Singer D4vd has been arrested in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was found in the trunk of a car registered under the musician's name in September 2025.
The Los Angeles-based indie pop singer, 21, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Thursday. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office on April 20 for filing consideration, an LAPD spokesperson told USA Today.
Representatives for D4vd have not responded to multiple requests for comment from USA Today.
Rivas Hernandez died on Sept. 8, according to online records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Over a year after she went missing, human remains were found inside a bag located in the front trunk of a Tesla vehicle, ABC News and NBC News reported.
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Authorities said the state of decomposition indicated that Hernandez was likely dead for weeks before she was found.
At the time of her death, Rivas Hernandez was wearing a tube top, a pair of black leggings, a yellow metal stud earring, and a yellow metal chain bracelet, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported in a statement shared with USA Today on Sept. 18.
A representative for D4vd previously told NBC News that the singer had been informed of the investigation and was "fully cooperating with the authorities."
Los Angeles Police Department officers work during the arrest of David Burke, a 21-year-old musician known professionally as D4vd, on suspicion of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, at an undisclosed location, released April 16.
When did Celeste Rivas Hernandez go missing?
Rivas Hernandez became the subject of a missing person's investigation in April 2024, more than a year before she died, authorities previously confirmed to USA Today.
At that time, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to an address in Lake Elsinore, California, after being notified of a runaway, Lt. Deirdre Vickers said in a statement to USA Today on Sept. 18. Authorities were subsequently informed that the individual, described as a "female juvenile," had left the address "in an unknown direction."
The case was entered into the sheriff's office's missing persons database after deputies were unable to locate Rivas Hernandez following a search of the area, Vickers said.
A breakthrough in the search came on Sept. 17 when the LAPD notified the sheriff's office that the body of the missing female had been located and identified as Rivas Hernandez.
Who is D4vd?
Burke first made waves in 2022 when his songs "Here with Me" and "Romantic Homicide" went viral on TikTok. He later signed with Interscope Records and released his debut album, "Withered," in April.
D4vd, who began his musical career by making accompaniments for montages of the online game Fortnite, lent his talent to the gaming world with the official Fortnite 2025 anthem "Locked & Loaded," released Sept. 3.
His Withered World Tour was canceled on Sept. 19 ahead of a show in San Francisco that same day and another in Los Angeles on Sept. 20.
Contributing: Greta Cross and Edward Segarra, USA Today
