Girl resembling Celeste Rivas spotted at D4vd's concert in late August
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.�
LOS ANGELES - A resurfaced video making the rounds online appears to show a girl baring a striking resemblance to Celeste Rivas at one of D4vd's concerts late last month.
What we know:
In the video shared by TMZ, a girl wearing a black tube top, dark-wash denim, and with the same hairstyle and build as Rivas is seen on a balcony at the singer's show in Silver Spring, Maryland on Aug. 24.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Rivas was wearing a black tube top and leggings when she was found dead in the trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd. She also had on a gold bracelet and stud earrings.
In the video, the girl looks down at D4vd while he performs on stage in front of a crowd. A boy beside her is seen dancing, and people speculate it is D4vd's younger brother.
"He's not too tall and even with the bad quality I recognize the smile too. And they're both definitely in the "VIP" section, they are not fans," one person commented.
In one instance, D4vd apparently points in her direction and makes a heart with his hand.
"It looks like he's singing to her in multiple clips!" another person said.
The concert took place about 12 days before D4vd's Tesla was towed from Bluebird Avenue, not far from his Hollywood Hills home, on Sept. 5. Rivas' body was discovered inside on Sept. 8 after employees of the Hollywood tow yard called police after noticing a foul smell emanating from the car.
When police 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 because it was parked on a public street for more than 72 hours.
Celeste Rivas' body returned to family
The body of Celeste Rivas was handed to her family, but the investigation into her homicide continues and no suspect has been arrested.
Neighbors said the Tesla had been moved several times over the past three months before it was found on Bluebird Avenue.
On Sept. 17, detectives with the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division served a search warrant at a home believed to be occupied by D4vd. A computer and several bags of evidence were recovered from the home. D4vd has reportedly removed his belongings from the $20,000 a month rental.
Dig deeper:
Rivas was 13 when she was reported missing last year in Lake Elsinore.
TMZ' Charles Latibeaudiere told FOX 11 they received a tip and reached out to Rivas' mom, who told them that all she knew was that her daughter 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.
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Rivas and D4vd both shared matching "Sshhh…" tattoos on their index fingers.
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.
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 reports 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."
Burke and Rivas also shared matching "Sshhh" tattoos on their right index fingers.
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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.
"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
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.
What's next:
Rivas' funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, according to a GoFundMe reportedly organized by a family member. Further details on the service were not released.
FOX 11 reached out to GoFundMe to confirm the validity of the fundraiser and received the following response: "Our team is working directly with the organizer to ensure funds safely reach the intended beneficiary. Funds remain safely held by our payment processors."
The Source: This report is based on video footage originally shared by TMZ and publicly available social media posts from X. We also drew from prior reporting by FOX 11 and included official statements from the Los Angeles Police Department to provide a comprehensive look at the ongoing investigation.