On a quiet afternoon in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles police detained 21-year-old singer D4vd at his residence on Marmont Avenue, placing him under arrest for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Her remains had been discovered nearly eight months earlier in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the artist, a discovery made only after the vehicle was impounded following reports of a foul odor and abandonment in a residential neighborhood.
The arrest marks a dramatic turn in a case that began when Celeste was first reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home in April 2024, though neighbors recalled she had run away before. Described as a first-generation daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, she was known locally for her daily stops at the corner store to buy candy and soda — a routine that painted a picture of ordinary adolescence before her disappearance. Her body, found in September 2025, was severely decomposed and dismembered, with the medical examiner determining she had been deceased in the vehicle for an extended period prior to discovery.
Investigators traced the Tesla to D4vd after it was towed from the Hollywood Hills in September 2025, prompting a search warrant for a home he had been staying at in the area. Digital evidence, including a computer, was seized during that search. Though he had been identified as a suspect in November 2025, no formal charges were filed until his arrest on Thursday, which came without incident according to law enforcement sources. He remains in custody without bail as the case prepares for presentation to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday.
The timing of the discovery added a layer of grim symbolism: Celeste’s remains were found just one day after what would have been her 15th birthday. At the time, D4vd was midway through a world tour, with stops in Minneapolis and Kansas City, a tour that was subsequently canceled following the revelations. His rise to fame had been meteoric — fueled by viral TikTok success, particularly the track “Romantic Homicide,” which later drew renewed scrutiny for its lyrical themes of death and obsession. Collaborations with artists like SZA and Kali Uchis followed, cementing his place in the contemporary R&B landscape before the allegations surfaced.
Throughout the investigation, D4vd’s legal team has maintained his innocence, emphasizing that no indictment has been returned by any grand jury and no criminal complaint has been filed. In statements to both The Guardian and NBC Los Angeles, attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter asserted that the evidence will ultimately present he did not cause Celeste’s death. They noted his cooperation with authorities, including during the September 2025 search of his Hollywood Hills residence.
Celeste’s brother, Matthew, told NBCLA in September 2025 that before her disappearance, she had told him she was on her way to watch a movie with D4vd — a detail that has fueled public speculation, though authorities have not confirmed the nature of their relationship. The case has also drawn intense attention from online investigators, who have scoured social media and lyrics for potential connections, illustrating how digital sleuthing now intersects with active criminal investigations.
This case echoes the 2018 disappearance and murder of Mollie Tibbetts, whose body was found weeks after she went missing whereas jogging in Iowa, leading to the conviction of an undocumented immigrant worker — a case that similarly captured national attention and sparked debates about immigration, media coverage, and youth vulnerability. Like that investigation, the Rivas Hernandez case hinges on forensic timelines, digital footprints, and the painful gap between disappearance and discovery.
What evidence led to D4vd’s arrest?
Authorities cited forensic evidence linking Celeste’s remains to the Tesla registered to D4vd, which was impounded after being reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills. A search warrant executed in September 2025 at a residence he had been staying at yielded digital devices, including a computer, which contributed to the probable cause for arrest.
Has D4vd been formally charged with murder?
No. As of his arrest, D4vd is being held on suspicion of murder without bail, but no indictment has been returned by a grand jury and no criminal complaint has been filed. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will review the evidence to determine whether formal charges will be pursued.
What is the current status of the investigation?
The case is being prepared for presentation to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday for charging consideration. Law enforcement states they followed the evidence carefully to avoid compromising the investigation, which explains the delay between the discovery of the remains and the arrest.
