Girl Found in D4vd's Car Died of Penetrating Injuries

Published: 23 April 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

A months-long wall of silence surrounding the death of a 14-year-old girl found in a car belonging to alt-pop singer D4vd has finally been broken. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner unsealed an autopsy report revealing that Celeste Rivas Hernandez died from “multiple penetrating injuries” caused by a sharp object. The findings, which had been under a court-ordered seal since November, confirm that the teenager was murdered and her body mutilated before being discovered in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla in the Hollywood Hills last September.

The details contained in the report are harrowing. According to the Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Odey Ukpo, the victim suffered significant wounds to her torso, including one that penetrated her liver. The report further describes a “partially skeletonized” and badly decomposed body, with several fingers and parts of her limbs missing. Despite the advanced state of decay, examiners were able to identify the teen through dental records and a distinctive tattoo on the inside of her finger that read “Shhh….”—a detail that matched missing person descriptions from when she first vanished as a 13-year-old in 2024.

The 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Burke, was officially charged earlier this week with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14, and mutilating a dead body. Prosecutors allege a chilling motive: that Burke entered into an illegal sexual relationship with the girl and killed her after she threatened to expose the affair, fearing it would “ruin his lucrative career.” The criminal complaint further alleges that the victim was killed on or around 23 April 2025—exactly one year ago today—at Burke’s home before her remains were hidden in the vehicle.

In Celeste’s hometown of Lake Elsinore, California, a makeshift memorial has grown outside the home where she was known as a girl who “loved to sing and dance.” Her parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, released their first public statement through an attorney, describing the “unfathomable” pain of waiting months to learn the cause of their daughter’s death.

“Every Friday night was movie night… We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste,” the statement read.

Burke appeared in court earlier this week and pleaded not guilty to all charges. His defense team has vowed to “vigorously defend” his innocence, claiming that the “actual evidence” will prove he did not cause her death. However, the prosecution has highlighted “special circumstances” in the filing—including lying in wait and murdering a witness—which could potentially carry the death penalty in the state of California.

The release of the autopsy report marks a turning point in a case that has horrified the music industry and fans of the “Romantic Homicide” singer. As the legal proceedings move toward a trial, the focus remains on the tragic life of a seventh-grader whose disappearance was initially treated as a runaway case, but ended in a tow yard in the Hollywood Hills. For a family finally receiving answers, the path to justice has only just begun.

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