Who Was Celeste Rivas Hernandez? What to Know About the 15-Year-Old Girl Whose Body Was Found in d4vd's Car By Caroline Blair

Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 15 years old when her body was found in singer d4vd’s car in September 2025.

Rivas, who was from Lake Elsinore, Calif., had just had her birthday when she was found inside the trunk of the “Romantic Homicide” singer’s Tesla that was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and then taken to an impound lot, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Shortly afterward, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that the body found was Rivas and listed her date of death as Sept. 8. Her official cause of death has not been released, but LAPD Captain and Commanding Officer Scot M. Williams previously told PEOPLE that she may have been dead for weeks before she was found.

Prior to her death, Rivas had initially been reported missing in 2024, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News. The Los Angeles Times further reported that Rivas had been reported missing three times that year.

Although dv4d, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was initially “fully cooperating” with the investigation, per his rep, he has since been named as a suspect, according to ABC and NBC, who cited law enforcement sources. NBC further reported that d4vd has allegedly no longer been cooperative.

Here’s everything to know about Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 15-year-old girl whose body was found in d4vd’s car.

She was a 15-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, Calif.

Rivas was from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, Calif., which is located around 80 miles southeast of where her body was found in the Hollywood Hills.

Rivas’ remains were discovered on Sept. 8, a day after her birthday, according to Fox 11. Shortly after she was identified, her family launched a GoFundMe titled, “Help Lay Celeste Rivas Hernandez to Rest,” on Sept. 17.

“She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend,” her family wrote. “Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.”

Rivas’ neighbors have also been mourning her death. The owner of a corner store that she frequently visited told the Los Angeles Times, “Everybody in the community is sad, not just the children. You can see it with anyone that comes here.”

Rivas was reported missing in April 2024

In the year before Rivas was found, she had been reported missing at least three times, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told the Los Angeles Times. The outlet reported that she ran away from home for the first time on Valentine’s Day 2024 and returned a few days later.

Rivas’ family reported her missing for a second time on March 19, 2024, but she returned. Then again, when Rivas was 13 years old and in seventh grade, she was reported missing for a final time on April 5, 2024.

From then on, her family reportedly had several meetings with police, scoured neighborhood surveillance footage and begged neighbors and friends for help. She reportedly called home in May 2024, but her family had not heard from her since, according to ABC7.

Some residents in Lake Elsinore reported that they had seen her in the area after she had been reported missing, while others alleged that Rivas had run away from home before. Her whereabouts in the weeks leading up to her death have not been disclosed.

Her mom alleged that Rivas was dating a man named David

Before Rivas went missing in April 2024, she was reportedly dating someone by the name of David.

Her mother claimed to TMZ that Rivas told her that she had a boyfriend named David. The mother further claimed that she hadn’t met the alleged partner.

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Rivas and d4vd had similar tattoos

As of November 2025, investigators have still not disclosed any information in regards to a connection between d4vd and Rivas. However, shortly after the body was identified as Rivas, it was revealed that she had a tattoo that read “Shhh…” on her right index finger, per the Los Angeles Times.

Rivas’ mother also confirmed to TMZ that her daughter had that phrase tattooed on her right index finger in red ink.

Around the same time that Rivas’ tattoo was shared, fans found photos of d4vd having a similar “Shhh” tattoo on his right index finger. One picture from September 2024 showed the singer performing and holding the microphone while the wavy ink peeked out.

Neither d4vd nor the authorities have addressed the similar tattoos.

Her body was discovered in dv4d’s car in September 2025

On Sept. 8, 2025, the Los Angeles Police Department was called to investigate a Tesla that had been impounded in the Hollywood Hills. They opened the car upon a complaint of foul odor and subsequently found human remains in the trunk.

Authorities later linked the car to d4vd, as it was registered to him in Hempstead, Texas. According to a timeline shared by the LAPD, Rivas was likely dead for weeks — or even months — before her body was found. Residents began complaining about the car and the smell as early as August.

“I’m not sure exactly when the parking complaints about the Tesla began, but it was closer to the beginning part of August,” Captain Williams told the Los Angeles Times.

dv4d has been identified as a suspect in Rivas’ death

More than two months after Rivas’ body was discovered in d4vd’s car, the singer has been reportedly identified as a suspect in connection with her death, a law enforcement source told TMZ, ABC and NBC on Nov. 18.

The LAPD has still not shared the manner of the ongoing investigation and has not arrested anyone in the case. The police department, d4vd’s lawyer nor his representative has addressed the reports or responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

However, shortly after the news of Rivas’ death broke in September, a spokesperson for d4vd told NBC Los Angeles on Sept. 16, “d4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities.”

In September, the LAPD obtained a search warrant to investigate a home in the Hollywood Hills where d4vd had been living, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times in mid-September.

In a statement to PEOPLE on Sept. 18, a spokesperson for the LAPD said, “Several items of evidence were recovered and will be analyzed by detectives in the coming days. Investigators are following up on several leads.”