Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla as that of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, a girl missing since March 2024. The vehicle was registered to singer David Anthony Burke, better known as D4vd, whose career has been thrown into turmoil following the grim discovery.The Tesla was towed to an impound lot in Hollywood Hills after being abandoned on a street. Workers later alerted police when a “foul odour” began emanating from the car, leading to the shocking find on 8 September. Officials confirmed the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, wrapped in plastic and dressed in a tube top, black leggings, stud earrings and a yellow bracelet.
Tattoos and troubling coincidences
Rivas’ mother told TMZ she immediately suspected it was her daughter when reports surfaced about a body in the vehicle. She revealed that Celeste had a tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh…”, identical to one sported by D4vd. While other celebrities, including Rihanna and Lindsay Lohan, share the same tattoo, the overlap has fuelled speculation.The teenager reportedly had a boyfriend named David before she disappeared from Lake Elsinore last year. “When they said it was her, I knew,” her mother said, pointing to the disturbing similarities with the artist’s real name, David.Celeste was just 13 when she vanished. Posters from 2024 circulated widely at the time, but no trace of her was found until now. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed her identity this week, although the cause of death remains “deferred” pending further investigation.
D4vd’s silence and career fallout
The 20-year-old singer, who rose to fame on TikTok and now boasts more than 33 million monthly listeners on Spotify, has not spoken publicly about the case. A spokesperson told NBC 4 he has been “cooperating with authorities”.Despite this, the fallout has been swift. Fashion brands Crocs and Hollister dropped him within days of the discovery, even after announcing him as the face of new campaigns. He also cancelled a scheduled performance in Seattle, though venues continued selling tickets without official confirmation of the cancellation.At the time the car was found, D4vd was preparing for a show in Minneapolis and remained active on Instagram. But questions linger about his connection to Rivas and how her body ended up in his vehicle. The Los Angeles Police Department is treating the case as a homicide, with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office confirming that Rivas matched the juvenile missing from Lake Elsinore.
