Earlier this month, authorities made a grim discovery at a Los Angeles impound lot when the decaying and dismembered body of a 15-year-old girl was discovered in the trunk of a vehicle belonging to 20-year-old singer D4vd.
Despite several apparent connections to the deceased and even a raid on the house where he had been living, D4vd has not been arrested or even named a murder suspect. However, there’s a pretty simple reason why, as authorities have explained.
What We Know About the Investigation
- A decomposing body was found inside a Tesla belonging to musician D4vd at an impound lot in Hollywood on Sept. 8.
- The car was brought to the impound lot after “someone reported it abandoned” in Hollywood Hills, and police were called after workers “reported a strong odor” coming from the Tesla.
- The Tesla was never reported as stolen.
- The body was discovered inside a bag in the Tesla’s front trunk. The remains were not intact and had badly decomposed.
- The remains were so decomposed that it took authorities more than a week to identify the body.
- The remains were eventually identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas.
- D4vd has a matching tattoo with Rivas, and her mother said she has been missing for over a year and that her daughter’s boyfriend was named David.
- D4vd initially decided to continue his world tour while cooperating with the investigation, but he cancelled the remainder of his tour on Wednesday.
- An unreleased love song written by D4vd references someone by the name of “Celeste” in the unfinished title and twice in the lyrics.
- Police raided a home connected to D4vd as they continue the investigation.
Evidence Linking D4vd to Celeste Rivas
Obviously, D4vd was initially linked to the 15-year-old girl’s death by the simple fact that her body was found in the trunk of one of his cars. However, several other pieces of evidence have surfaced, appearing to link him to Rivas, too.
Rivas’ mother spoke with TMZ earlier this month, where she revealed that her daughter had been missing for more than a year, adding that she grew suspicious after learning of the body found in the Tesla, since her daughter’s boyfriend was named David.
TMZ later reported that both Rivas and D4vd have similar tattoos that read “Shhh…” on their right index fingers.
Meanwhile, an unreleased song by D4vd, which was originally leaked back in 2023, appears to be a love song written about someone by the name of “Celeste,” with the name featured both in the title of the song and multiple times in the lyrics.
Additionally, several photos and videos have spread across social media appearing to show D4vd with Rivas together, though none of the images have been verified. Screenshots from a Discord channel have also circulated, seemingly showing the singer in conversation with someone named Celeste, but those, too, remain unconfirmed.
Why D4vd is Not a Murder Suspect
The simplest explanation for why D4vd has not even been listed as a suspect is that authorities have not even concluded that a murder actually occurred.
While TMZ has reported multiple times that the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division is leading the investigation into the death of the 15-year-old girl and the investigation is being treated like a murder, it has not officially been deemed a homicide investigation.
Law enforcement officials told ABC News that the reason the investigation is not currently considered a homicide investigation is that authorities have not yet determined how Rivas died, which means they do not have enough evidence to definitively state that she was murdered.
That statement from law enforcement officials is backed up by an assessment from ABC News contributor and legal expert Brian Buckmire, who explained last week why D4vd had not been arrested, charged, or questioned regarding the girl’s death.
“Law enforcement does not have the answers they want in order to be able to confront or question D4vd,” Buckmire said on Good Morning America last week. “Especially without an autopsy report as to the cause and manner of death.”
If investigators are able to determine a cause of death and conclude that it was a homicide, then authorities could begin identifying suspects. As of now, however, they can’t name a suspect in a crime they aren’t even sure occurred.
As of now, D4vd has not been arrested, has not been named a suspect in the case, and a spokesperson for the artist has maintained that he is fully cooperating with the investigation.
