The U.S. music scene is going through days of uncertainty after the details of the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 15-year-old teenager whose remains were found in early September 2025 inside an abandoned Tesla in Los Angeles. What made the case even more mediatic was that the vehicle was registered in the name of New York singer D4vd (David Anthony Burke), an artist who has more than 34 million monthly listeners on Spotify and whose catalog exceeds 1.5 billion plays.
The coroner’s report confirmed that the remains were those of Celeste Rivas, who had been missing since April 2024 in Lake Elsinore, California. The finding was shocking: the minor was found dismembered and placed inside several plastic bags. Among the relevant details of the report, the young woman was wearing a sleeveless top and had a tattoo in red ink with the word “Shhh” on her right index finger.
That tattoo caught the attention of investigators because D4vd himself has a similar design, albeit in black ink, made in September 2024. The design, popularized by Rihanna in 2008 and later replicated by figures such as Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen, has become a detail that the media interpreted as a possible point of connection between the victim and the singer.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the vehicle was stopped after neighbors reported a “nauseating” odor coming from the car, which was parked with Texas plates. The car was officially registered to David Anthony Burke, the legal identity of D4vd.
Retired detective Moses Castillo, in an interview with KTLA, confirmed this fact and stressed that it is essential to investigate the cell phone records and the artist’s movements in order to “tie up ends” of the case.
Songs, Buzzy and rumors of D4VD
The controversy grew when TMZ reported that one of the leaked D4vd recordings explicitly mentions the name “Celeste” in verses that allude to a personal obsession: “Oh Celeste / the girl with my name tattooed on my chest / I hear her voice every time I breathe”.
The victim’s mother told the media that Celeste was in a relationship with a young man named David before she disappeared. An image of the singer with a little girl at Lake Elsinore, near the Rivas family’s residence, has even surfaced.
Although the investigation has not resulted in arrests or formal charges against D4vd, his name remains at the center of the investigation. NBC News reported that a spokesperson for the musician assured that he “is aware of what happened and is fully cooperating with the authorities”, although he continues to tour internationally.
In social networks, the singer has opted for absolute silence. Nor has he issued personal statements, which has generated even more speculation.
The case has already had direct consequences on D4vd’s artistic agenda. Several concerts have been cancelled, including a show in Seattle and another scheduled at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, whose performance remains uncertain. For the music industry, this is a sensitive blow, as the artist was considered one of the most solid emerging promises of American alternative pop.
Meanwhile, the family of Celeste Rivas remains in mourning and has avoided giving extensive statements. The victim’s brother limited himself to expressing that his priority is mourning, without entering into media speculations.
The LAPD investigation is still open. If a direct link between the musician and the minor is confirmed, the case could become one of the most mediatic judicial processes in recent years, both for the seriousness of the crime and for the international profile of the artist involved.
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