A body discovered inside a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard earlier this month has been identified as missing Lake Elsinore teen Celeste Rivas, authorities said. The cause and time of death remain undetermined as investigators continue their inquiry.
Police say remains found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8 — discovered after reports of a foul odor — have been identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas.
Authorities told Newsweek the cause and time of Rivas’ death are still unknown. The Los Angeles Police Department was contacted outside normal business hours for comment.
Rivas, from Lake Elsinore, disappeared on April 5, 2024, when she was 13 — about 17 months before the remains were recovered.
The Tesla where the body was found was registered to 20-year-old singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd. Burke, born in Queens and later based in Houston, was on tour when the vehicle and remains were discovered.
D4vd is a breakout streaming artist with millions of monthly listeners and a rising profile: he has over 33 million monthly Spotify listeners and 3.7 million TikTok followers, released his debut album earlier this year and two EPs in 2023. His upcoming Seattle show was canceled after the discovery.
The medical examiner reported the girl was wearing a tube top, black leggings, stud earrings and a yellow bracelet; she had black hair, a tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh,” weighed about 71 pounds, and appeared to have been dead for a long time with remains not intact.
LAPD said it has not yet received a coroner’s classification on manner of death and has no suspect information at this time. Police also said D4vd is cooperating with authorities; Riverside County confirmed the juvenile identified is Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
A spokesperson for D4vd told NBC that the singer is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”
