D4vd arrested for murder of Celeste Rivas after months-long investigation
The Los Angeles Police Department arrests David Burke after the missing teen was found dead in his car
Published April 17, 2026
Singer D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the missing teenage girl whose remains were found in the trunk of his abandoned car in September 2025.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced on X on Thursday, April 16 that the Robbery-Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, a 21-year-old resident of Los Angeles. The artist is currently being held without bail.
The LA District Attorney’s office said that the case will soon be presented to the Major Crimes Division after which prosecutors will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file charges.
The arrest comes months after 14-year-old Hernandez’s body was discovered in an impounded Tesla registered under Burke’s name which had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills near the singer’s residence for weeks. Police were alerted after complaints of a foul odour coming from the car.
D4vd’s lawyer issues statement after arrest
Burke’s lawyers, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter, have issued a statement following the arrest: “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."
They added, “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. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
What happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez?
The Riverside County Sheriff had listed Hernandez as missing from Lake Elsinore, California, on at least three different occasions in 2024. Residents previously told the Los Angeles Times that Hernandez had a history of running away from home.
Her body was finally discovered on September 8, 2025, days before her 15th birthday. At the time, D4vd was in Minneapolis on his Withered World Tour, which he subsequently cancelled.
A rep for the artist told NBCLA at the time that D4vd was cooperating with authorities in their investigation — a claim later denied by an LAPD source.
In February 2026, Burke was officially named as a target of a grand jury murder probe in the investigation.
Police have yet to confirm a link between Rivas and Burke, though there has been online speculation about a possible romantic history.
