Singer d4vd Arrested on Suspicion of Murder After Teen’s Remains Found in His Tesla

The Los Angeles Police Department has officially arrested 21-year-old alt-pop singer d4vd (legal name David Burke) on suspicion of murder. The arrest, confirmed on Thursday, April 16, 2026, follows a months-long investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposed and dismembered remains were discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the artist last September. Burke is currently being held without bail, and detectives are expected to present the formal case to the L.A. County District Attorney’s office on Monday for charging consideration.

The grim discovery was made on September 8, 2025, after employees at a Hollywood impound lot reported a "foul odor" and flies surrounding an apparently abandoned 2023 Tesla Model Y. According to court documents, investigators found a cadaver bag containing a decomposed head and torso, while a second bag underneath held severed limbs. The vehicle had been towed from a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills where it had been sitting for several days. Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing from her hometown of Lake Elsinore over a year prior, in April 2024, when she was just 13 years old.

While the investigation was initially kept under a strict "security hold" to protect its integrity, d4vd was revealed as the primary target in February 2026 when his family filed court objections to subpoenas in Texas. During the height of the investigation, the singer was on his Withered World Tour, but he eventually canceled his remaining North American and European dates as news of his connection to the case began to surface. He also faced significant professional fallout, with brands like Crocs and Hollister reportedly removing him from their marketing campaigns as the probe intensified.

Attorneys for David Burke have released a statement maintaining his innocence, asserting that the "actual evidence" will prove he did not cause the teenager’s death. They insisted that he has only been detained under suspicion and has not yet been formally indicted by a grand jury. However, the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division stated that the arrest was based on probable cause developed over the last seven months.

How do you feel about the developments in this case, and what do you think the impact will be on the music industry? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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