d4vd is now at the center of growing scrutiny as investigators believe he may not have acted alone in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. A police source tells PEOPLE that the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, “most likely had help dismembering and disposing of the body.” The source also claims that although Burke has not been charged, he “has not been cooperative” with detectives. This conflicts with a previous statement from his representative to NBC Los Angeles, who insisted he was “fully cooperating” with authorities.
Rivas was found dead on September 8th inside the trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla, just one day after she turned fifteen. The car had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills for nearly a month, according to neighbors, and officers arrived only after people in the area reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later confirmed her identity and listed her cause and manner of death as “deferred.”
The police source tells PEOPLE that investigators are “treating this like a homicide” and says the teen’s body was “decomposing when it was found in a plastic bag.” LAPD Captain Scot M. Williams previously stated that Rivas had been dead “several weeks prior to her body being discovered.” He also confirmed that a search warrant was served “at a residence near where the car was towed” on September 18th. A landlord told SFGate that d4vd and his manager had been staying at the property but moved out shortly after authorities seized electronics and other materials, though Williams did not confirm what was taken.
Rivas had been reported missing multiple times in 2024 according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Speculation has spread online about whether she knew the “Romantic Homicide” singer, especially after officials noted she had a “Shhh” tattoo that matched one on d4vd. Her family said they were “heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.”
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