HIDDEN IN A TRUNK: THE DEATH OF CELESTE RIVAS HERNANDEZ
A missing 15-year-old girl. A world-famous musician. A Tesla left on a quiet street in the Hollywood Hills, baking in the summer heat while a family miles away kept begging anyone who would listen to help find their daughter. For more than a year, Celeste Rivas Hernandez was treated as another “runaway.” Then, on September 8, 2025, workers at a tow yard opened the front trunk of an impounded Tesla and found what no one was supposed to see: a black bag, a decomposed body weighing only 71 pounds, and a “Shhh…” tattoo on a teenager’s finger.
The car was registered to 20-year-old recording artist David Anthony Burke, better known as d4vd. The girl in the trunk was identified as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had just turned 15 the day before her remains were found. What happened between the moment she disappeared from Lake Elsinore in 2024 and the day her body was discovered in that Tesla remains at the center of an ongoing, tightly controlled murder investigation.
This case is about more than a celebrity’s car and a sealed autopsy. It is about a child who kept slipping through cracks that should never have been there, a system that labeled her a “runaway” instead of a victim, and a growing list of adults whose decisions before and after her death are now under a microscope.
A GIRL WHO KEPT DISAPPEARING, AND A SYSTEM THAT NEVER PULLED HER BACK
Before she was headlines and hashtags, Celeste was just a kid in Lake Elsinore, California. She grew up in a working-class neighborhood, in a family that had come to the United States from El Salvador, trying to build a life while navigating language, culture, and a world that is not always kind to immigrant families. Spanish and English flowed through her home. Her family loved her, argued with her, worried about her, and kept trying to pull her back when she drifted.
Celeste first disappeared on Valentine’s Day 2024. She was 13 years old. Her family reported her missing and pleaded for help. She eventually came back, only to disappear again. Over the course of that year, she was reported missing multiple times. Each time, the word “runaway” followed her like a label stuck to her file. Each time, the assumption seemed to be that she had chosen to leave, not that someone might be pulling her away or taking advantage of her.
On or around April 5, 2024, she left home again. This time, she did not return. Her family filed yet another missing-person report. They posted flyers. They begged neighbors for surveillance footage. They shared her face on social media and tried to keep her name from being swallowed by the constant noise of the internet. But as weeks turned into months, the story from the system stayed painfully simple: she was a teen who “ran away.”
During this period, Celeste told her mother she had a boyfriend. She said his name was “David.” That detail, which might have sounded like normal teenage talk at the time, would later land like a punch when it collided with the name of the musician whose car she was found in. Online, people would share screenshots, clips, and photos they believed showed Celeste with the singer, but many of those are still unverified and not officially confirmed. What has been reported and alleged by multiple sources, however, is that during part of the time she was missing in 2024, Celeste was believed to be living in a rental home in the Hollywood Hills that was connected to the singer and his team.
So while her family and local authorities were searching, issuing alerts, and treating her as a runaway, it appears a child who should have been protected was instead orbiting the life of a rising star, far from the safety of her own home.
THE TESLA ON THE HILL THAT EVERYONE WALKED PAST
In the summer of 2025, a white Tesla appeared on a street in the Hollywood Hills. Neighbors later described it as just “that car on the hill” — the vehicle that never seemed to move. Days went by. Then weeks. It sat there in the affluent Bird Streets area while life went on around it. People walked their dogs, jogged by, and drove past, never knowing what was inside.
Eventually, someone complained. In Los Angeles, there is a 72-hour rule for street parking. If a car doesn’t move for three days, it can be cited and towed. A ticket went on the windshield. Still, no one opened the trunk. Then the Tesla was finally towed to a Hollywood tow yard, where it sat in the back, baking in late summer heat.
The workers at the tow yard began to notice a smell. Decomposition is not subtle. It is heavy, sour, and unforgettable. As the odor intensified, workers traced it to the front trunk of the Tesla — the “frunk.” They called the police.
When officers opened the compartment, they found a black bag. Inside that bag were human remains. The body was badly decomposed, reduced to 71 pounds. There was a small tattoo on one finger that read “Shhh…” It was clear that this was not a recent death. The teenager had been dead for weeks, if not longer. The car was registered to David Anthony Burke, the musician known professionally as d4vd.
In the chaos that followed, early coverage and social media posts claimed her body had been frozen, “flash-frozen,” or even decapitated. Those details spread fast, carried by shock and anger. Later, investigators publicly pushed back: they said her body had not been frozen and had not been decapitated. Official statements describe her remains as badly decomposed and, according to some reports, partially dismembered. Without access to the full autopsy, the exact extent and nature of those injuries is still not fully known to the public. What is clear is that whatever was done to Celeste after she died was deliberate, violent, and meant to delay or complicate the truth.
The date was September 8, 2025 — the day after what should have been Celeste’s 15th birthday. While the singer was reportedly on tour, the car registered in his name, abandoned on a hill and then locked behind a tow yard fence, was holding the body of a child everyone had been searching for.
WHO CELESTE WAS BEFORE SHE BECAME “THE GIRL IN THE TRUNK”
Cases like this have a way of flattening victims into symbols. “The girl in the Tesla.” “The runaway.” “The body in the trunk.” Celeste was more than that.
She was a teenager still stuck halfway between childhood and adulthood. She walked to the corner store for snacks and drinks. She had long, dark hair and a face that still looked soft and young. She came from a family who had to translate not only words but entire systems — medical, legal, educational — just to get basic help. They filed missing-person reports. They spoke to reporters. They held vigils. They kept showing up even when it felt like no one in power truly understood how much danger she was in.
People who knew her talk about the normal parts of her life: the way she drifted in and out of the house, the way she tried to act older than she was, the way she seemed pulled toward something bigger and more exciting than what her small world could offer. Those same traits — curiosity, vulnerability, a desire to belong — made her an easy target for adults with more power, more money, and more control than she could have understood.
The “Shhh…” tattoo on her finger, once just a piece of teen rebellion, now sits at the center of her identification and the public’s understanding of who she was. It is a chilling symbol of the silence that surrounded her while she was missing and the silence that still surrounds her case today.
MORE ABOUT THE CASE: SECRECY, DIGITAL TRAILS, AND A GRAND JURY
Once Celeste was identified, the case shifted from a missing-person investigation to a high-profile death investigation with a celebrity at the center. But this is not a normal homicide case. It is a case wrapped in secrecy orders, sealed records, and a growing mountain of digital data.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is leading the investigation. Detectives have searched at least one property in the Hollywood Hills that was leased by the singer’s management and used as his residence. They have seized electronic devices, collected physical evidence, and begun the long, tedious process of reconstructing Celeste’s final months through text messages, location data, social media activity, and witness statements.
According to public statements, investigators believe:
- Celeste was dead before her body was placed in the Tesla.
- She may have been dead for weeks by the time she was discovered.
- Her body was moved, handled, and stored in ways that suggest planning and effort — not an accident.
- More than one person was likely involved in the handling and disposal of her remains.
Because her remains were so decomposed, the medical examiner initially listed her cause and manner of death as deferred, pending further study. Then LAPD took an additional step: they went to court and asked a judge to block the release of her autopsy and related findings. A detective submitted a declaration calling the case an “investigation into murder” and arguing that making the details public could expose witnesses, reveal investigative strategies, and compromise the case. A judge agreed and ordered the autopsy findings and related documents to be sealed.
Even the medical examiner has acknowledged that this level of secrecy, initiated at the request of law enforcement, is unusual. It has left the public, and even many in the true crime community, in the dark about basic facts: How exactly did she die? What injuries did she have? What was done to her body and when? For now, those answers exist only inside a file that cannot be released without another court order.
At the same time, a grand jury has been convened to hear evidence. Behind closed doors, prosecutors are presenting testimony from law enforcement, people in the singer’s orbit, and others who may have information about what happened to Celeste, where she was staying, and who knew what — and when. According to reporting on those proceedings, at least one senior figure from the singer’s label and touring company has already testified. After leaving the grand jury room, he allegedly admitted being pressed on why he did not contact police himself and claimed he did not feel it was his responsibility.
The picture that emerges is of a young girl on the margins of power, and a network of adults around a profitable artist who may have looked away, compartmentalized, or convinced themselves that whatever was happening was not their problem — until it exploded in public.
WHAT WE KNOW FROM INVESTIGATORS (SO FAR)
Because of the sealed records and ongoing proceedings, much of what investigators believe is filtered through carefully worded statements. Still, there are key points that have been publicly described or acknowledged:
- The case is being treated as a murder investigation, not an accident.
- The Tesla where Celeste’s body was found had been left parked on a Hollywood Hills street for weeks before being towed.
- The car was registered to singer David Anthony Burke, known as d4vd.
- Celeste had been reported missing multiple times from Lake Elsinore, including in April 2024, and was still listed as missing when she was found.
- Her remains were badly decomposed and weighed approximately 71 pounds at autopsy.
- She had a “Shhh…” tattoo on her finger that helped confirm her identity.
- Investigators have executed at least one search warrant at a Hollywood Hills home associated with the singer’s team and seized electronic devices and other evidence.
- Law enforcement officials have described the singer as a suspect in the ongoing investigation.
- A grand jury is hearing evidence related to her death, the handling of her body, and the actions and inactions of people around the singer.
- The medical examiner’s report, including cause and manner of death, is sealed under a court order initiated by LAPD.
Investigators have also indicated that they do not believe only one person was involved in handling and disposing of Celeste’s body. They have referred to multiple individuals potentially helping to move, store, or conceal her remains. However, as of now, no one besides the singer has been publicly named as a suspect, and no charges have been filed.
A private investigator hired by the owner of the Hollywood Hills property has publicly stated that his role is to document what did or did not happen at that house. He has said he believes it is “very clear” who parked the Tesla in its final location and that digital evidence can show who was at the property and when. His statements are not official law enforcement findings, but they add another layer of pressure on those who may have known more than they were willing to admit.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS THAT STILL HAUNT THIS CASE
For all the headlines and all the social media speculation, there are basic, essential questions that remain unanswered:
- When did Celeste actually die? Official records mark her date of death as the day she was found, but investigators have said she was likely dead for weeks, and possibly much longer. A private investigator has suggested the last confirmed date showing her alive may be in early 2025, which would mean a very long gap between her disappearance and the discovery of her remains. That timeline has not been fully confirmed by authorities.
- Where did she die? Was it in the Hollywood Hills house associated with the singer? In another property? Somewhere outside Los Angeles? Without the autopsy findings and a clearer public timeline, we still do not know the location of her death.
- What exactly was done to her body? Official statements have pushed back against the most gruesome early rumors, saying she was not frozen and not decapitated, but references to “partial dismemberment” and the condition of her remains raise questions about what injuries she suffered and how much evidence can still be recovered.
- Who helped move and hide her remains? Investigators have signaled that they suspect multiple people were involved. Who were they? What did they know? What did they do and when?
- What was the full nature of her relationship with the singer? How old was she when contact first began? How did they meet? What did the adults around them know? There are rumors online about her lying about her age, about pregnancy, and about other personal details, but those claims have not been confirmed in official records and remain unverified.
- Why wasn’t she found sooner? Multiple missing-person reports were filed. Her family went public. She reportedly spent time in a property connected to a famous musician. How did she stay off law enforcement’s radar long enough to end up dead and hidden in a trunk?
- Why did the car sit so long without anyone opening it? It sat on a hill, then in an impound lot. Complaints and tickets eventually moved it, but no one opened the trunk until the smell forced their hand. It raises questions about basic checks and procedures when cars are towed and stored.
- What exactly has the grand jury been told? We know some witnesses have appeared. We do not know the full scope of the evidence being presented, what charges are being considered, or how close prosecutors may be to making formal decisions.
These questions are not going away. They are what Celeste’s family wakes up with and falls asleep to. They are what her community carries each time they light candles at vigils. Until there are real answers, and real accountability, they remain open wounds.
KEY INDIVIDUALS & RELATIONSHIPS
Celeste Rivas Hernandez – Victim – 15-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, California, repeatedly reported missing in 2024 and later identified as the teen whose badly decomposed remains were found in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer known as d4vd. Her disappearance, exploitation, and death are at the center of this entire case.
David Anthony Burke (“d4vd”) – Singer / Registered Vehicle Owner / Suspect – Popular musician whose white Tesla was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and later towed to a lot where Celeste’s remains were discovered. Publicly described as a suspect in the investigation into her death and what happened to her body. He has legal representation and has, according to reporting, not fully cooperated with investigators. He has not been charged as of the time this case file was written.
Celeste’s Mother – Mother – Lives in Lake Elsinore and repeatedly reported Celeste missing in 2024. Made emotional pleas for her daughter’s safe return and later spoke publicly about Celeste having a boyfriend named “David.” She has been a central voice for the family, attending vigils and pushing for answers, justice, and accountability.
Celeste’s Father – Father – Part of the immediate family in Lake Elsinore who helped file missing-person reports, search for Celeste, and later participate in funeral arrangements and public grief. While less frequently quoted in media than her mother, he is a key part of the family living with the outcome of this case every day.
Celeste’s Siblings – Siblings – Minor brothers and/or sisters referenced in family statements and fundraisers as part of a close-knit household that loved Celeste. Their names and ages are not widely public, but they are directly impacted by the loss of their sister and the way this case has unfolded.
Esmeralda Lozano – Family Friend / GoFundMe Organizer – Organized or co-organized online fundraisers to help Celeste’s family with funeral and related expenses. Spoke on behalf of the family in written updates, describing Celeste as a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend and thanking supporters for helping lay her to rest.
Gisel Vera – Family Friend / GoFundMe Co-Organizer – Listed alongside Esmeralda in fundraising efforts, helping coordinate community support for the family. Her role centers on supporting the family emotionally and financially as they navigate the aftermath of Celeste’s death.
Hollywood Hills Homeowner – Property Owner – Owner of the luxury home in the Hollywood Hills that was leased by the singer’s management and used as his residence. Disturbed by the possibility that their property was used in connection with Celeste’s death, they hired a private investigator to document what did or did not happen inside the home and to share findings with law enforcement.
Management Company / Manager – Manager / Business Associate – The people who leased the Hollywood Hills property on behalf of the singer, arranged his living situation, and helped manage touring and business logistics. Their knowledge of who was at the house, when, and how the Tesla was being used is potentially important to investigators and to understanding the full chain of events.
Record Label / Tour Company Executive – Label & Touring Executive – Senior figure in the singer’s professional world who has reportedly testified in front of a grand jury. After testifying, he was described as acknowledging that prosecutors pressed him on why he did not contact police himself and saying he did not feel it was his responsibility and wanted the tour to continue. His actions and decisions represent how the business side responded when a serious situation began unfolding around their artist.
Steve Fischer – Private Investigator – Private investigator hired by the Hollywood Hills homeowner to independently review what happened at the property. He has spoken publicly about examining tools, potential cleanup evidence, and digital location data tied to the home and the Tesla. His role is independent of LAPD, and he shares relevant findings with detectives while also speaking out to keep pressure on the case.
LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division – Lead Investigators – Specialized division of the Los Angeles Police Department responsible for leading the investigation into Celeste’s death. They secured the Tesla, executed search warrants, collected physical and digital evidence, interviewed witnesses, and requested a court order to seal the medical examiner’s report, describing the case as an investigation into murder.
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office – Forensic Authority – The office that examined Celeste’s remains, confirmed her identity, and attempted to determine cause and manner of death. Initially listed these as deferred due to conditions of the body, then became bound by a court order preventing release of the full report. Their work is central to understanding what injuries Celeste suffered and how she died, even though those findings are currently sealed.
Det. Joshua Byers – LAPD Robbery-Homicide Detective – Veteran detective who submitted a court declaration calling Celeste’s case an “investigation into murder” and argued that releasing autopsy findings could expose witnesses, reveal investigative methods, and compromise the case. His declaration helped convince a judge to seal the medical examiner’s records.
Capt. Scot Williams – LAPD Captain, Robbery-Homicide – Captain in charge of Robbery-Homicide who has spoken publicly about Celeste’s body being badly decomposed, clarified that she was not frozen and not decapitated, and confirmed that she had been dead for weeks before discovery. He has become one of the main official voices trying to correct the most extreme misinformation while still protecting the integrity of the investigation.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton – LAPD Deputy Chief Over Detectives – Deputy chief overseeing investigative operations who publicly stated that “accountability is coming” and that “no one is off the table, including him,” referring to the singer. His comments emphasize that investigators are looking at multiple people and that they expect the case to move toward real consequences.
Dr. Odey Ukpo – Chief Medical Examiner, Los Angeles County – Head of the county’s medical examiner’s office. Has spoken about trying to move away from routine security holds on autopsy cases but is legally required to comply with the court order sealing Celeste’s records. His position highlights the tension between transparency and the investigative secrecy surrounding this case.
Judge Craig Richman – Superior Court Judge – The judge who granted LAPD’s request to seal the medical examiner’s records in Celeste’s case, issuing the order that currently blocks public release of her cause and manner of death and related forensic details until the court decides otherwise.
Blair Berk – Defense Attorney – High-profile criminal defense attorney representing the singer in connection with the investigation. Her involvement signals how serious the situation is from the singer’s side and shapes how he engages (or refuses to engage) with investigators and the grand jury process.
Unidentified Accomplices – Possible Co-Participants – Individuals investigators believe may have been involved in moving, storing, or attempting to conceal Celeste’s remains. Their names have not been made public, and they have not been officially charged at the time of writing, but detectives have repeatedly signaled that more than one person was likely involved in what happened to her body.