Singer D4vd arrested in connection with murder of teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez, LAPD says

LOS ANGELES () — D4vd has been arrested in connection with the murder of a teenager whose decomposing body was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer, police said Thursday.

D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, is being held without bail, officials said.

In September 2025, 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dead inside the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to the singer D4vd.

Sources told News the arrest is based on evidence and probable cause that was developed. It was not an indictment.

Los Angeles police said the case will be presented to the district attorney’s office on Monday for filing consideration.

Attorneys for D4vd maintained the singer’s innocence.

“Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” the attorneys’ statement said. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

An attorney for D4vd’s parents also issued a statement that said: “David’s parents believe in his innocence and support him whole heartedly.”

Sources tell News that one of the major hurdles for the Medical Examiner was determining the teenager’s cause of death because of the body being decayed and in pieces.

Much of the case waited on determining how Rivas Hernandez died to prove she was murdered. Investigators tell News that they can prove the teen’s death was murder.

Investigators say they spent months building a case, gathering evidence they could stand behind.

7 has learned the singer was arrested in the Hollywood Hills on Thursday around 4 p.m.

The LAPD released photos of officers in tactical gear moving in to make the arrest.

What we know about the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old from Lake Elsinore, was reported missing in 2024, investigators confirmed to News in October.

According to sources at the time, the girl’s body was dismembered, and the process of dismembering and disposing of her body is believed to have likely involved more than one person.

The teen may have been dead for several weeks before her body was discovered, police said.

MORE COVERAGE: D4vd considered suspect in death investigation of Celeste Rivas-Hernandez, source says

Officers responded to an impound lot in Hollywood on Sept. 8 “for a foul odor coming from a vehicle,” Los Angeles police said.

Authorities located a body in the front trunk of the Tesla that was in a state of decomposition, LAPD sources said.

The Tesla had been at the impound lot for two days after being found abandoned on a Hollywood street, investigators said. The towed vehicle was registered to Burke.

D4vd, who first went viral on TikTok, where he has nearly 4 million followers, had been on his “Withered” world tour when the body was discovered in his vehicle. The last few shows of the tour, including those in San Francisco and Los Angeles, were canceled.

News contributed to this report.