Los Angeles police are working through a case that’s every parent’s nightmare: the discovery of a missing teenager’s dismembered body in the trunk of a Tesla left at a Hollywood tow yard. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that the remains belonged to 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, a girl who had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore in April 2024. Celeste’s disappearance had gone largely quiet in recent months, as so many cases of missing youth often do, until the gruesome discovery earlier this month. Her body, severely decomposed and reportedly dismembered, was found inside a bag in the trunk of a Tesla parked on the roof of the tow yard’s lot. Employees called police after noticing a foul odor.

Who Is D4VD?

Investigators say the vehicle was registered to 20-year-old musician David Anthony Burke, better known by his stage name D4vd. Burke is no fringe artist—he has millions of listeners online, corporate sponsorships, and a North American tour currently underway. The car itself had not been reported stolen, and questions are mounting about how long it may have sat abandoned before it was towed.

A Truly Disturbing Case

The details emerging around Celeste’s death raise even more troubling questions. She had reportedly run away from home at least once before, but her family has said she was still in touch and not unreachable. TMZ and other outlets reported that she may have had a boyfriend named David before she vanished, and that photographs exist of her with a young man in Lake Elsinore who appeared to resemble the artist. One detail—both Celeste and Burke were said to have had the word “Shhh” tattooed on their index fingers—has only fueled speculation about the closeness of their relationship.

Are There Clues in D4VD’s Music?

Music is also complicating the picture. In addition to his breakout hit “Romantic Homicide,” a leaked demo circulated online last year titled Celeste_Demo unfin. included lyrics referencing a girl by that name. Lines such as, “Oh Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest” now read less like metaphor and more like a disturbing clue, though the track was never officially released. Burke has not been named as a suspect. Former LAPD detective Moses Castillo told local reporters that investigators will inevitably be looking into his cellphone data and travel records. Castillo said, “He’s the registered owner of the vehicle. We need to know where he’s been, connect the dots.”

An Ongoing Investigation

Meanwhile, brands like Hollister and Crocs have pulled Burke from campaigns, and his Seattle tour stop this week was canceled. Whether his Los Angeles performance scheduled for Saturday will go forward is still unclear. For Celeste’s family, all of this plays out against unbearable grief. A brother told KTLA only that the family is mourning in private. At its core, the case is less about the collapse of a pop star’s image than about the life of a 15-year-old cut short under unfathomably violent circumstances. No arrests have been made.