Singer D4vd Named Suspect in Death of 15-Year-Old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in Tesla

Kieran Lockhart

The decomposed, dismembered body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard on September 8, 2024 — a discovery that has since spiraled into one of the most disturbing celebrity-linked investigations in recent memory. Now, over a year later, multiple law enforcement sources confirm that the rising R&B artist D4vd, whose legal name is David, is being treated as a suspect in what authorities have classified as a homicide. No arrests have been made, but investigators believe he played a central role in her death — and may have received help disposing of her remains. The case, still active as of November 2025, has left a community in grief, fans in shock, and the music industry scrambling for answers.

How a Missing Teen Led to a Tesla in a Tow Yard

Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a sophomore from Lake Elsinore, California, had a history of running away. She’d left home multiple times before, always returning. But in April 2024, she vanished for good. Her last known contact was a phone call to her family at the end of May 2024. She was 15. By the time her body was found, over four months had passed — and no one had filed a missing persons report until July, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office records. The delay, officials say, was due to her prior pattern of disappearing, which slowed the initial response.

Then, on September 8, 2024, a tow yard worker in Hollywood noticed an unclaimed vehicle with a foul odor emanating from its trunk. When opened, the remains of a teenage girl were found — severely decomposed and dismembered. The car, a black Tesla Model S, was registered to D4vd. The connection was immediate. Investigators quickly pulled his phone records, financial transactions, and location data. What they found was chilling: D4vd’s phone pinged near Lake Elsinore on May 28, 2024 — the same day Celeste was last seen alive — and again near the Hollywood tow yard on August 25, 2024, just two weeks before her body was discovered.

Investigators Believe There Were Others Involved

“David is being considered a suspect in Celeste Rivas’s death,” a law enforcement official told KTLA on camera on November 19, 2025. “And new reports are surfacing that the singer may have had help disposing of her body.”

That’s the twist. While D4vd is the primary focus, sources tell ABC News and TMZ that investigators are also looking at at least two other individuals — one believed to be a former tour manager, the other a local mechanic with ties to the tow yard. The dismemberment, officials say, suggests more than one person was involved. “This wasn’t the work of someone acting alone in panic,” said one anonymous investigator. “It was methodical. Someone knew how to handle a body. Someone had access to tools.”

Cell tower data places D4vd in Los Angeles on August 24, 2024, the day before the Tesla was towed. Surveillance footage from a gas station near the tow yard shows a man matching his build loading a large, heavy duffel bag into the trunk of the car — but the face is obscured. No one has been charged, and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to release an official cause or manner of death, though sources confirm it’s being treated as a homicide.

Why This Case Has Captured National Attention

D4vd — real name David — is not a household name, but he’s been on a fast track. Signed to Interscope Records, he’s collaborated with artists like Billie Eilish and Oliver Tree, and his 2023 EP “Cherry” went viral on TikTok. His music, moody and introspective, often explores isolation and emotional pain. Fans were stunned when news broke. “I listened to his songs about feeling lost,” one fan posted on X. “I never thought he’d be the one who made someone else disappear.”

But it’s not just the fame that makes this case explosive. It’s the timing. Celeste’s disappearance coincided with a surge in cases involving missing teens and online predators. Her social media accounts, investigators say, showed frequent direct messages from anonymous accounts — one of which, according to court documents, used a handle matching a private Instagram profile linked to D4vd’s team. The account was deleted within hours of the body’s discovery.

What Happens Next — And Why It Could Break Soon

“Resolution won’t be immediate,” an investigator told ABC7NY on November 18, 2025. “But we may be coming toward an end to this within the next days to two weeks.” That window — November 20 to December 4, 2025 — is now being closely watched. Sources say prosecutors are finalizing search warrants for D4vd’s home, studio, and cloud storage. Forensic audio analysis is underway on a voice recording allegedly recovered from a deleted voicemail left by Celeste on her mother’s phone on May 28, 2024. The message, reportedly just 17 seconds long, ends with the words: “I’m scared. He said if I tell, he’ll make sure no one ever finds me.”

If prosecutors can authenticate that recording — and link it definitively to D4vd — charges could come within days. Meanwhile, the Tesla has been seized as evidence. Its onboard systems, including the vehicle’s cameras and GPS logs, are being analyzed for any trace of Celeste’s presence inside the car during the critical window.

The Broader Implications

This case is more than a celebrity scandal. It’s a grim reminder of how vulnerable teens can be — especially those who’ve been conditioned to believe they can disappear and reappear without consequence. Celeste’s family has not spoken publicly, but a statement released through their attorney in October 2025 read: “We just want to know what happened to our daughter. We want justice. Not headlines.”

Meanwhile, the music industry is bracing. Labels are reviewing their artist safety protocols. Some are requiring background checks for tour staff. Others are mandating mental health check-ins for young artists — a move some see as overdue.