Authorities arrested American singer-songwriter David Burke, known professionally as d4vd, on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division took the 21-year-old artist into custody and is currently holding him without bail.
The arrest marks a major turning point in a case that has gripped the public since the discovery of the teenager's remains in September 2025.
The investigation began after authorities found a severely decomposed and dismembered body in the front trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered to Burke.
The vehicle had been impounded at a Hollywood tow lot after neighbors reported a foul odor.
While Burke initially cooperated with authorities, the LAPD recently identified him as the primary target of a grand jury investigation, leading to his formal arrest this week.
Families reported Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a teenager from Lake Elsinore, California, missing multiple times in 2024.
Evidence suggests she was in a relationship with Burke, with her family alleging that the singer picked her up in his Tesla shortly before her final disappearance.
Court documents unsealed earlier this year revealed the gruesome nature of the discovery, stating that authorities found her remains in two separate cadaver bags inside the vehicle's storage compartment.
Authorities believe the death occurred months before the discovery of the remains.
Throughout the investigation, photographs surfaced showing the pair together, and reports indicated they shared matching tattoos.
Despite the mounting evidence and grand jury subpoenas for Burke's family and associates, the LAPD filed no formal charges until they announced the arrest on Thursday.