In early September 2025, human remains were discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla impounded at a Hollywood tow yard. The car had been ticketed, towed, and abandoned on a street in the Hollywood Hills.
The vehicle is registered to the singer D4vd (born David Anthony Burke), a rising artist with millions of monthly listeners, known for songs like “Romantic Homicide” and “Here with Me.”
The body was eventually identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who
had been reported missing in April 2024 from Lake Elsinore, California. The medical examiner described the remains as severely decomposed, and determined the death appeared to have occurred some time before the car was impounded. Authorities are investigating the case as a homicide, though no official charges have been announced.
According to police, the Tesla had been parked on Bluebird Avenue in the Hollywood Hills for weeks. Transforming this, the impound came after a parking citation for violating a 72-hour parking rule; two days after that citation, the car was towed. Then, on September 8, tow yard workers alerted police to a foul odor; officers searched the car and discovered the remains in a bag inside the front trunk.
Investigators later executed a search warrant at a Hollywood Hills residence associated with D4vd. Electronics, computers, and other items were seized. Meanwhile, D4vd canceled the rest of his U.S. tour dates.
Family, fans, and community members have expressed deep grief. A vigil was held in Lake Elsinore, her hometown. According to reports, Celeste had a “Shhh…” tattoo on her right index finger – a detail that drew attention because photos show the same tattoo on D4vd’s finger. However, authorities have not confirmed a personal relationship or romantic involvement between the two.
Law enforcement officials claim that D4vd has not cooperated with the investigation. As of now, no formal suspect has been publicly named, including D4vd. The cause of death also remains under review, due to the advanced state of decomposition.
This case has drawn widespread media attention and social media discussion — in part because of the singer’s fame, the shocking circumstances, and questions about how and when the girl’s body ended up in his vehicle. But as of now, public reporting remains focused on confirmed facts: the identity of the victim, her disappearance, the discovery in the Tesla, the investigation, and the cooperation of Burke (D4vd).
As I was watching the story unfold, I started to wonder about how this twenty something unknown somehow became so well known. One does not just show up and perform at the Hollywood Bowl, without some degree of clout. Reading further, I recognized his last name Burke. Early in my career, I was a part of a decent band. Locally, in Dayton Ohio, we often showed up at the Lakeview Palladium, as an opening act.
The Stairsteps
We crossed paths with another group of kids by the name of the Five Stairsteps. They were experiencing some degree of success – ahead of the Jackson 5. I met one of the Stairstep kids – a young man named Kenny Burke. My curiosity paid off, and I discovered that Kenny of Five Stairsteps fame is the grandfather of young David Burke.
Bingo or perhaps Eureka is the better word. Kenny – now known as Keni Burke has remained tangentially relevant in the music business. Since the days with his other four siblings, when Burke recorded the Stan Vincent hit record
Keni Burke
, “Ooo Child” his most recent original releases were the single “So Real” in 2011 and the album “Nothin’ But Love” in 1998. His older hit, “Risin’ to the Top,” remains popular and has seen recent re-releases and remixes. The mystery surrounding Keni’s grandson remains a mystery as of this writing, but the mystery surrounding the young man’s talent as well as his rise to the top is for now resolved. We wish him well, and hope that the evolving mystery of the life and death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is also resolved and that her memory will be a blessing.
Story: Charles Jackson
