Investigators Believe d4vd ‘Had Help Dismembering and Disposing’ of Teen’s Body: Police Source

Singer d4vd has been named a suspect in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and a police source is sharing more about how investigators believe he may be linked to the case.

According to a police source, the 20-year-old artist — whose legal 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 with a crime, he “has not been cooperative” with investigators.

Previously, the musician’s representative told NBC Los Angeles that he was “fully cooperating” with authorities.

The LAPD, Burke’s attorney and his representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

On Sept. 8, Rivas was discovered dead in the trunk of the singer’s impounded Tesla, one day after her 15th birthday, while d4vd was on tour in the U.S. The vehicle had been reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, and neighbors told NBC Los Angeles it appeared to have been left there for about a month. Officers arrived at the scene after reports of a foul odor coming from the car.

Her body was later identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, which listed her cause and manner of death as “deferred.”

The police source says investigators are “treating this like a homicide” and notes that the girl’s body was “decomposing when it was found in a plastic bag.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Rivas had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore, Calif., at least three times in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times. Residents told the outlet that the teen had previously run away from home, though her final movements before her death remain unclear.

LAPD Captain and Commanding Officer Scot M. Williams has said that Rivas had been dead for “several weeks prior to her body being discovered.” He also confirmed that the LAPD executed a search warrant “at a residence near where the car was towed” on Sept. 18.

A landlord previously told SFGate that d4vd had been staying at a Los Angeles property with his manager, and that the pair moved out days after electronics and other items were seized from the home, according to the outlet. Williams said he could not confirm what was taken from the property.

Online speculation has raised questions about whether Rivas and the “Romantic Homicide” singer knew each other. The Los Angeles medical examiner confirmed that the teen had a “Shhh” tattoo on her right index finger, which appears to resemble one on d4vd. Authorities, however, have not commented publicly on the similarity between the tattoos.

In a GoFundMe created after her death, Rivas’ family wrote that they were “heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.”