The body of a teenage girl found inside a vehicle reportedly registered to singer and TikTok sensation d4vd has been identified, according to reports.
Celeste Rivas died on Sept. 8 at the age of 15, according to online records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Rivas’ cause of death is currently listed as “deferred,” which means the teen’s exact cause of death has not been disclosed and is pending further investigation.
The medical examiner noted that Rivas’ place of death was a vehicle.
According to NBC4 Los Angeles and ABC 7, Rivas was the body discovered earlier this month inside an impounded Tesla that was left at a tow yard in Hollywood. The vehicle is allegedly registered under the name of d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for d4vd for comment.
Under a search warrant, detectives recovered several items near West Hollywood in connection with Rivas’ death that will be analyzed in the coming days, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY. The department stated it is following up on several leads and will share additional information when available.
LAPD officers responded to the 1000 block of Mansfield Avenue on Sept. 8 after reports that a foul odor was coming from the vehicle, Officer Drake Madison told USA TODAY in an email on Sept. 9.
Police were unable to confirm the identity of the vehicle’s owner at the time.
The human remains were reportedly found inside a bag, which was located in the front trunk of the Tesla, per NBC and ABC. Authorities told the outlets that the body was in a state of decomposition.
During its early investigation of Rivas’ death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported that the teen’s body “was found severely decomposed inside a vehicle” and appeared to “have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found,” according to a statement shared with USA TODAY on Sept. 18.
Additionally, the medical examiner noted that Rivas, who was described as having wavy black hair, was wearing a tube top and a pair of black leggings at the time of her death. She was also wearing a yellow metal stud earring and a yellow metal chain bracelet.
A representative for dv4d previously told NBC that the singer had been informed of the investigation and was “fully cooperating with the authorities.”
Celeste Rivas ran away from home prior to death, d4vd investigation
A year before her death, Rivas was the subject of a missing person’s investigation, authorities have confirmed to USA TODAY.
In April 2024, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 33000 block of Jamieson Street in Lake Elsinore, California, after being notified of a runaway, Lieutenant Deirdre Vickers said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY on Sept. 18. Police were subsequently informed that the individual, described as a “female juvenile,” had left the address “in an unknown direction.”
Rivas’ case was entered into the sheriff’s office’s missing persons database after deputies were unable to locate her following a search of the area, Vickers said. The investigation remained ongoing.
A breakthrough in the search came on Sept. 17 when LAPD notified the sheriff’s office that the body of the missing female had been located and identified as Rivas.
Who is d4vd?
The rising indie pop singer, 20, first made waves in 2022 when his songs “Here with Me” and “Romantic Homicide” went viral on TikTok. He later signed with Interscope Records and released his debut album, “Withered,” in April.
D4vd, who began his musical career by making accompaniments for montages of the online game Fortnite, lent his talent to the gaming world with the official Fortnite 2025 anthem “Locked & Loaded,” which released Sept. 3.
D4vd is currently headlining his Withered World Tour and is scheduled to perform in San Francisco on Friday, Sept. 19, according to his official website. The singer is performing in Los Angeles the following day with a show at The Greek Theatre.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY