U.S. artist D4vd was taken into custody under suspicion of being involved in the death of a 14-year-old girl, whose decomposed remains were discovered last year in an apparently deserted Tesla linked to him that was removed from the Hollywood Hills, as per the authorities on Thursday. The 21-year-old alt-pop singer, born in Houston and legally named David Anthony Burke, is being detained without bail by the Los Angeles police, who plan to present the case to the District Attorney’s Office for potential charges on Monday. In response, defense lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter asserted his innocence, stating that the evidence would prove David Burke’s lack of involvement in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The police confirmed that a case would be presented to the prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for review to determine the viability of filing charges. The defense team emphasized that no formal indictment or criminal complaint had been issued against Burke, who remains in custody solely on suspicion. This marks the first public statement from the defense regarding the case, which previously involved a confidential investigation by an L.A. County grand jury into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The singer’s family members were ordered by a Texas judge to testify in California after objecting to subpoenas related to the case.
The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered on September 8, 2025, a day after what would have been her 15th birthday. She was reported missing by her family in 2024 when she was a 13-year-old seventh grader from Lake Elsinore, located approximately 112 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles. Authorities stated that she was 14 years old at the time of her death, revealing disturbing details from court documents about the condition in which her body was found inside a Tesla Model Y in 2023. The singer, who had been on a U.S. tour, eventually canceled his shows and a European tour following increased media coverage linking him to the case.
