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The decomposed remains of a 15-year-old girl reported missing for more than a year was found on September 8, 2025, inside the trunk of a Tesla impounded in Hollywood, authorities confirmed. 

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as that of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing since April 2024 at the age of 13.

Officials said she was last seen in the Los Angeles area before her disappearance was reported by family members.

Police said the discovery was made after employees at a Hollywood tow yard noticed  a foul odor coming from the electric vehicle, which had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills for several weeks before being towed.

The Tesla vehicle was registered to singer David Anthony Burke, professionally known as d4vd, according to authorities.

19-year-old Burke was born in Houston and is an artist who gained prominence in 2022 with his viral hit “Romantic Homicide” and later signed with Interscope Records.

Burke has not been charged in connection with Hernandez’s death. 

The Los Angeles Police Department said the case is currently classified as a death investigation rather than a confirmed homicide.

The medical examiner’s office said Hernandez was identified through dental records.

The cause and time of death remain undetermined, but investigators believe she had been dead for several weeks before her body was found. 

Due to the advanced state of decomposition, additional forensic testing was requested by a deputy medical examiner, and results could take several months to complete.

This delay highlights why police have not yet labeled the case as a homicide or identified a suspect, pending the results of the medical report.

Hernandez’s description matched her missing person file: she stood 5 feet 2 inches tall, had wavy black hair, and had a tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh.”

Tragically, Hernandez would have turned 15 just one day before her remains were discovered.

In a statement shared through a GoFundMe page, Hernandez’s family said that the discovered remains had been identified as Hernandez, writing, 

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

Burke’s manager, Josh Marshall, who is also the founder of Mogul Vision, stated that he was unaware of the circumstances and had no prior involvement with the case.

He also denied ever receiving an email from Hernandez’s family when she was first reported missing in 2024.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is leading the investigation.  

Officials executed a search warrant at a Hollywood Hills property where Burke had been staying, though he did not own the residence.

During this search, officers were seen removing a computer and evidence bags from the property, but officials have not revealed what was collected.

Burke, who was on tour at the time of the discovery, is said to be cooperating fully with investigators, according to his spokesperson.

The department has not disclosed who last drove the Tesla, how long it had been abandoned, or how Hernandez’s body came to be inside the vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing, and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office continues to work to determine the cause and manner of death.