Celeste Rivas Was Likely ‘Dead for Weeks’ Before Being Found in d4vd’s Tesla Trunk: Police

The Los Angeles Police Department believes that the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez — the 14-year-old girl who was found dead inside a Tesla belonging to musician d4vd — had been in the car for several weeks before it was discovered.

Speaking with PEOPLE, LAPD Captain and Commanding Officer Scot M. Williams said that while many questions remain about the death of Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found inside the car in a Los Angeles parking lot on Sept. 8, “we know for sure that Celeste Rivas Hernandez died and someone placed her body in the front trunk area of David Burke’s [d4vd’s legal name] Tesla.”

“We know that the Tesla had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so it is very likely Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been dead for several weeks prior to her body being discovered,” Williams said.

“The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not determined a cause or manner of her death, so we don’t know for sure if anyone has any criminal culpability for her death beyond the concealment of her dead body,” the captain added, sharing that the LAPD’s robbery-homicide division is still probing the case.

Williams also confirmed that the LAPD did serve a search warrant “at a residence near where the car was towed.”

A landlord previously told SFGate that d4vd, 20, had been staying at an L.A. property with his manager, but that the two moved out days after electronics and more were seized from the home, per the outlet. Williams told PEOPLE that he cannot confirm what was taken from the property.

Additionally, speculation has circulated online about the possibility of a relationship between Rivas Hernandez and the “Romantic Homicide” singer as the teen seemingly had a matching “Shhh” tattoo on her right index finger, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing the medical examiner — allegedly similar to the one on d4vd. But Williams said, “As far as their relationship, it would be premature for me to say anything.”

“We are looking into everything,” the captain told PEOPLE.

The LAPD would not confirm that d4vd was cooperating with the investigation, despite his rep previously telling NBC Los Angeles that he was “fully cooperating with the authorities.”

d4vd has not been named a suspect or charged with a crime in relation to the case. His representative has not responded to multiple requests for comment from PEOPLE.

Rivas Hernandez was found dead in the impounded Tesla one day after her 15th birthday while d4vd was on tour in the U.S. The car was reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, and neighbors told NBC Los Angeles it had been there for about a month.

Officers responded to the scene after a foul odor was reported coming from the vehicle registered to the 20-year-old singer, whose full name is David Anthony Burke.

Rivas Hernandez was first reported missing on April 5, 2024, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told the Los Angeles Times.

The sheriff’s office told NBC News that the LAPD is “investigating this incident as a homicide.” Rivas Hernandez’s cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore, Calif., at least three times in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times — and residents claimed the teen had run away from home before, though her last known whereabouts remain unclear.

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d4vd has earned acclaim for hits including “Here with Me” and “One More Dance,” and released his debut album, Withered, in April 2025. Following the discovery of Rivas Hernandez’s body, the singer subsequently canceled his remaining U.S. tour dates, NBC News reported.