Tesla owned by D4vd ticketed 11 days before body of Celeste Rivas was discovered
What's the connection between D4vd and Celeste Rivas?
An investigation continues into the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas. Meanwhile, singer D4vd has canceled the rest of his world tour.
LOS ANGELES - A Tesla registered to singer D4vd was ticketed just 11 days before the body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas was discovered dead in the trunk.
What we know:
The 2023 Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke had been parked on Bluebird Avenue in the Hollywood Hills for so long that some residents complained about it in late August, leading the car to be ticketed, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A parking enforcement officer marked the Tesla on Aug. 27, noting the position of its tires. The officer then issued a citation on Sept. 3 for violating the 72-hour parking ordinance, according to The Times.
The Tesla had been abandoned near a home in the 1300 block of Doheny Place, not far from a home Burke had rented.
Authorities search D4VD's home amid teen's death
Authorities search D4VD's home after a teenage girl was found dead inside an abandoned Tesla previously registered under the singer's name.
On Sept. 17, police served a search warrant at the house and took several items as possible evidence in the ongoing investigation into Rivas' death, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. D4vd reportedly moved out of the home on Sept. 24.
Body of teen discovered
The backstory:
Rivas' dismembered remains were discovered in a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8 — a day after her 15th birthday, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.
Employees had called police to report a strong odor emanating from the car.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Authorities ID body found in Tesla linked to singer D4vd as missing teen girl
When officers arrived, they discovered the body wrapped in a bag inside the Tesla's trunk.
The LAPD said the Tesla was impounded and towed to the yard by the city Department of Transportation.
According to the medical examiner's report, Rivas' date of death is Sept. 8 and her place of death is listed as "vehicle." The cause of her death is "deferred," which means it is pending additional investigation.
Celeste Rivas reported missing in 2024
Dig deeper:
Rivas was 13-years-old when she was reported missing on April 5, 2024 in Lake Elsinore.
TMZ' Charles Latibeaudiere told FOX 11 they got a tip last week and reached out to Rivas' mom, who told them that all she knew was that Celeste was dating someone named "David", although she'd never seen the boy. Rivas' mother told the publication her daughter had been missing for more than a year and she was suspicious of the remains found in the Tesla.
Rivas and D4vd both shared matching "Sshhh…" tattoos on their index fingers.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teen girl last seen in 2023 ID'ed as body in D4vd's Tesla
At this time, police have not named D4vd as a person of interest or suspect in the case and say he is cooperating with the investigation.
D4vd's tour canceled, singer dropped by major brands
What we know:
Amid the ongoing investigation, D4vd canceled the remainder of his "Withered" world tour both in the U.S. and abroad. He was also dropped by Crocs and Hollister just days after he was announced as the face of their "Dream Drop" collaboration.
Additionally, all promotion of his music has been pulled by UMG and Interscope. A deluxe version of his album was meant to come out last week when the news broke.
As the investigation continues into Rivas' death, many continue to analyze D4vd's songs, with some people drawing parallels between his lyrics and violent imagery as possible breadcrumbs to the missing teen's murder.
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Resurfaced video of D4vd's interview with Mahogany back in March has resurfaced and is making the rounds online.
In the video, D4vd explains the origin of his alter ego in his most popular song, "Romantic Homicide."
In the interview, D4vd described himself as an anime fan and at one point was writing his own manga series about a detective with a murderous alter ego solving the very murders he committed. The detective's name was Itami, which means "pain" in Japanese.
"A big part of that manga was an evil version of me named ‘Itami,’ which means ‘pain’ in Japanese, and he wears a blindfold. He’s basically an agent of chaos and kind of my alter ego," said the singer.
Some noted the resemblance of the woman in the video to Rivas, and the date of its release coinciding with Rivas' birthday.
TMZ reported in a song leaked in Dec. 2023 titled "Celeste_Demounfin," D4vd sings about a girl named Celeste.
"Oh Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest / I hear her voice each time I take a breath / I'm obsessed."
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Some are also pointing to another music video in which a body is being dragged and put into the trunk of a car.
Last week, an alleged former teacher of Rivas' was caught on camera allegedly showing a photo of her to his students. He also identified another student of his standing with D4vd in a viral photo taken near where Rivas lived.
The teacher, who remains unidentified, told TMZ that both students attended Lakeland Village Middle School in Lake Elsinore, where he no longer works.
Video from Celeste Rivas' teacher may be 'smoking gun' in case
A teacher is captured on cell phone video telling his students that Celeste Rivas, the 15-year-old girl found dead inside singer David Anthony Burke's Tesla had been his student and that he knew she had run away a couple of times.�
"When I taught her, she met this dude on social media. He was a rapper in LA," he said in the video, referring to Rivas and D4vd. "He came and got her. She ran away from home. She was gone for, like, a month. The cops found her in Hollywood, brought her back to our school."
After Rivas allegedly told her classmates the story, she disappeared again in May 2024, he said. Following this second disappearance, the teacher said his students told him the artist, presumably D4vd, was being blackmailed.
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That was the last time he heard about Rivas.
The teacher told TMZ he shared the story with his students as a "cautionary tale" about the dangers of social media.
What we don't know:
Rivas' cause of death is under investigation.
The nature of her relationship with D4vd is unknown.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Celeste Rivas: Video from former teacher could be 'smoking gun' in case
And while some have suggested a possible connection between his music and the crime, no official link has been established.
What they're saying:
D4vd has not commented on the investigation.
Rivas' family has also remained relatively quiet as the case remains open.
What you can do:
If anyone has any information about this investigation, they are urged to contact Robbery-Homicide Division 213-486-6890 or LA Crime Stoppers at 213- 484-6700.
The Source: Information for this story came from the LA Times, City News Service, and previous FOX 11 reports.