American R&B and alt-pop singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose severely decomposed body was discovered inside a Tesla registered to him. Los Angeles police confirmed on Thursday that Burke, 21, is being held without bail, and that investigators will present a case to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office for consideration of charges on Monday.
The case began in September 2024 when LAPD detectives were called to a tow yard in Hollywood after workers reported a foul odour coming from an impounded vehicle. Inside the car — a 2023 Tesla Model Y registered to Burke at a Texas address — authorities found a dismembered body that was later identified as Rivas Hernandez. The vehicle had been towed from an upscale neighbourhood in the Hollywood Hills, where it appeared to have been abandoned. The Los Angeles medical examiner determined she had been deceased in the vehicle for an extended period before being found. Rivas Hernandez, who was 13 and in seventh grade when her family reported her missing in 2024, had last been seen in Lake Elsinore, a city roughly 110 kilometres south-east of downtown Los Angeles. Court documents list her age as 14 at the time of her death — the body was found on 8 September, a day after she would have turned 15.
Burke had been under investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury since at least February, when the probe's existence was inadvertently revealed in a Texas court filing. His mother, father and brother had filed an objection to subpoenas requiring them to testify, effectively disclosing that the grand jury had targeted Burke. In September, a spokesperson said the singer was fully cooperating with authorities, and his tour — which was under way when the body was discovered — was subsequently cancelled. His attorney, Blair Berk, and other representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Burke, who grew up in Houston, Texas, rose to prominence around 2022 through a series of viral TikTok hits, most notably Romantic Homicide. The song, which contains lyrics about death, has attracted renewed public scrutiny since the case emerged. His online success led to collaborations with prominent artists including SZA and Kali Uchis. The case has drawn widespread attention both because of the singer's profile and because of the disturbing circumstances surrounding Rivas Hernandez's disappearance and death, raising urgent questions about how long she may have gone unnoticed.