On September 8th, 2025, at the Hollywood Tow Yard, the decaying and dismembered body of 15 year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in the trunk of a black 2023 Model S Tesla with Texas license plates that was registered to artist David Anthony Burke, or D4vd, after a foul odor radiated from the car.
David began his “Withered” world tour in April of 2025; however, his tour was cancelled due to the discovery of the now confirmed body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Initially, several rumors sparked the internet, assuming David’s vehicle had been stolen since he had been on tour, and after major news articles confirmed that David was made aware of the situation and that he was fully cooperating with the authorities within the investigation, people assumed that he had no connection to the case. However, these theories would quickly fall away after it was confirmed that the two had interactions tracing back to 2022, where Celeste would be 11 or 12 years old while David would be 16 or 17 years old.
According to Fox 11 news, the two were known to be communicating through an online platform known as Discord. After the moderators revealed that none of them had any knowledge of her true age, people began to examine more into their connection to later identify that both of them had a “Sshhhh” tattoo on their right index finger. Many argued that she was likely a fan and got the tattoo as a form of support. However, Celeste was seen in public several times with David. These dates would likely connect with David’s extremely active social media posts where he would speak about his relationship with a female whose interests directly coincided with Celeste interests. Their relationship in the public eye would not have been accepted due to Celeste’s young age at which many speculate was a reason why he would surround himself with several women who were also named Celeste and shared a resemblance to her, especially within his music videos and in the public.
Several of David’s songs could be considered love songs that show either the development or ending of a relationship. His biggest hit that pushed him into the media was a song named “Romantic Homicide” which was released in 2022. Many people also alleged that the song was released on Celeste’s birthday, September 7th, when she was turning 12 years old. This would not be the only connection speculated within his music videos because David would appear to be a detective who would solve his alter ego, Itami’s, murders. Itami translates to “pain” in Japanese and is known for wearing a white button up dress shirt stained with blood splatters and black dress pants. People on the internet are now analyzing his music videos and lyrics since many events illustrated direct relation with evidence found in the case.
However, music is not considered admissible in a court of law, which highlights the facts that no arrests or charges have been made against anyone in relation to the case. Furthermore, the police are treating this case with extreme caution, since David is a young black man who is being accused of murder and possibly worse. Many theories can be false and accusations like these would ruin his career if they are wrong. Despite this, the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez can not go undetermined regardless of her history as a runaway with the Riverside authorities. It was reported that she would travel over 70 miles to be with David until her family reported her missing to the police, then the police returned Celeste to her parents custody. Authorities reported that between the dates of February 2024 to April 2025, Celeste had been reported missing 3 times.
Until August 27th, 2025 on Doheny Drive, Hollywood hills, a black 2023 Model S Tesla with Texas plates was noted for not moving in at least a week. On September 3rd, the car was cited for a ticket since it had violated a 72 hour parking ordinance. Later on September 5th, the car was towed and impounded to Hollywood Tow. On September 8th, the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found. She would not be identified for several days due to the state of her body, according to ABC 7 News.
The murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is an extremely devastating case, especially since she was a victim of possibly more than just murder. Her case should not be swept under the rug. No case deserves to be hidden because of who might have done it and the power they hold, and this includes David Anthony Burke, D4vd.
