Celeste Rivas went missing in 2024, and her mother told TMZ that the 15-year-old had been dating a person named “David” at the time.
LOS ANGELES — Authorities have identified the girl whose body was discovered in an impounded vehicle linked to singer D4vd as Celeste Rivas, a 15-year-old who went missing in April 2024.
The L.A. County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the identification of Celeste Rivas, who was found inside a Tesla. Reports from TMZ and other media outlets state that Rivas disappeared in April 2024 from Lake Elsinore, California.
TMZ reported that the girl’s mother said she was dating a person named “David” at the time of her disappearance.
The investigation was sparked on Sept. 8 when authorities in Los Angeles were alerted to Rivas’ body following reports of a foul odor emanating from a car sitting in a police impound lot. As reported by ABC7, the body was discovered in a bag located in the Tesla’s front trunk.
At the time of the discovery, the body’s decomposition made it impossible to immediately ascertain even the deceased’s gender, as it had been in the vehicle through the scorching Los Angeles summer heat.
According to TMZ, the car had never been reported stolen before it was impounded.
According to official statements given to ABC7, the vehicle remained at the tow yard for approximately five days before law enforcement was alerted. The Los Angeles Police Department informed the media that the car had been towed from Hollywood Hills after being reported abandoned about a week prior.
Rolling Stone indicated that the Tesla Model Y had been observed parked at various locations in the neighborhood from which it was towed, remaining stationary for extended periods at each spot.
“It moved around,” one source in the tony Bird Streets neighborhood of the Hollywood Hills told Rolling Stone. “It’s chilling.”
The car is registered to David Anthony Burke, a 20-year-old singer best known under his stage alias D4vd. The singer rose to popularity as his songs became popular on TikTok.
A representative for the singer told NBC4 Los Angeles that D4vd is currently cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
The 20-year-old singer kicked off his world tour last month and performed in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday night, a day before the body was found. He’s scheduled to perform in Los Angeles on Sept. 20.
