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 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and a law enforcement source is speaking out about how investigators believe he may be connected to the case.

According to a police source, the 20-year-old performer — whose legal name is David Anthony Burke — “most likely had help dismembering and disposing of the body.” The source also alleges that although Burke has not been charged with a crime, he “has not been cooperative” with investigators.

The musician’s representative previously 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 found dead in the trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla one day after her 15th birthday, while he was on tour in the United States. 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 responded after complaints about 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 teen’s body was already “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 run away from home before, though where she was in the days leading up to her death remains uncertain.

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

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

Online speculation has suggested that Rivas and the “Romantic Homicide” singer may have known each other. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed that the teen had a “Shhh” tattoo on her right index finger, which appears to match one on Burke. Authorities have not commented publicly on the matching tattoos.

In a GoFundMe created after her death, Rivas’ family described themselves as “heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.”