{"id":62732,"date":"2026-04-17T18:01:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/d4vd-arrest-and-celeste-rivas-investigation-a-timeline\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T18:01:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:01:42","slug":"d4vd-arrest-and-celeste-rivas-investigation-a-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/d4vd-arrest-and-celeste-rivas-investigation-a-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"D4vd Arrest and Celeste Rivas Investigation: A Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tSeven months after a severely decomposed body was found in the trunk<\/a> of an impounded Tesla, heavily armed Los Angeles police officers descended upon a house in the Hollywood Hills to make an arrest. The platinum-selling singer D4vd<\/a>, owner of the Tesla and long suspected to be linked to the alleged crime, was taken into custody shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time on Thursday and booked on suspicion of murdering<\/a> 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe arrest of the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, marks a culmination of sorts for what could well be the first of many phases in one of the most sensational and grisly Hollywood sagas<\/a> in recent memory. In the months since Rivas\u2019 body was discovered, there\u2019s been near-total silence from authorities like the LAPD, District Attorney\u2019s Office, and Medical Examiner. Meanwhile, there\u2019s been a near-constant drip of information, rumor, and speculation from tabloids and internet sleuths.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Monday, LAPD detectives will present their case to the DA\u2019s office for filing consideration. Prosecutors are expected to review the facts and evidence and determine whether there is enough to officially bring charges against Burke. \u201cWe will share an update on Monday once a filing decision has been made,\u201d the DA\u2019s office said Thursday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, Burke\u2019s legal team \u2014 led by prominent L.A. criminal defense attorney Blair Berk \u2014 denied the singer was a killer. \u201cLet us be clear, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death,\u201d they said in a statement. \u201cThere has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David\u2019s innocence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith official criminal proceedings potentially on the horizon, many more details about the case may soon emerge. For now, though, here\u2019s a timeline that digs into everything we\u2019ve learned so far, and how we got to this point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tSept. 8, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA little after noon, LAPD responded to a call from a tow yard in Hollywood about a \u201cfoul odor\u201d coming from an impounded Tesla. When the car\u2019s front trunk was opened, detectives discovered decomposing human remains in a black plastic bag. At the time, the police were unable to share any details about the victim, due to both the deterioration of the body and the lack of any identification.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was determined at the time, though, was that the 2023 Tesla Model Y with Texas license plates was registered to David Anthony Burke. Reps for Burke, who was on tour when the body was discovered, issued a statement saying he was \u201ccooperating\u201d with authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSept. 9<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe day after the body was discovered, the L.A. County Medical Examiner issued a statement describing the victim as a female with wavy black hair whose body was \u201cseverely decomposed.\u201d The statement said the person \u201cappears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe victim\u2019s height was listed at 5 feet 2 inches, but the medical examiner was unable to determine her eye color, age, or ethnicity. She was described as wearing a tube top and black leggings, as well as yellow metal stud earrings and a yellow metal chain bracelet. The report also noted a distinct tattoo on her right index finger that read, \u201cShhh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat same night, Burke performed<\/a> in Minneapolis. Fans posted videos showing the singer tossing Labubus into the crowd and hyping his hit song \u201cCrashing,\u201d featuring Kali Uchis. He did not address the death investigation during the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tSept. 16<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tCalifornia authorities identified<\/a> the victim as Celeste Rivas, a 15-year-old from Lake Elsinore, California. She\u2019d been reported missing by her family the previous year. While the Rivas family declined to speak with reporters, TMZ reported at the time that her mother said her daughter had been dating someone named \u201cDavid\u201d before her death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite identifying Rivas, authorities did not share a confirmed, or even suspected, cause of death. The Medical Examiner said the determination was still \u201cdeferred,\u201d pending further investigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMid-September to mid-November<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing Rivas\u2019 identification, the investigation quickly ramped up in both official and unofficial capacities. Police searched a house in the Hollywood Hills near where the Tesla had been found. After several hours, the cops left with multiple items, including a computer. After the search, the home\u2019s owner, Mladen Trifunovic, confirmed to Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a> <\/em>that he\u2019d been renting the home to Burke\u2019s manager since February 2024. Burke\u2019s Instagram account also contained multiple images from inside the home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNew details also came out about the Tesla, which had been towed from the affluent Bird Streets neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills. Residents told Rolling Stone <\/em>that the car had been spotted in various places around the neighborhood, going back as far as May 2025. The city finally towed the car after a citizen complained that the car had been abandoned for more than 72 hours. (Some sources said the car had been parked in its final spot for at least three weeks.)<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, speculation and rumor swirled around Burke\u2019s alleged links to Rivas. TMZ, for instance, surfaced<\/a> a photo of Burke in Lake Elsinore, close to where Rivas lived before her disappearance. They also highlighted<\/a> an allegedly leaked and unreleased D4vd song floating around the web called \u201cCeleste.\u201d And they uncovered<\/a> a photo of Burke that appeared to show him with a \u201cShhh\u2026\u201d tattoo on his finger similar to the one Rivas had.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAuthorities, however, remained tight-lipped. At the end of September, the LAPD released a statement<\/a> explaining the lack of named suspects, charges, or arrests. They noted the Medical Examiner still had not \u201cdetermined the cause or manner\u201d of Rivas\u2019 death, meaning it was technically still \u201cunclear\u201d if there was \u201cany criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAmid the investigation, a planned deluxe edition for D4vd\u2019s debut album, Withered<\/em>, was shelved<\/a> and the last two shows on his North American tour were canceled. Burke\u2019s campaigns with the fashion companies Crocs and Hollister were also yanked. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNov. 18<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tSources close to the investigation confirmed to NBC News<\/a> and ABC<\/a> that Burke had been identified as a suspect<\/a> in Rivas\u2019 death. No arrests were made and no charges were filed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLate November\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWhile police publicly declined to characterize Rivas\u2019 death as a homicide, the case was described<\/a> as \u201can investigation into murder\u201d in court documents filed by a LAPD detective. Joshua Byers made the comments in a declaration requesting a court order that would prevent the Medical Examiner from releasing Rivas\u2019 autopsy findings. The judge granted the request, a decision the ME\u2019s office expressed frustration with in a rare public statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Department\u2019s mission is to have full transparency with the community by providing information about our cases to empower people to make changes that save lives,\u201d Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo said. \u201cSince becoming the department head, I\u2019ve worked on eradicating the practice of placing security holds on Medical Examiner cases simply by law enforcement request. The practice of security holds is virtually unheard of in other counties and has not been proven to improve outcomes in the legal system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAround the same time, the cops released a separate statement meant to \u201cdispel some misinformation\u201d spreading online: Claims that Rivas\u2019 body had been frozen or refrigerated<\/a> before it was moved into the Tesla, and that she had been decapitated. The cops shot down both of those claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut they did acknowledge another tidbit \u2014 regarding an alleged trip Burke took to Santa Barbara \u2014discussed on a podcast episode<\/a> featuring TMZ founder Harvey Levin and prominent criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos. \u201cWe have evidence that D4vd travelled to the Santa Barbara area sometime during the Spring of 2025,\u201d the cops said. \u201cThe reason for that trip is still under investigation, and we\u2019ve drawn no conclusions at this point about the relevance of the trip to this case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe police also said they wanted Rivas\u2019 autopsy findings sealed \u201cto ensure detectives from Robbery-Homicide Division learned of important information surrounding her death before the media and the public. The order was not sought to undermine transparency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNov. 26<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> confirmed that the L.A. County district\u2019s attorney\u2019s office had been presenting evidence in the Rivas case to an investigative grand jury. While investigative panels can be used to subpoena witnesses, compel evidence,\u00a0 and recommend charges, they cannot return an indictment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJan. 26, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tOne of Burke\u2019s friends, the influencer Neo Langston, was arrested<\/a> in Montana and hauled back to Los Angeles after failing to appear at a grand jury hearing as a witness. Langston was eventually released on $60,000 bail and reportedly appeared in front of the grand jury in early February.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFeb. 12<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe 1st District Court of Appeals in Texas denied three petitions filed by Burke\u2019s father, mother, and brother requesting the judge overturn a lower court ruling requiring the family \u2014 who live in Texas \u2014 to comply with California grand jury subpoenas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFeb. 25<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAfter appealing the 1st District\u2019s ruling to the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals, the Burke family earned a stay on the original lower court ruling. (As of mid-April, the matter is still pending, and subpoenas remain in limbo, the family\u2019s lawyer told Los Angeles Magazine<\/em><\/a>.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFeb. 26<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe Burke family\u2019s dispute over the subpoenas did lead to the unsealing of court records<\/a> that, for the first time, formally identified Burke as the \u201ctarget\u201d of a grand jury investigation into the alleged homicide of Rivas. The documents described Burke as someone who \u201cmay be involved in having committed\u201d a crime listed as \u201cone count of murder.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe documents, obtained by Rolling Stone<\/em>, also contained new details about the condition of Rivas\u2019 remains, including that \u201cthe arms and legs had been severed from the body.<\/p>\n

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\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tApril 16<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tBurke is arrested and booked on suspicion of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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