Singer D4vd was arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl
Singer D4vd was arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl
D4vd, a US singer, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl who went missing last year, authorities say.
The TikTok celebrity, real name David Anthony Burke, was the subject of a grand jury inquiry after the alleged murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were discovered in his Tesla in September.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that the 21-year-old was being held without bail and that the case would be brought to the district attorney’s office on Monday.
The artist has been virtually silent on the case, but his reps have previously stated that he is cooperating with authorities. The BBC has contacted his agents over the arrest.
On Thursday, police said that Burke had been arrested “for the murder of Celeste Rivas”.
Questions had been raised since the 14-year-old’s remains were discovered in a Hollywood tow yard on September 8th, after officials got reports of a terrible odor coming from the vehicle.
On September 8, 2025, investigators discovered her decaying head and corpse in a cadaver bag in the front boot of a Tesla automobile linked to D4vd’s Texas home, according to court filings.
The county medical examiner stated the body was “severely decomposed” and declined to rule on how she died pending the death inquiry. Officials believe the girl may have died “for several weeks” before her body was discovered.
The teen’s cause of death has not been announced, and authorities have only stated for months that they are considering the matter as a death inquiry.
In November, a judge ordered that the teen’s death records be sealed to ensure that officers received information from the medical examiner before it became public.
Rivas Hernandez, who lived approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) from where her body was recovered, had last been reported missing by her family in April 2024, but it was not the first time she had fled their Lake Elsinore home. According to the Los Angeles Times, she was a first-generation daughter of El Salvadorian immigrants.
Neighbors recognized her as a youngster who would go to the corner store virtually every day to buy candies and drink.
The dearth of information surrounding the horrific death has fueled curiosity and sparked an online following, with many hypothesizing about the girl’s relationship to the Romantic Homicide singer.
A grand jury began hearing evidence in the case in December, but D4vd’s arrest on Thursday represents the case’s first substantial development in months.
More information about the case surfaced in court records after the singer’s family was summoned from Texas by a California court to testify before the grand jury.
When D4vd’s father, Dawud Burke, appealed the summons in a Texas court, he introduced recently unavailable material from the California case.
The documents, obtained by the BBC, confirmed that D4vd had been named as a “target” of a grand jury inquiry in Los Angeles and that he might face one count of murder.
Rivas Hernandez was wearing a tube blouse, size small black leggings, and jewelry, including a yellow metal stud earring and a yellow metal chain bracelet, when her body was discovered.
She had a tattoo reading “Shhh…” on her index finger, which was remarkably identical to the singer’s own.
Shortly after the body was discovered, the Here With Me singer canceled his world tour, signaling the end of his musical career and a notable departure from the spotlight.
Los Angeles police earlier stated that they raided his Hollywood Hills residence, which was only a few blocks from where his Tesla was towed. He was also withdrawn from marketing campaigns for US store Hollister and footwear company Crocs.
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