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Singer d4vd has been identified as a suspect after authorities found the body of a teenage girl in the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to him earlier this year, according to reports
The body of teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered after LAPD officers responded to a report of a foul smell coming from a vehicle on Sept. 8
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, per ABC News
Singer d4vd has reportedly been identified as a suspect after authorities found the body of a missing teenage girl in the trunk of a Tesla registered to him earlier this year, according to multiple reports.
TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, was the first to report that d4vd, 20, is a suspect. The news was subsequently reported by ABC and NBC, also citing law enforcement sources.
The singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has allegedly not been cooperative amid the ongoing investigation, NBC reported, citing a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) source with direct knowledge of the investigation.
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The LAPD, d4vd’s lawyer and a rep for the singer didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. His representative previously told NBC Los Angeles that his client was “fully cooperating” with authorities.
In September, investigators with the LAPD served a search warrant in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez at a Hollywood Hills home where the singer had been staying, law enforcement sources previously told local KABC-TV and the Los Angeles Times.
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An LAPD spokesperson told PEOPLE on Sept. 18 that “several items of evidence [had been] recovered” amid the investigation at that point, adding that investigators were “following up on several leads.”
The girl was found dead one day after her 15th birthday in the trunk of the “Romantic Homicide” singer’s Tesla at an impound lot on Sept. 8, KABC-TV reported, citing police. Officers responded to the scene after others reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle.
The car was reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, and neighbors told NBC Los Angeles it had been there for about a month.
A little over a week later, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the body as that of Rivas, whose date of death was listed as Sept. 8, PEOPLE previously reported. The girl’s cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
Investigators have said they expect that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death soon, marking a critical stage in the investigation in terms of making an arrest and determining charges, ABC News reported, citing sources.
LAPD Captain and Commanding Officer Scot M. Williams previously told PEOPLE the girl had likely been dead for several weeks before she was found.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News that Rivas had been reported missing in 2024 out of Lake Elsinore, Calif. She was remembered by loved ones on a GoFundMe campaign as a “beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the sheriff’s office said Rivas had been reported missing at least three times that year — and residents claimed she had run away from home before, though her last known whereabouts remained unclear.
Investigators have not released any information on whether d4vd and Rivas had any connection. However, the medical examiner identified Rivas as having a tattoo that read “Shhh…” on her right index finger, per the L.A. Times.
That’s potentially significant, because a photo of d4vd from September 2024 shows him having a “Shhh” tattoo on his right index finger. Authorities have not yet addressed the tattoos.
At a vigil held for Rivas on Sept. 21, dozens gathered in Lake Elsinore, the teen’s hometown, where they grieved her loss.
“Even though I didn’t know her, I just couldn’t even breathe, knowing that a child had to go through that,” neighbor Kayleigh Cortez told ABC7.
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He released his debut album Withered in April 2025 and had been on tour in North America at the time of discovery. d4vd has since canceled his remaining U.S. tour dates amid the ongoing investigation, Billboard previously reported.
