A shocking discovery was made in a car registered to musician D4vd.
Los Angeles Police Department officers found human remains wrapped in a bag hidden in the front truck of a Tesla on Sept. 8, authorities told NBC Los Angeles.
The body, which law enforcement sources told NBC News was not intact, was found after the LAPD was called to a Hollywood tow yard over a foul odor coming from a vehicle, which had been sitting in the impound lot for several days.
While officials have not released additional details about the deceased, the car is registered in Hempstead, Texas, under D4vd’s real name David Anthony Burke, according to the outlet.
Police said the vehicle had been towed after it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills.
Following the car’s discovery, a spokesperson for D4vd said in a statement to NBC News that the “Romantic Homicide” singer “has been informed about what’s happened, and although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities.”
D4vd, 20, has been on tour across the United States in support of his debut album Withered. He performed in Chicago over the weekend, and he is scheduled to hit Minneapolis, Denver as well as Seattle before returning to L.A. later this month.
He is slated to take the tour to Europe in October.
“This album means SO much to me you have no idea the blood sweat and tears that came with trying to create this project over the past 2 years,” D4vd wrote on Instagram in February. “Constantly starting over and over and over until there was nothing left on this audio landscape of a canvas than thoughts, melodies, and emotions that were unequivocally me.”
One day before police discovered the body in the Tesla, the “Here With Me” artist announced that he’s releasing a deluxe version of his album.
“Every song written exclusively by me on my phone baby,” he shared in a Sept. 7 Instagram post. “This is a passion project i put together to make sure i didn’t lose the raw emotional weight my music carries and how much it means to u all. Thank you to all the friends who collaborated with me on this everyone ATE THEIR VERSES UP.”
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For more on D4vd, keep reading.
Where is D4vd From?
Born in Queens, New York, D4vd (real name David Anthony Burke) moved to Houston, Texas, when he was 13 years old.
How Did D4vd Become Famous?
D4vd first began his career as a streamer, playing Fortnite and other games in an attempt to go viral on YouTube. When he ran into copyright infringement challenges with the music he was adding to his videos in 2021, he turned to his mom.
“I’m like crying to Mom about it,” he told Benny Blanco during an interview for Hero magazine in September 2024. “I’m like, Yo, I don’t know what to do I’m not making any money anymore, blah blah blah.’ And she was on a phone, and she was like, ‘Just make your own music, go get out of my face.’ And I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I could probably do that.'”
From there, despite not having any musical experience other than singing for fun, D4vd downloaded an app on his phone and started making music. Soon, some of his songs went viral, and after more of his original music started to go viral on TikTok, his career began to really take off.
The 20-year-old eventually released his debut album, Withered, in April 2025, embarking on his first world tour shortly thereafter.
When Was the Body Found in D4vd’s Car?
On Sept. 8, the Los Angeles Police Department was called to a tow yard in Hollywood over reports of a foul odor coming from a vehicle, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
The LAPD found human remains wrapped in a bag hidden in the front trunk of a Tesla, which was registered in Hempstead, Texas, under D4vd’s real name, David Anthony Burke.
Police said the vehicle had been towed to the impound lot after it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills.
Who Was the Victim Found in D4vd’s Car?
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office September 16 said the remains found in the Tesla were identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been reported missing on April 5, 2024. She was 13 years old at the time of her disappearance.
Her cause of death had been deferred, according to records from the Medical Examiner’s Office viewed by E! News on Sept. 17. Though her date of death was listed as September 8—the day her body was discovered—officials noted her body appeared to have been in the car for an extended period of time before its discovery and was “severely decomposed.”
What Has D4vd Said About the Investigation?
Following the discovery of Rivas Hernandez’s body, a spokesperson for D4vd said in a statement to NBC News that the singer “has been informed about what’s happened, and although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities.”
Since then, D4vd canceled the remainder of his U.S. dates.
