Missing Teen’s Body Identified in Singer’s Tesla; Hollywood Hills Home Searched

Lead Los Angeles police confirmed on September 18 that the decomposed body discovered in an impounded Tesla registered to singer David Anthony Burke, known as d4vd, is 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, who went missing from Lake Elsinore in April 2024. A search warrant was executed at Burke’s Hollywood Hills residence amid an ongoing investigation.

Nut Graf The shocking identification underscores growing public and law-enforcement scrutiny of R&B artist d4vd’s potential role in the teen’s disappearance and death. Authorities are probing how Rivas came to be in the Tesla’s front trunk and what connection, if any, she had to the touring musician, highlighting a case that has gripped national headlines.

Investigation Developments

  • The body was discovered on September 8 after workers at a Hollywood tow yard reported a foul odor from the impounded Tesla. Forensic tests by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed the remains as Rivas on September 16.
  • Rivas, who vanished from her Riverside County home at age 13, was identified in part by a distinctive “Shhh…” tattoo matching her mother’s description.
  • A search warrant was served at a $5 million Hollywood Hills property where d4vd had been staying; investigators seized electronic devices and documents as they probe Rivas’s last known movements.

Artist’s Response and Tour Impact

  • d4vd, 20, remains on his nationwide tour and is cooperating with authorities, though he has not been named a suspect. His Seattle show on September 17 was canceled following the identification; performances in San Francisco and Los Angeles remain scheduled.
  • The LAPD has not yet classified the cause or manner of death, and no persons of interest have been publicly identified.

Next Steps Police continue to review digital evidence, including social media posts and communications, to reconstruct Rivas’s whereabouts before her death. The Robbery-Homicide Division leads the investigation, maintaining that Rivas’s death is under active review pending toxicology and autopsy results. No formal charges have been filed as inquiries proceed.