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Authorities are deepening their investigation into the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez as singer D4vd continues to draw scrutiny following the grisly discovery of her decomposed remains in the trunk of his Tesla. More than two months after the shocking find, law-enforcement insiders say the 20-year-old artist, born David Anthony Burke, is being “looked at as a suspect,” though no formal designation has been made.
Hernandez’s body was discovered on September 8, wrapped in plastic and severely decomposed inside Burke’s impounded vehicle. Toxicology results and an official ruling from the Medical Examiner are still pending, but investigators are treating the case as a possible homicide. According to NBC4, a police source claims Hernandez likely died months earlier, and that “multiple individuals” may have been involved in dismembering and disposing of her remains.
TMZ reported that detectives have uncovered evidence suggesting Burke took an unexplained overnight trip to a remote area of Santa Barbara County during the spring, a detail authorities have not publicly confirmed. Burke has also allegedly been uncooperative during interviews, though LAPD officials declined to state whether he is formally considered a suspect.
Hernandez, who ran away from her Lake Elsinore home at age 13, had reportedly been involved with someone named “David,” according to her mother. Online investigators have since resurfaced several images appearing to show the singer alongside a girl resembling Hernandez, though the context and dates of the photos remain unclear.
Police previously raided a $20,000-a-month Hollywood Hills mansion connected to Burke’s management team, where the artist had been staying. Private investigator Steve Fischer claims to have found several “farm-style tools” inside the property, items he said “made no sense in a Hollywood Hills home.” He declined to name the objects, citing the active investigation.
Since the discovery, Burke has canceled his tour, stepped out of the public eye, and hired high-profile attorney Blair Berk. LAPD officials say “several items of evidence” were collected from the Hollywood Hills search, but no arrests have been made. Hernandez’s cause of death remains pending as investigators continue piecing together the timeline of her disappearance and tragic end.