In brief
The remains of Celeste Rivas, a 15-year-old girl reported missing in April 2024, were discovered inside a car belonging to singer D4vd, prompting an ongoing investigation into her death. The body was found at a tow yard in Hollywood, California, after reports of a foul odor. While the cause of death remains unclear, police confirm that D4vd is cooperating with the investigation.
A decomposing body found in a car registered to singer D4vd has been identified as a missing 15-year-old girl, US authorities say.
Police officers discovered the remains of Celeste Rivas inside the boot of the impounded Tesla on 8 September, after responding to reports of a foul smell at the Hollywood tow yard in Los Angeles.
Authorities said both the cause and time of her death remained unknown.
Rivas, from Lake Elsinore in California, was 13 at the time of her disappearance and was last seen on 5 April 2024, according to a missing person flyer cited by CBS, the BBC's US partner.
Earlier, officers said the Tesla was likely to have been at the Hollywood tow yard for a couple of days before the remains were found.
The car, which has a Texas licence plate, was towed from the Hollywood Hills after it was abandoned five days earlier.
The car is registered to 20-year-old David Anthony Burke, the official name of singer D4vd.
Last week, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said the person whose remains were discovered was 5ft 2in tall (157cm), had wavy black hair and was wearing a tube top and black leggings.
It added that the remains had a tattoo on the right index finger that read: Shhh.
The remains were not intact and it appeared the girl had been dead for an extended period of time, according to law enforcement sources cited by NBC News.
D4vd, who has millions of followers on social media, is best known for his viral hits Here With me and Romantic Homicide.
He released his debut album in April and was on tour when the remains were found in the Tesla. The tour's scheduled show in Seattle on Wednesday was cancelled.
Police say D4vd is cooperating with the investigation.
