A significant development has surfaced in the peculiar case involving a teenage girl whose severely decomposed and dismembered body was discovered in a musician’s car trunk.
On September 8 of this year, Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla located at a tow yard in Hollywood, California, following months of her being reported missing by her family.
The discovery was made around what would have been her 15th birthday, with authorities suspecting she may have died weeks, if not months, earlier.
Police in Los Angeles were alerted due to a foul odor emanating from the electric vehicle, which had been impounded after being found abandoned in Hollywood Hills a few days prior.
Upon investigation, it was established that the vehicle was registered to the musician D4vd, 20, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke. Initially, Burke was not considered a person of interest, nor was he charged with any offenses.
However, the LAPD has now provided an important update, identifying Burke as a potential suspect in the death of the missing girl.
In a conversation with NBC4 Investigates, police indicated that Celeste likely passed away in the spring and was discovered dismembered in the car, although an autopsy has yet to determine her exact cause of death.
The medical examiner’s office commented that the young girl “appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found.”
The authorities are now treating her death as a homicide, suspecting Burke may have assisted in dismembering and disposing of her body, while noting that the musician has not been cooperative with the investigation.
The girl, then aged 13, was reported missing by her mother in April 2024 after allegedly running away from their home in Lake Elsinore, California.
Recent reports revealed that earlier this month, the musician was residing in a $4.1 million mansion, possibly with others, which police searched following the grim finding of the teenager’s body.
Steve Fischer, a private investigator, informed the Daily Mail that Burke was not the only person using the Tesla; a “small inner circle” at the residence allegedly had access to the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Celeste’s family shared with NBC Los Angeles that the teenager knew the musician personally and was reportedly on her way to watch a movie with him before disappearing.
Celeste’s mother also reportedly informed investigators that her daughter had a boyfriend named David at the time.
The New York-born musician, recognized for tracks like “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” was on tour at the time of Celeste’s body’s discovery but has since canceled his scheduled appearances.
LAPD has been contacted for further comment.