A rotting stench from a pop star’s impounded Tesla led to a 15-year-old girl’s body in the trunk—decomposed for weeks while d4vd toured the world. Was it accident, overdose, or something darker hidden in Hollywood Hills?
LAPD’s silence screams volumes: No arrests, no suspects, just endless tox tests. What secrets are they burying? The timeline that could crack it all…
The foul odor wafting from an impounded Tesla in a Hollywood lot should have been just another headache for yard workers. Instead, on September 8, it unearthed a nightmare: the decomposed body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, stuffed in the front trunk of a luxury electric car registered to rising R&B sensation d4vd. Three weeks later, the Los Angeles Police Department remains tight-lipped, with no arrests, no named suspects, and a death investigation that teeters on the edge of homicide—but hasn’t tipped over yet.
The case, handled by the elite Robbery-Homicide Division, has gripped the music world and beyond, fueled by d4vd’s viral fame and the grim irony of his hit “Romantic Homicide”—a track with lyrics about love gone lethal and a video featuring a body dumped in a car trunk. Yet, as Celeste’s family buries their seventh-grader and fans flood social media with theories, LAPD insists patience is key: Toxicology results are pending, the cause of death is “deferred,” and without proof of foul play, cuffs stay holstered. “It’s an ongoing investigation. We have a lot of resources dedicated to bringing it to a conclusion,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a brief statement Monday, dodging specifics on why a body in a celeb’s car hasn’t yielded charges.
For the Rivas family, the wait is agony. Celeste, a wavy-haired teen with a “Shhh” tattoo on her finger, was days shy of her 16th birthday when her remains were ID’d on September 16—eight days after discovery. Her mother, Maria Rivas, clutched a faded photo at a vigil outside LAPD headquarters Sunday, her voice cracking: “My baby was missing for months, and now she’s gone forever. How long until someone pays?” The family, from the Riverside County enclave of Lake Elsinore, had reported Celeste missing at least three times in 2024 alone, per sheriff’s logs—red flags of a troubled teen life that investigators now comb for clues.
The discovery timeline reads like a thriller script gone wrong. On August 27, a parking enforcer chalked the tires of the white 2023 Tesla Model 3—registered to David Anthony Burke, d4vd’s legal name—in a tony Hollywood Hills spot near his $20,000-a-month rental. It sat untouched for weeks, racking up a September 3 citation for the 72-hour rule violation. Towed to the lot on September 5, the car lingered two more days until the stench hit—strong enough to alert workers on September 8. Inside the frunk: Celeste’s body, wrapped in a plastic bag, clad in a tube top, black leggings, a yellow bracelet, and stud earrings. Decomposition suggested she’d been there for weeks, possibly since late August, overlapping d4vd’s “Withered” world tour kickoff.
That same night, LAPD’s RHD swarmed d4vd’s former rental—a sprawling modern pad with infinity views—seizing computers, electronics, and other evidence under warrant. By September 18, they’d hit it again, deeper dig. D4vd, the 20-year-old Houston native with 3.8 million TikTok followers and a breakout hit on Netflix’s “Wednesday,” had bolted early from the lease amid the probe, relocating to an undisclosed spot. His tour—hyped for the September 19 deluxe drop of his debut album—crashed: Final U.S. dates in San Francisco and L.A. axed, European legs scrapped. No public word from the “Here With Me” crooner, though a rep told NBC he’s “fully cooperating.”
So why the stall? Experts and insiders point to forensics as the bottleneck. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s autopsy, completed before releasing the body to family on September 23, hit a wall: Cause “deferred,” manner pending. Toxicology and lab tests—checking for drugs, alcohol, trauma—could take weeks more, sources say. “Without a cause, you can’t call it murder,” explained retired LAPD homicide detective Mark Fuhrman on Fox News Tuesday. “It could be overdose, suicide, accident. Hiding the body? That’s a crime, sure—but who did it? Proving intent needs the tox sheet.” LAPD’s Monday statement echoed: “It remains unclear whether there is any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body.”
The pregnancy rumor—fueled by early whispers of a “love child” scandal—flamed out fast. Monday’s death certificate confirmed Celeste wasn’t, nor had been, pregnant in the prior year. But connections to d4vd linger like a bad hook. Investigators probe if the pair linked romantically or socially—Celeste, a seventh-grader at Elsinore Middle, was 5-foot-1 with a penchant for TikTok dances; d4vd, a self-taught guitar whiz turned Interscope signee, built his brand on moody Gen-Z anthems. No confirmed ties, but a leaked video snippet, aired on NewsNation’s “Banfield,” shows a shouting match possibly involving Celeste near the Hills home—rewriting the timeline and hinting at volatility.
Celeste’s backstory adds layers of heartbreak. The Riverside girl, described by teachers as “bright but withdrawn,” bounced between homes amid family strains—her mom’s battle with depression, a stepdad’s long hauls as a trucker. Missing reports painted a runaway pattern: April 2024, vanished for days; summer flings with older crowds in L.A.’s fringes. “She wanted fame, like those TikTok stars,” an aunt told E! News, clutching Celeste’s phone—last pinged near Hollywood in late July. Friends whispered of “party invites” from music insiders, but details blur into speculation. “Celeste chased dreams bigger than Lake Elsinore,” her bestie posted on Instagram, a collage of beach selfies now memorialized.
D4vd’s orbit, meanwhile, spotlights the perils of overnight stardom. The 2021 viral sensation—whose “Romantic Homicide” video eerily mirrors the trunk scene—rose from bedroom producer to arena filler. But shadows lurk: 2023 assault allegations from an ex (dropped, no charges), whispers of “wild parties” during tour prep. His Hills rental, a tour-bus pitstop, hosted A-listers and hangers-on, per TMZ sources. Post-search, d4vd’s team paused promo, his X silent save slime emojis. Fans split: #JusticeForCeleste trends with 250,000 posts, torching his “toxic vibes”; defenders cry “innocent till proven,” citing his anti-violence collabs.
Public fury boils over LAPD’s pace. X erupted Monday with @5ilentPartner’s take: “LAPD says no murder evidence—tactic to shield d4vd? Tour soon?”—600 views, zero likes but fierce replies. ABC7’s tweet on the ticket timeline drew 15,000 views, replies slamming “celeb privilege.” Feminists rally under #NiUnaMenosLA, linking Celeste to rising teen disappearances—California’s 2025 missing youth up 18%, per DOJ stats. “Rich kid’s car, poor girl’s body—same old story,” activist Sofia Herrera blasted at Sunday’s march, 500 strong outside the impound.
Critics jab LAPD’s track record: The department, under McDonnell since February, faces heat for slow-walks in high-profile cases—like the 2024 Diddy probes or unsolved celeb-adjacent hits. “Resources dedicated? We’ve heard that before,” Fuhrman scoffed. “Tox delays are real—backlogs hit 45 days post-pandemic—but when it’s a star’s whip, optics matter.” RHD Capt. Scot Williams told TMZ: “We’re determining foul play or other causes—no stone unturned.” Yet, with d4vd’s Texas roots (car registered in Hempstead), whispers of FBI crossover grow—interstate angles if travel ties emerge.
The family’s plea cuts deepest. Maria Rivas, flanked by siblings at a September 25 memorial mass, begged: “Give us answers. Was it drugs? A fight? My girl deserved better.” GoFundMe for funeral costs hit $75,000, donors from Swifties to SoundCloud rappers. Celeste’s stepdad, Ramon, a burly ex-Marine, vowed: “If cops won’t, we will—truth for our angel.” No suicide note, no witnesses named, but a seventh-grade journal—seized in the home raid—chronicles “secret adventures” in L.A., per family leaks.
As October dawns, the probe plods. ME’s office, slammed with 2,500 cases yearly, prioritizes “suspicious” over routine—Celeste’s qualifies, but not top-tier without trauma flags. “Give it 30 days,” a coroner’s source tipped Rolling Stone. D4vd’s silence? Strategic, says his lawyer via proxy: “Client’s heartbroken, focused on facts.” Tour reboot rumors swirl—European dates rescheduled?—but Interscope stays mum.
In Hollywood’s glare, Celeste’s story spotlights the chasm: A Lake Elsinore dreamer lost in fame’s underbelly. No arrests yet, but pressure mounts—DA George Gascón’s office eyes updates, vowing “swift justice if warranted.” For now, a trunk’s shadow looms, waiting for tox to light the dark. Will it finger foul play, or fade to accident? The Rivas family, and a watching world, hold breath. In L.A., where stars rise and teens vanish, the real homicide might be hope deferred.