D4vd’s Tesla found with Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body

The discovery of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains inside a Tesla registered to alt-pop singer D4vd has kept the case in national headlines since the body surfaced in a Hollywood tow yard last September. Prosecutors say the 14-year-old was killed months earlier, dismembered, and stored in the vehicle while the artist toured; he denies every charge. The question readers keep returning to is why the body ended up there in the first place.

Vehicle parked then forgotten

Surveillance footage shows D4vd driving the Tesla on July 29, 2025, before abandoning it a short walk from the rented Hollywood Hills house. The car had racked up parking tickets, so the city towed it to a nearby impound lot. It sat undisturbed for more than a month.

The singer left for a string of festival dates and European shows. Court records indicate he did not return to retrieve the Tesla or check on its contents before the body was found. Prosecutors later argued the abandonment was deliberate, while the defense maintains the vehicle was simply left behind during a busy touring schedule.

Workers at the tow yard noticed a strong odor on September 8. Inside the front trunk they discovered two black zippered bags. One contained the victim’s torso and head; the other held severed limbs. The discovery triggered a homicide investigation that would stretch across two counties.

Scene processing and early clues

LAPD criminalists processed the Tesla on site. They recovered eleven air fresheners scattered through the cabin and frunk, a detail they later testified was consistent with an attempt to mask decomposition. Phenolphthalein and Bluestar tests confirmed blood in multiple locations, and DNA matched Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Investigators also noted blue plastic fragments embedded in the wounds. Those fragments were later linked to an inflatable pool purchased online under an alias prosecutors tie to D4vd. The pool, they contend, was used during dismemberment to contain blood inside the garage.

Additional items recovered from the car and later traced to the same online accounts included cadaver bags, a chainsaw, and a “burn cage.” The presence of these purchases in digital records became a cornerstone of the prosecution’s narrative about premeditation.

Timeline of the relationship

Prosecutors allege the relationship began when Celeste was between eleven and thirteen. They point to thousands of text messages recovered from both phones, some of which reference an alleged pregnancy and discussions about abortion. The messages reportedly include threats by the victim to expose the relationship.

The last confirmed sighting of Celeste alive was April 23, 2025, when she was seen entering D4vd’s Hollywood Hills rental. Phone records place her device at that address for several days afterward. Prosecutors say she was killed sometime in May.

Defense attorneys counter that the digital evidence is incomplete and that the timeline does not prove their client was present at the time of death. They have asked the court to suppress portions of the text logs, arguing they were obtained without proper warrants.

Autopsy and cause of death

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner released the autopsy report in April 2026. Cause of death was ruled “multiple penetrating injuries,” with wounds to the abdomen and chest listed as fatal. Dismemberment occurred after death. Toxicology showed only low-level substances that were not considered contributory.

Dr. Odey Ukpo, the chief medical examiner, noted that the body had not been frozen and that the victim had not been decapitated, statements issued to counter online misinformation. The report also documented missing fingers, one of which bore a tattoo matching one on D4vd’s hand.

The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez released a brief statement through their attorney expressing gratitude that the medical findings had finally been made public and reiterating their demand for justice.

Physical evidence at the house

A search of the rented Hollywood Hills property turned up additional blood evidence in the garage. Luminol patterns and DNA swabs matched the victim. Investigators believe the dismemberment took place there, using the inflatable pool to contain fluids before the remains were loaded into the Tesla.

Prosecutors introduced receipts showing the pool and related cleanup supplies were delivered to the address weeks before Celeste was last seen. The defense has not disputed the purchases but maintains they were for legitimate household use.

Neighbors told detectives they had seen a young girl matching Celeste’s description at the property on multiple occasions. Those sightings have been entered into evidence to support the prosecution’s claim that she spent extended periods at the home.

Arrest and initial charges

D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was arrested on April 16, 2026, outside a Hollywood recording studio. He was booked on one count of first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under fourteen, and mutilation of human remains. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The special circumstances cited by prosecutors include lying in wait, killing for financial gain, and eliminating a witness. If convicted on any of those, D4vd would face life without parole.

His legal team issued a statement asserting that evidence would ultimately show he neither caused nor participated in the victim’s death. They have indicated plans to present an alternative timeline and question the chain of custody for several key pieces of physical evidence.

Preliminary hearing outcome

A July 2026 preliminary hearing lasted six days. LAPD criminalist Chelsea Murillo testified about the air fresheners and blood patterns found inside the Tesla. A digital forensics expert walked the court through the volume of text messages recovered from both phones.

Judge Michael Garcia ruled there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial on all counts. A status conference is scheduled for January 2027, with opening statements expected shortly afterward if no plea deal is reached.

Media access remains restricted. The court has issued a limited gag order after several outlets published details that had not yet been introduced in open court, prompting complaints from both prosecution and defense.

Public reaction and online discourse

The case has generated sustained discussion on TikTok and Instagram, where D4vd built much of his early fanbase. Some listeners have begun removing his music from playlists; others have organized streaming parties in protest of what they view as premature judgment. The artist’s label has remained silent beyond a standard statement about due process.

True-crime podcasts have dissected the timeline and forensic details, often comparing the case to earlier celebrity investigations that hinged on vehicle evidence. Several hosts have noted the unusual decision to store remains in an electric car whose frunk lacks the ventilation of a traditional trunk.

Local Riverside County officials, where Celeste was reported missing multiple times, have faced questions about how the repeated missing-persons reports were handled before her identification in Los Angeles. A county review is underway but has not yet produced public findings.

Trial expectations

Both sides have signaled they will call additional experts on decomposition timelines and digital evidence authentication. The defense is expected to argue that the body could have been placed in the Tesla after D4vd abandoned it, while prosecutors will emphasize the chain of digital purchases and the garage blood evidence.

Jury selection is likely to draw intense local coverage given the victim’s age and the defendant’s public profile. The court has already received dozens of requests for press credentials.

Whatever the outcome, the proceedings will test how juries weigh forensic evidence recovered from a widely recognizable consumer vehicle against a high-profile defendant’s claim of innocence.

Case trajectory ahead

The January 2027 status conference will determine whether any last-minute motions delay the trial or whether both sides proceed on schedule. Observers expect renewed attention once jury selection begins, particularly around how the court manages graphic evidence and social-media coverage.