HOLLYWOOD HILLS, Calif. — On Sept. 8, 2025, popular singer David Anthony Burke, better known as d4vd, was put under scrutiny after the Los Angeles Police Department discovered a deceased body in the front trunk of his vehicle.
The vehicle, a Tesla registered under d4vd’s name, was impounded at a Hollywood tow yard after receiving multiple tickets for being abandoned on a street in Hollywood. The LAPD was called in from the tow yard, where they reported a foul odor coming from the trunk.
Located in the front compartment of his Tesla, a black garbage bag with the decomposed remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernadez was found. The young girl has been reported missing three times since April 2024, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Celeste’s remains were found a day after her 15th birthday; however, police state that she had most likely been deceased for several months.
“The whole situation is bad, but I don’t believe that he killed her. I think he was framed,” said Kaylee Cabral, a junior at Los Alamitos High School.
The landlord of d4vd’s Hollywood Hills rental home was growing impatient with little to no findings from the LAPD, so he hired a private investigator, Steve Fischer, to look into the case. The landlord told SFGate that d4vd had been living at the property with his manager, but that the two were evicted due to an electrical issue. Fischer claimed to have found unusual machinery and farm tools at the rental house.
“It’s an ongoing investigation and we have a lot of resources dedicated to bringing it to a conclusion, but to go beyond what has already been made public would be inappropriate,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told Eyewitness News.
The romantic relationship, confirmed by Celeste’s mother and close friend to both parties, has sparked controversy due to the age gap. D4vd, who was in a relationship with Celeste at the age of 20, was rumored to have met her online when she was 11 or 12 years old.
“I don’t listen to (d4vd)’s music, but I’ve heard about the situation. I think he’s guilty,” said Adam York, a sophomore at LAHS.
The singer’s friends claimed they didn’t know much about Celeste, only that she was seen with d4vd at social events and that she was allegedly a 19-year-old student at USC, according to Thirty Mile Zone.
“Law enforcement sources previously confirmed to TMZ that Rivas Hernandez had multiple fake IDS, which could have given the teen access to such events,” said FOX 11 Digital Team.
A YouTuber by the name of “Turkey Tom” created a video titled “The D4vd Flies”, uploaded Sep. 26, 2025. The video begins by explaining d4vd’s childhood and analyzing his first single, released on Dec. 21, 2021, titled “Run Away”. As the video continues, Tom further explains the relationship between d4vd and Celeste.
“Last time me and Celeste called, she was drunk and spam calling d4vd, they have matching tattoos from when they dated,” said @ExilesFuneral, an old friend of Celeste, on Instagram.
Although the original TMZ image of d4vd isn’t a clear shot of the tattoo itself, the zoom-in image on the right provides a clear depiction of the singer’s tattoo. This provides people interested in this case with some relevant evidence that can change their leaning toward d4vd’s innocence or guilt.
Before the body was identified as Celeste’s, officials conveyed that the individual had a tattoo in red ink that said “Shhh…” on the right index finger. TMZ also noted that singer d4vd had a matching “Shhh…” tattoo on his right index finger, in black ink.
“There’s a lot of evidence proving that he’s guilty, like the matching tattoos, the photos of them online, and the car,” said York.
In Dec. 2023, one of d4vd’s unreleased songs titled “Celeste_Demo unfin” was leaked, which has now gained significant attention due to allegations that the singer is possibly to blame for the young girl’s death.
With him singing the lyrics, “Oh Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest / I hear her voice each time I take breath / I’m obsessed.”
Songs rumored to be connected to Celeste
“Romantic Homicide”
The singer’s biggest hit, “Romantic Homicide,” was released in July 2022, representing the emotional feelings of a breakup. Because this song was released two years before Celeste went missing, most believe that it was probably not written about her, but instead that d4vd’s intentions are suspicious.
“In the back of my mind, I killed you / And I didn’t even regret it / I can’t believe I said it / But it’s true,” d4vd sang in the chorus.
“You and I”
On Jan. 8, 2022, he released “You and I” as part of his debut EP, “Petals To Thorns“, and was later included in a 2023 EP with the same title.
“Cause you’re running away, running away / And I’m trying to stay, trying to stay,” sang d4vd in his song “You and I”.
These lyrics are rumored to be about Celeste, who had run away from home several times and had three missing persons reports filed by her family after her final disappearance.
“Celeste had run away before and always came back,” said a friend of Celeste’s mother, Runi Alonso, for the LA Times.
“One More Dance”
On Feb. 7, 2025, d4vd produced a music video following the release of the song “One More Dance“.
In d4vd’s music video, the main idea was to direct it with the concept of the invisible string theory. Still, it was flipped to be connected to his evil alter ego, called “IT4MI”, meaning “pain” in Japanese, and who is the agent of chaos, as explained by d4vd in an interview with MahoganySessions on YouTube.
In the first 35 seconds of this Vevo, the main character, IT4MI (d4vd’s evil alter ego), is dragging the body of the singer d4vd, with himself blindfolded, wearing a white button-up spattered with blood. Then, reaching a car where two other individuals with white blind folds stuff the singer into the trunk of a white car.
“Sleep Well”
A verified YouTuber known as “anna oop” recently released a video presenting chilling evidence related to d4vd’s content. One focus of the video was a music video titled “Sleep Well”.
In the Sleep Well Vevo music video, which premiered before controversy arose, a darker-toned woman with wavy/curly black hair and brown eyes appears. After the video’s release, fans began to point out the resemblance between this actor and Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Some fans later suggested that Celeste Herrera’s introduction followed the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, fueling speculation that Herrera was meant as a cover-up.
White flowers connected to d4vd
White roses symbolize innocence, purity, eternal loyalty and new beginnings. D4vd frequently uses white rose flowers in his songs and albums, explaining that they represent a combination of danger and beauty in his music.
“The white rose has carried through my visual identity as long as I can remember, because I love the contrast between such a beautiful flower with thorns that could hurt you,” said d4vd on Flood Magazine.
As the investigation was over 3 months ago, there are still no major updates or any results of the autopsy from Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Madi N. • Apr 16, 2026 at 8:01 pm
I loved how much detail you guys put into this article. It really painted a clear picture in my head of what was happening with the entire situation. Great job.
Alyssa • Nov 25, 2025 at 10:02 pm
Throughout the article you both did a great job explaining such a sensitive topic, I love how you included lots of images to help you tell the story!
Liam Brooks • Nov 21, 2025 at 5:03 pm
Amazingly written article! I had almost forgotten about this entire controversy and it’s really good to hear someone cover it again because it’s about a truly tragic subject that should always be remembered.
Alizabeth Martin • Nov 21, 2025 at 11:56 am
This is such an amazing article, you guys! I loved watching all the effort you put into it, and it came out beautifully. Proud of you!