d4vd ‘Not Cooperating,’ Still a Suspect in Death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Police Say

Singer d4vd is reportedly not engaging with detectives investigating the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 15-year-old whose body was discovered in the trunk of his impounded Tesla in September 2025.

According to a law-enforcement source, the 20-year-old artist — born David Anthony Burke — has not cooperated with investigators since the inquiry began. The source says police have still not interviewed him and are continuing to sort out what offenses, if any, d4vd and others connected to the case may have committed.

The source adds that while d4vd has been named a suspect, the investigation remains active. Officials are waiting on the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s final cause-of-death ruling and toxicology results, and no arrests or charges can move forward until those findings are complete.

Investigators are also still trying to determine how Rivas died and when. “We are working to determine if her death was a murder or something else,” the source says, noting that the best estimate so far places her death sometime in the spring. “Springtime is the closest we’ve come to determining the time of her death. Not before then.”

Authorities have not publicly commented further. d4vd’s attorney and representatives did not respond to requests for comment earlier this week. A spokesperson previously told NBC Los Angeles that the singer was “fully cooperating.”

Rivas was found on Sept. 8 — one day after her 15th birthday — inside the trunk of d4vd’s Tesla, which had been impounded after being reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills while he was touring in the U.S. Neighbors told NBC Los Angeles the vehicle had been left in the area for roughly a month. Officers went to the scene after reports of a strong odor coming from the car.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later identified the remains and listed the cause and manner of death as “deferred.” Investigators are treating the case as a homicide investigation. The source says Rivas’ body was decomposing when discovered and had been placed inside a plastic bag.

Rivas had previously been reported missing from Lake Elsinore, Calif., at least three times in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times. Local residents said she had run away before, though her last confirmed location before her death is still unknown. An LAPD captain previously stated that she had likely been dead for several weeks before her body was found.

In September, LAPD detectives executed a search warrant tied to the case at a Hollywood Hills home where d4vd had been staying, local outlets including KABC-TV and the Los Angeles Times reported. Another law-enforcement source previously indicated investigators believe more than one person may have been involved in dismembering and disposing of Rivas’ body.