Body of teen found in US singer D4vd’s car possibly dead for several weeks

Celeste Rivas Hernandez's body was found in a car belonging to singer D4vd after being missing for over a year. Photo / GoFundMe

The body of a teen girl found in the car of a former Laneway performer may have been in the vehicle for “several weeks”, Los Angeles police say.

Police discovered the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 15, in a Tesla registered to US singer D4vd, real name David Burke, on September 8.

The girl went missing from her Lake Elsinore home on April 5 last year.

She was 13 years old at the time of her disappearance.

“The vehicle had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so Ms Rivas Hernandez may have been deceased for several weeks before the discovery of the body,” police said.

It remains unclear how Rivas Hernandez died, as the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of death.

Los Angeles police said it was likely some “criminal culpability” was behind the concealment of her body.

As the cause of death has not been determined, “it remains unclear whether there is any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body”.

D4vd, 20, performed at Auckland’s Laneway Festival last year and is best known for songs Romantic Homicide and Here With Me.

D4vd and his little sister perform at Laneway 2024. Photo / Carson Bluck

After the discovery of the teen’s body, the singer cancelled the remaining dates of his world tour as the probe into Rivas Hernandez’s death continues.

His label, Interscope, has stopped promoting the artist in response to the investigation, the Daily Mail reported.

The outlet detailed the lyrics of an unreleased song from the singer that internet users have speculated may refer to Rivas Hernandez.

“Oh, Celeste/The girl with my name tattooed on her chest/Smell her on my clothes like cigarettes/I hear her voice each time I take a breath/I’m obsessed,” the artist reportedly sings.

Rivas Hernandez’s family have told media they believe the pair were in a relationship.

Texas-born D4vd (pronounced “David”) has 39.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify.