The murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were discovered in the trunk of a Tesla last year after it was impounded, sent shockwaves across her hometown of Lake Elsinore.
Questions swirled after the teenager was reported missing two years ago and resulted in her body being found in a vehicle registered to a popular TikTok singer known as “D4vd.” The 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Burke, was arrested seven months after the grim discovery was made at a Los Angeles tow yard.
As of Sunday, the singer remains held without bail but without facing charges as he anticipates his first appearance in court on Monday in connection with the case. It’s then that he may learn whether the District Attorney’s office will decide to pursue charges or not.
Below is a timeline of the Hernandez’s case.
April 2024 – Hernandez goes missing
Hernandez, who was a 13-year-old seventh grader at the time, was reported missing out of the Lake Elsinore area sometime in 2024. She was last seen on April 5, 2024, in Lake Elsinore.
Matthew Rivas, the girl’s brother, told NBCLA that when she disappeared, she was on her way to see a movie with Burke. He added that family members were aware that the girl knew the singer.
Aug. 5, 2025 – D4vd goes on tour
D4vd begins his “Withered” tour in Del Mar.
Late August or early September 2025 – A Tesla is impounded
A Tesla Model Y was impounded after being abandoned for a month in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood.
Sept. 8, 2025 – A body is discovered in the impounded Tesla
Tow yard workers at Hollywood Tow noticed a strong odor coming from a Tesla on the lot and reported it to law enforcement.
When police officers responded, they inspected the vehicle and opened the front trunk, where human remains were discovered. Inside some bags, officers found a decomposed head and torso, as well as severed limbs and dismembered body parts.
A death investigation was then launched.
That same night, D4vd performed in Minneapolis as part of his “Withered” tour.
Celeste Rivas’s family told NBCLA that the 15-year-old knew the singer D4vd. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.
Sept. 9, 2025 – Investigators say the Tesla is registered to D4vd
Investigators learned the Tesla containing the body was registered to D4vd. Representatives for the singer said he was cooperating with law enforcement.
“D4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities,” a spokesperson for D4vd said in a statement at the time.
Homicide investigators determined the remains belonged to a female. Due to the decomposition of the body, identification was delayed, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
Sept. 16, 2025 – Remains are identified as Celeste Rivas Hernandez
Officials identified the remains as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez through forensics, law enforcement told NBC4 Investigates at the time.
Hernandez’s body was found a day after what would have been her 15th birthday.
Sept. 17, 2025 – Hollywood Hills home searched
A rental home in the Hollywood Hills was searched in connection with the investigation. Officials said the singer had been staying at the home before he went on tour.
At the time, law enforcement sources told NBC News that detectives were searching for digital devices that could have had recordings connecting Hernandez to the location.
The body of Celeste Rivas, found in D4vd’s Tesla earlier this month, was turned over to her family. Macy Jenkins reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025,
Sept. 19, 2025 – Tour is canceled
In the wake of the investigation, the singer’s remaining U.S. tour dates were canceled.
Sept. 21, 2025 – Vigil is held
Members of the Lake Elsinore community gathered to mourn Hernandez’s death.
“My nephew went to school with her since kindergarten and I just want to say as a… if it was my daughter, I wouldn’t want her to be forgotten. I just want justice for this little girl because whatever happened to her wasn’t just an accident… I don’t want her to be forgotten,” one resident said.
Sept. 24, 2025 – Hernandez’s family gets custody of her body
Hernandez’s family received custody of the girl’s body and planned an Oct. 4, 2025, memorial service for her.
Nov. 18, 2025 – D4vd is named a suspect
The singer was identified as a suspect in the case, an LAPD source with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC4 Investigates at the time.
That same source also said that despite what the singer’s representative had previously said, D4vd actually had not been cooperative in the investigation. They also shared that investigators believed Hernandez’s death happened in the spring of 2025, and that the suspect likely had help in dismembering and disposing of the body.
Singer D4vd has been identified as suspect in connection with the death of a 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, according to an LAPD source with direct knowledge of the investigation. Eric Leonard reports for NBC4 at 6 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2025.
Nov. 21, 2025 – Court orders Hernandez’s death details sealed
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner sealed information in the ongoing investigation into Hernandez’s death.
The Medical Examiner received a court order to place a security hold on publicly-viewable information on the case at the request of police. That meant that the timing, cause, or manner of death of Hernandez was kept from public knowledge.
“No records or details associated with the case, including the cause and manner of death and Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo in a statement at the time.
February 2026 – D4vd’s family tries to block testimony enforcement in LA
Los Angeles prosecutors and police officers sought to have D4vd’s mother, father and brother testify before a grand jury investigating the case, court documents filed in Texas showed. The suspect’s family is based in Texas, which is why the filing was made in the Lone Star State.
The court filings, which typically would be sealed since they were dealing with a secret grand jury investigation, went public since the singer’s family tried to block their enforcement by going to a Texas judge. The judge ultimately denied their petition.
The latest information on the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found inside a Tesla registered to the pop singer D4vd, appeared in Texas, where D4vd’s family tried to block an LA court order.
April 16, 2026 – D4vd is arrested, but not charged
Seven months after the teenager’s body was discovered, D4vd was arrested on a probable cause warrant in connection with her murder. Although the singer wasn’t charged in the case, he was held without bail.
The case is slated to be presented to the District Attorney’s office on Monday, when prosecutors will review the facts and determine whether the singer will face charges or not.
The singer’s legal team maintained their client’s innocence.
“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,” attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement. “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.”
The singer is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
