The investigation into singer D4vd has intensified after the body of a 15-year-old was found in a Tesla registered to him. From canceled tours to social media revelations, new developments are raising serious questions about the singer’s relationship with Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber discusses the latest developments with law enforcement instructor and retired detective Matthew Irvine.
D4vd Investigation Deepens: Retired Detective Breaks Down Dismemberment Case, Digital Evidence, and Grooming Allegations
By Alex Rivera, Entertainment and Crime Correspondent
Los Angeles, CA – March 30, 2025
The probe into 20-year-old singer d4vd (David Anthony Burke) has escalated following the gruesome discovery of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered remains in a Tesla Cybertruck registered to him, with new focus on a potential long-term grooming relationship that began when she was just 11 or 12. On Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast, host Jesse Weber dissected the latest twists—including canceled tours, seized electronics, and a teacher’s chilling TikTok testimony—with retired detective and law enforcement instructor Matthew Irvine. While no arrests have been made, Irvine emphasized the “totality” of digital breadcrumbs pointing to d4vd’s involvement, urging investigators to prioritize the victim’s family amid the tragedy.
Celeste, who turned 15 the day before her remains were found on September 8, 2024, vanished from Lake Elsinore, California, in April 2024 after reportedly leaving home with d4vd to see a movie. Her family described her as a “beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend,” launching a GoFundMe for funeral costs that has raised over $50,000. The LAPD classifies the case as a “death investigation,” with the cause of death deferred due to decomposition, but whispers of homicide and concealment grow louder.
The Discovery: Decomposed Remains in an Abandoned Tesla
LAPD officers responded to a foul odor report at a Hollywood tow yard on Mansfield Avenue, uncovering Celeste’s badly decomposed body in the front trunk of a Texas-plated Tesla Cybertruck. The vehicle, towed after sitting abandoned for about five days near d4vd’s rented Hollywood Hills home, had been there for weeks, per KTLA reporting. Dismemberment complicated identification, but a distinctive “sh” tattoo on her finger—matching d4vd’s—confirmed her identity via DNA.
Irvine explained the forensic challenges: “Decomposition happens rapidly in LA’s late-summer heat, especially in a confined space like a trunk. Dismemberment suggests intent to hide identity or delay discovery—common when the killer knows the victim.” He noted it raises questions about motive: “Stranger killers don’t worry about ID; this implies a personal connection.”
The Tesla’s proximity to d4vd’s Doney Place rental fuels suspicion. Property records link his Cypress, Texas, home—a trust named after his album Petals to Thorns—to recent security alarms, though no search warrant has been executed there yet.
Professional Fallout: Tours Canceled, Album Paused, Brands Flee
d4vd’s career has stalled amid the scrutiny. His label, Interscope Records (under Universal Music Group), halted promotion for his deluxe album Withered, originally set for September 19, 2024—it’s absent from streaming services. Remaining U.S. tour dates in San Francisco and Los Angeles were scrapped, along with nine European shows, including an October 1 Norway gig. A scheduled Grammy Museum appearance vanished from the venue’s site, and he was scrubbed from a Hollister-Crocs collaboration days after launch, per the New York Post.
Irvine views the pauses as pragmatic: “It keeps him stateside—no flight risk—and distances brands from bad optics. Businesses won’t promote someone under homicide suspicion.” A spokesperson confirmed d4vd is cooperating, but his last Instagram post celebrated the now-shelved album.
Search Warrants and Digital Evidence: Building the Timeline
On September 18, 2024, LAPD executed a search at d4vd’s Hollywood Hills rental, seizing computers and other items, per Forbes and the Los Angeles Times. Irvine stressed: “To get a warrant, they needed probable cause evidence exists there. Electronics are key—Discord chats from 2022 show contact when Celeste was 11-12.”
Public screenshots reveal d4vd tagging “Celeste” in streams, with a Discord moderator claiming staff believed she was 18-19 and unaware she was missing: “We understood her to be around 18 to 19… No contact outside public interactions.” Irvine dismissed its relevance: “What matters is what d4vd knew—he communicated with her as a middle schooler.”
A January 2024 livestream video shows them interacting with fans, Celeste prompting responses—months before her final disappearance in May 2024. Irvine: “This digital footprint—backstage photos, streams—places her with him post-April vanishing. It’s corroborating a grooming timeline.”
Houston deputies responded twice last week to alarms at d4vd’s Texas home, but no search yet. Irvine: “It could indicate evidence tampering, but probable cause is needed.”
Cryptic Lyrics and Social Media: Clues or Coincidence?
Online sleuths highlight d4vd’s art as potentially prophetic. His hit “Romantic Homicide” includes: “In the back of my mind, I killed you and I didn’t even regret it.” A 2022 Forbes interview clarified it as figurative, but a leaked “Celeste Demo (Unfinished)” surfaced last week, per KTLA and TMZ. A reposted TikTok of chicken-chopping with the caption “Me if I see or talk with other dudes” adds to the unease.
d4vd’s alter ego “Itami”—depicted in a blood-spattered shirt—features in his tour as a “homicidal” persona, with a “Romantic Homicide” video showing Itami “murdering” a girl resembling Celeste. Irvine: “Lyrics aren’t confessions—Johnny Cash didn’t kill in Reno—but the totality (jealousy posts, alter ego) builds the picture. Investigators will scrutinize for intent.”
Teacher’s TikTok Bombshell: Cautionary Tale or Key Lead?
A Southern California teacher at Lake Elsinore’s Lakeland Village Middle School went viral on TikTok, recounting Celeste as a former student who confided in classmates about meeting d4vd online at 13, running away, being found by Hollywood police, and vanishing again in May 2024. He shared it as a “cautionary tale” on social media dangers; TMZ confirmed he spoke to students who knew of her contact with d4vd.
Irvine: “It’s hearsay—not proof—but if corroborated by family (who say she left in April, returned briefly, then vanished with d4vd in May), it’s valuable. Social media leads are tricky—multi-level rumors from TikTok to Reddit—but match family accounts, and it strengthens the case.”
He urged younger, tech-savvy investigators: “Robbery-homicide vets aren’t always social media natives; this case demands it to chase leads.”
Family’s Grief and Investigation Outlook: Justice for Celeste
Celeste’s family, heartbroken, seeks closure: “She was wonderful… We’re devastated.” Irvine praised LAPD’s elite Robbery-Homicide Division: “They’re building a bulletproof case—no rush if no immediate threat. Urgency is for the family, but caution ensures conviction.”
No arrest timeline, but Irvine: “Public info points strongly to d4vd—known relationship, digital ties—but probable cause for arrest is pending forensics.” He reminded: “True crime fascinates, but focus on victims. Celeste was a child; her loved ones grieve daily.”
As #JusticeForCeleste surges, the case exposes online predation risks. Weber closed: “The legal process will unearth more pain for the family, but amplifying tips helps.” Updates as LAPD pushes forward—Celeste’s story demands answers.
