U.S. musician D4vd has been taken into custody on suspicion of the death of a 14-year-old girl whose decomposed remains were discovered last year in a seemingly abandoned Tesla registered under his name and later towed from the Hollywood Hills, as per the authorities on Thursday. The 21-year-old alt-pop singer, born in Houston and legally known as David Anthony Burke, is being detained without bail, said the Los Angeles police. They stated that the investigative team plans to present the case to the District Attorney’s Office for potential charges on Monday.
In response to the allegations, defense lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter emphasized in an email that the evidence will demonstrate that David Burke is innocent of the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez and is not responsible for her demise. They clarified that no formal charges have been pressed, and Burke is held solely on suspicion. The District Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles County confirmed its awareness of the arrest, stating that their major crimes division would review the case to assess the evidence for potential charges.
This marks the first public statement from the defense team regarding the case, which only identified Burke as a suspect upon his arrest. He is currently in custody without bail. The singer had been a subject of investigation by an L.A. County grand jury regarding the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The existence of the probe, with D4vd as the target, was disclosed when his family contested subpoenas demanding their testimony in a Texas court.
The lawyers reiterated, “There has been no indictment by any grand jury in this case, and David is detained based on suspicion. We will vigorously defend his innocence.” Despite multiple requests from The Associated Press, the singer’s representatives have not commented on the situation.
The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered on September 8, 2025, a day following what would have been her 15th birthday. She was reported missing by her family in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, approximately 112 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles, when she was a 13-year-old seventh grader. The court documents state her age as 14 at the time of her demise.
During the investigation of the 2023 Tesla Model Y in a tow yard, police found a cadaver bag with signs of decomposition, including insects and a strong odor. The bag contained a decomposed head and torso, with the arms and legs severed from the body in a separate black bag. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the severe decomposition of the body, indicating Rivas Hernandez had passed away long before the discovery.
In November 2025, the Los Angeles police secured a court order preventing the release of the autopsy results, withholding the cause of death. D4vd continued performing on his U.S. tour after the body was found but later canceled his remaining shows and a European tour as news of his link to the case spread widely.
