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In September of 2025, the body of Celeste Rivas, a 14-year-old who had been reported missing, was found in a Tesla registered to d4vd, a singer and composer whose legal name is David Anthony Burke. The case garnered extensive notice when Rivas’s mom made assertions about a link between her daughter and the artist—and indicated specific features like ink and potential musical mentions. Following being named a person of concern, Burke was taken into custody during April of 2026 regarding Rivas’s passing, although he has denied culpability.
Here’s what we have come to know regarding how the pair might have been familiar with one another.
Who Is d4vd?
D4vd (birth name: David) is a 21 year old singer and songwriter well known because of his songs “Here with Me” and “Romantic Homicide,” each of which became widely known on TikTok. He was born in Queens, New York, and was raised in Houston, Texas.
Who Was Celeste Rivas?
Rivas was a 14 year old who disappeared in April of 2024. Reports state that the Lake Elsinore, California, local was 13 at that time.
The body found in a towed Tesla that was registered to the singer D4vd has been identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, according to officials. https://t.co/yAPc3p8k3F pic.twitter.com/9tSsMTZJO2
— ABC News (@ABC) September 18, 2025
Did d4vd & Celeste Rivas Know Each Other?
It stays uncertain if Rivas and d4vd had an established friendship, and officials have not freely described if or how they knew each other.
The vocalist has not spoken on assumptions of an alleged association. Though, multiple articles have highlighted possible ties, containing claims that the pair could have had matching “Shhh” tattoos upon their fingers, though this hasn’t been separately proven. Also, Rivas’s mom shared with TMZ that her child had a lover called David in 2024 — before she went unaccounted for.
Plus, discussions emerged concerning a released tune of d4vd’s titled, “Celeste_Demo unfin” at the time it was dropped in late 2023. In the music, d4vd mentions a woman called Celeste more than once.
“Oh, Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest,” he sings in a line of the unreleased single. “Smell her on my clothes like cigarettes / I hear her voice each time I take a breath / I’m obsessed.” In a different line, he sings, “Oh, Celeste / Afraid you’ll only love me when undressed / But you look so damn gorgeous in that dress.”
D4vd was also spotted in the area of Rivas’s house shortly prior to her vanishing during April of 2024, reported various sources.
How Did Celeste Rivas Die?
Authorities have currently potified how Celeste Rivas Hernandez died. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that the 14-year-old’s passing came from “multiple penetrating injuries caused by object(s)” and proclaimed it a homicide.
According to the account, Rivas underwent a pair of piercing injuries to her body, with additional wounds. Investigators similarly reported that her body was uncovered during September of 2025 inside a developed state of damage, which at first produced complexities in finding the reason for passing.
“A deputy medical examiner conducted an examination of Ms. Rivas Hernandez on September 10, 2025, at the DME’s Forensic Science Center,” the release said. “The cause and manner of death were determined December 9, 2025.”
During April of 2026, officials arrested d4vd with respect to the case. Since then, he has been charged with first-degree murder and extra felony counts, and is now held without bond. He has pleaded as not guilty, and the trial is still running.