Topline: A tow yard worker’s discovery of a foul smell led investigators to a cadaver bag inside an abandoned Tesla — and now the car’s owner, alt-pop singer D4vd, is facing a murder charge in the death of a dismembered 14-year-old girl.
Published: April 17, 2026 8:00 am ET
Shawn Fletcher
Committed to the craft of journalism and am driven by my desire to inform and inspire.
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LOS ANGELES, CA — LAPD Robbery-Homicide detectives arrested singer D4vd — whose legal name is David Anthony Burke — Thursday on suspicion of murder in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered and decomposed remains were found last September stuffed inside a cadaver bag in the front trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered in his name. The 21-year-old Houston-born artist is being held without bail.
Hernandez, a seventh grader from Lake Elsinore, California — roughly 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles — was first reported missing in April 2024 after running away from home. Her last known contact with her family came in May 2024. She was 13 when she disappeared and 14 at the time of her death, according to court documents. Her body was found on September 8, 2025 — one day after she would have turned 15.
The grim discovery began when a tow yard worker reported a foul odor coming from a 2023 Tesla Model Y that had been impounded after sitting seemingly abandoned for more than a month in an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood. The vehicle was registered to Burke at the Texas address of his family members. When LAPD investigators searched the car, they found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” according to court documents. Detectives partially unzipped the bag and found a decomposed head and torso. A second black bag beneath it contained dismembered arms and legs. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Burke had been under secret investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury for months. The existence of the probe — and D4vd’s status as its target — became public on February 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding their testimony. At the time Hernandez’s body was first discovered, a spokesperson for D4vd said he was “fully cooperating with authorities.” By November, NBC Los Angeles reported he was no longer cooperative.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said its Major Crimes Division will review the case Monday to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to file formal charges. No indictment has been returned and no criminal complaint has been filed.
D4vd’s defense team — attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — issued a statement: “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. 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.”
D4vd rose to national fame in 2022 when “Romantic Homicide” went viral on TikTok, eventually peaking at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He has 3.8 million TikTok followers and also built a following on gaming platforms like Fortnite. He later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and follow-up “The Lost Petals” in 2023, and his first full-length album, “Withered,” in April 2025.
D4vd was on a world tour in support of “Withered” when Hernandez’s body was found in his car. His final two scheduled North American tour dates — in San Francisco and Los Angeles — were canceled, as was a planned performance at the Grammy Museum and the entirety of his European tour. A deluxe edition of the album was also shelved.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Singer D4vd Arrested on Suspicion of Killing 14-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in His Tesla
A tow yard worker’s discovery of a foul smell led investigators to a cadaver bag inside an abandoned Tesla — and now the car’s owner, alt-pop singer D4vd, is facing a murder charge in the death of a dismembered 14-year-old girl.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: April 17, 2026 8:00 am ET
LOS ANGELES, CA — LAPD Robbery-Homicide detectives arrested singer D4vd — whose legal name is David Anthony Burke — Thursday on suspicion of murder in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered and decomposed remains were found last September stuffed inside a cadaver bag in the front trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered in his name. The 21-year-old Houston-born artist is being held without bail.
Hernandez, a seventh grader from Lake Elsinore, California — roughly 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles — was first reported missing in April 2024 after running away from home. Her last known contact with her family came in May 2024. She was 13 when she disappeared and 14 at the time of her death, according to court documents. Her body was found on September 8, 2025 — one day after she would have turned 15.
The grim discovery began when a tow yard worker reported a foul odor coming from a 2023 Tesla Model Y that had been impounded after sitting seemingly abandoned for more than a month in an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood. The vehicle was registered to Burke at the Texas address of his family members. When LAPD investigators searched the car, they found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” according to court documents. Detectives partially unzipped the bag and found a decomposed head and torso. A second black bag beneath it contained dismembered arms and legs. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Burke had been under secret investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury for months. The existence of the probe — and D4vd’s status as its target — became public on February 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding their testimony. At the time Hernandez’s body was first discovered, a spokesperson for D4vd said he was “fully cooperating with authorities.” By November, NBC Los Angeles reported he was no longer cooperative.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said its Major Crimes Division will review the case Monday to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to file formal charges. No indictment has been returned and no criminal complaint has been filed.
D4vd’s defense team — attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — issued a statement: “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. 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.”
D4vd rose to national fame in 2022 when “Romantic Homicide” went viral on TikTok, eventually peaking at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He has 3.8 million TikTok followers and also built a following on gaming platforms like Fortnite. He later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and follow-up “The Lost Petals” in 2023, and his first full-length album, “Withered,” in April 2025.
D4vd was on a world tour in support of “Withered” when Hernandez’s body was found in his car. His final two scheduled North American tour dates — in San Francisco and Los Angeles — were canceled, as was a planned performance at the Grammy Museum and the entirety of his European tour. A deluxe edition of the album was also shelved.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Singer D4vd Arrested on Suspicion of Killing 14-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in His Tesla
A tow yard worker’s discovery of a foul smell led investigators to a cadaver bag inside an abandoned Tesla — and now the car’s owner, alt-pop singer D4vd, is facing a murder charge in the death of a dismembered 14-year-old girl.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: April 17, 2026 8:00 am ET
LOS ANGELES, CA — LAPD Robbery-Homicide detectives arrested singer D4vd — whose legal name is David Anthony Burke — Thursday on suspicion of murder in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered and decomposed remains were found last September stuffed inside a cadaver bag in the front trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered in his name. The 21-year-old Houston-born artist is being held without bail.
Hernandez, a seventh grader from Lake Elsinore, California — roughly 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles — was first reported missing in April 2024 after running away from home. Her last known contact with her family came in May 2024. She was 13 when she disappeared and 14 at the time of her death, according to court documents. Her body was found on September 8, 2025 — one day after she would have turned 15.
The grim discovery began when a tow yard worker reported a foul odor coming from a 2023 Tesla Model Y that had been impounded after sitting seemingly abandoned for more than a month in an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood. The vehicle was registered to Burke at the Texas address of his family members. When LAPD investigators searched the car, they found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” according to court documents. Detectives partially unzipped the bag and found a decomposed head and torso. A second black bag beneath it contained dismembered arms and legs. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Burke had been under secret investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury for months. The existence of the probe — and D4vd’s status as its target — became public on February 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding their testimony. At the time Hernandez’s body was first discovered, a spokesperson for D4vd said he was “fully cooperating with authorities.” By November, NBC Los Angeles reported he was no longer cooperative.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said its Major Crimes Division will review the case Monday to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to file formal charges. No indictment has been returned and no criminal complaint has been filed.
D4vd’s defense team — attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — issued a statement: “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. 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.”
D4vd rose to national fame in 2022 when “Romantic Homicide” went viral on TikTok, eventually peaking at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He has 3.8 million TikTok followers and also built a following on gaming platforms like Fortnite. He later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and follow-up “The Lost Petals” in 2023, and his first full-length album, “Withered,” in April 2025.
D4vd was on a world tour in support of “Withered” when Hernandez’s body was found in his car. His final two scheduled North American tour dates — in San Francisco and Los Angeles — were canceled, as was a planned performance at the Grammy Museum and the entirety of his European tour. A deluxe edition of the album was also shelved.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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