Celeste Rivas Hernandez — Credit: Family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez · Copyrighted — editorial use, owner-approved 2026-07-11
Celeste Abigail Rivas Hernandez was a 14-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, California, born September 7, 2010, to parents who had immigrated from El Salvador. According to prosecutors, she met American singer-songwriter David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, in January 2022, when she was 11, and the two began a sexual relationship in November 2023, when she was 13 and Burke was 18. Prosecutors allege Rivas spent significant time with Burke over the following year, including trips to Las Vegas, London, and Texas. Rivas's parents reported her missing to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department three times in early 2024. Investigators then traced Burke's phone number in her phone records; he denied knowing she was a minor or missing, and Rivas returned home two days later.
The relationship reportedly ended in November 2024, though the two allegedly continued sexual contact. On April 22, 2025, prosecutors say Rivas confronted Burke by text about other relationships and threatened to make theirs public. The next evening, Burke arranged an Uber to bring Rivas to his Hollywood Hills residence; investigators believe he fatally stabbed her there, and prosecutors allege a later text to her was part of an effort to conceal the killing. Burke then allegedly drove to a remote Santa Barbara County site, which he revisited twice more; Rivas's passport card was later recovered there. Beginning the next day, Burke ordered a shovel, chainsaws, a body bag, and other supplies under a false name; prosecutors allege Rivas's body was dismembered in his garage, where blood matching her DNA was found, and her remains were placed in his Tesla Model X's front trunk.
The Tesla sat on a Hollywood Hills street for weeks after Burke left on a concert tour, until impounded in early September 2025. On September 8, a tow yard worker reported a foul odor to the Los Angeles Police Department, leading to the discovery of Rivas's heavily decomposed remains; the county medical examiner identified her on September 16. An autopsy found two sharp-force wounds to her torso, determined the cause of death to be multiple penetrating injuries, and classified the death a homicide; extensive decomposition limited further findings. In November 2025, the LAPD obtained a court order sealing the medical examiner's case file, a move the office publicly opposed; the report was unsealed in April 2026.
LAPD investigators searched a Hollywood Hills property linked to Burke in September 2025. Burke was named a suspect in November 2025, as a grand jury was convened and the LAPD began describing the case as a murder investigation; Rivas's family considered suing the LAPD over delays and a lack of transparency. On April 16, 2026, Burke was arrested on suspicion of Rivas's murder. Four days later, prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains, citing special circumstances including murder of a witness and lying in wait, and said they would consider the death penalty. Burke pleaded not guilty, and Rivas's date of death was listed as on or about April 23, 2025. Prosecutors said they also found child sexual abuse material on Burke's iCloud account. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 2026.
Burke's record label and several collaborators cut ties with him, and his concert tour was canceled following the discovery. Rivas was buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights, California, in October 2025, drawing a large community turnout in Lake Elsinore. Her family described her as a beloved daughter and sister who "deserved so much more," and her mother said outside court that she wanted "justice for my daughter."
According to prosecutors, Rivas and David Burke first meet, when she is 11 years old.
2023-11
Prosecutors allege Rivas and Burke begin a sexual relationship, when she is 13 and he is 18.
2024-02-15
Rivas's parents file the first of three missing-person reports with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in early 2024.
2024-02-17
Investigators, having traced Burke's phone number in Rivas's phone records, contact him; he says he last spoke with her on February 13 or 14 and denies knowing she was a minor or had been reported missing. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department conducts a welfare check at his West Hollywood home the same day.
2024-03-19
Rivas's parents file a second missing-person report with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
2024-04-05
Rivas's parents file a third missing-person report with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
2024-11
Rivas and Burke reportedly end their relationship but, according to prosecutors, continue to communicate and have sexual contact.
2025-03
Rivas texts Burke, "All we do is have sex and just hang out man I want more than that for myself."
2025-04-22
Rivas and Burke exchange a lengthy series of text messages in which she confronts him about his relationships with other women and threatens to make their relationship public.
2025-04-23
Burke arranges an Uber to bring Rivas from her Lake Elsinore home to his Hollywood Hills residence that evening; investigators believe he fatally stabbed her there a short time later. Prosecutors allege he later drove to a remote site off California State Route 154 near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County to dispose of evidence. Rivas's date of death is later listed as on or about this date.
2025-04-24
Burke attends a radio interview and a release party for his album Withered, and, using the false name "Victoria Mendez," has a shovel delivered to his residence.
2025-04-25
Burke releases his debut studio album, Withered.
2025-05-01
Burke orders two chainsaws from Amazon, delivered under the false name "Victoria Mendez."
2025-05-05
Burke orders a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and an inflatable pool from Amazon.
2025-05-08
Burke returns to the Santa Barbara County site off California State Route 154, which prosecutors allege he used to dispose of evidence.
2025-05-31
Burke visits the Santa Barbara County site a third time.
2025-07-07
Burke orders a "burn cage" incinerator from Amazon.
2025-07-29
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Burke as the last person to drive his Tesla Model X before it is abandoned on Bluebird Avenue near his Hollywood Hills residence.
2025-08-05
Burke begins his Withered world tour.
2025-08-27
A parking enforcement officer marks the tires of the abandoned Tesla on Bluebird Avenue after resident complaints.
2025-09-03
The Tesla is ticketed for violating a 72-hour parking ordinance.
2025-09-05
The Tesla is impounded and transported to a tow yard in Hollywood.
2025-09-08
A tow yard worker calls the Los Angeles Police Department to investigate a foul odor from the Tesla, leading to the discovery of Rivas's heavily decomposed remains in the vehicle's front trunk.
2025-09-09
Burke is reportedly cooperating with authorities and performs in Minneapolis as part of his tour.
2025-09-10
A deputy medical examiner performs an autopsy on Rivas's remains, later determining the cause of death to be multiple penetrating injuries and classifying the manner of death as homicide.
2025-09-15
The LAPD's initial request for a security hold on the medical examiner's case file is denied for insufficient justification.
2025-09-16
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identifies the remains as those of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
2025-09-17
LAPD investigators execute a search warrant at the Hollywood Hills property occupied by Burke and seize electronic devices, including a computer; an unreleased Burke demo titled "Celeste," first leaked online in December 2023, resurfaces online.
2025-10
LAPD Robbery-Homicide captain Scot Williams says no suspect has yet been identified in Rivas's death, citing the undetermined cause of death and uncertainty about criminal culpability beyond concealment of her body.
2025-10
Rivas is buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights, California, following a private funeral service that draws a large community turnout in Lake Elsinore.
2025-11
Burke is named a suspect in the investigation; Rivas's family considers a civil lawsuit against the LAPD over delays and a lack of transparency in the case.
2025-11-21
The LAPD obtains a court order sealing the medical examiner's case file on Rivas, including autopsy results, over the medical examiner's objection; in a court declaration, LAPD Detective Joshua Byers argues that releasing the details could endanger witnesses or reveal investigative strategies.
2025-11-24
The LAPD publicly characterizes the case as an investigation into murder for the first time; Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton says Burke is not excluded as a suspect, stating that "no one is off the table, including Burke."
2025-11-26
The Los Angeles Times reports that an investigative grand jury has been convened to hear evidence regarding possible charges in Rivas's death.
2026-01
A livestreamer and friend of Burke's is arrested after failing to appear before the grand jury; Burke's parents and brother are subpoenaed to testify before the same grand jury.
2026-01-17
A Caltrans worker finds Rivas's U.S. passport card at the Santa Barbara County site off California State Route 154.
2026-02
Burke's parents and brother challenge their grand jury subpoenas, arguing their due process rights are being violated; the challenge is denied. The livestreamer arrested in January appears before the grand jury as a witness.
2026-04-16
Burke is arrested by the LAPD at a house on Marmont Avenue on suspicion of murdering Rivas.
2026-04-20
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announces that Burke will be charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains; he pleads not guilty at his first court appearance, and prosecutors say they will consider seeking the death penalty.
2026-04-22
The medical examiner's sealed autopsy report on Rivas is unsealed.
2026-04-29
Prosecutors file a brief outlining the evidence collected during the investigation and a timeline of the events they believe took place.
2026-07-21
A preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin to determine whether the case will proceed to trial.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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People
David Anthony Burke
CHARGED
American singer-songwriter known professionally as D4vd; arrested April 16, 2026, and charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains in connection with Rivas's death, with special-circumstance allegations including murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and lying in wait. Pleaded not guilty.
Scot Williams
LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAPD Robbery-Homicide captain who said in early October 2025 that no suspect had yet been identified in Rivas's death.
Celeste Abigail Rivas Hernandez
VICTIM
14-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, California; her remains were found on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of an impounded Tesla Model X registered to David Burke, and her death was classified as a homicide, with her date of death listed as on or about April 23, 2025.
Joshua Byers
LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division detective who argued in a court declaration that releasing the medical examiner's autopsy details could endanger witnesses or compromise the investigation.
Alan Hamilton
LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAPD deputy chief who said on November 24, 2025, that "accountability is coming" and that no one, including Burke, was off the table in the investigation.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
On September 8, 2025, the decomposed remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to musician David Burke, known professionally as D4vd; prosecutors allege the two had a sexual relationship beginning when Rivas was 13. Burke was arrested in April 2026 and charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
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