd from the line-up and website “out of respect for the unfolding story.”