How it all started and who these guys are
Reading threads, I wondered, who is d4vd? You know, sometimes something flashes in the news that grabs you right away - a mix of glamour, tragedy, and those "what ifs?". That's how it is with d4vd - a guy who was climbing the charts yesterday and is at the center of a police investigation today. His real name is David Anthony Burke, he's 20, from Los Angeles. If you're into indie R&B or TikTok hits, you've probably heard "Romantic Homicide" or "Here with Me". Millions of streams, teenage fans, a world tour - a classic success story for the 2020s. Opening for SZA on tour!
And now Celeste Rivas Hernandez - a little girl who was only 15 when everything went wrong. A girl from Lake Elsinore, California - a typical suburb where families try to live peacefully. But Celeste wasn't "typical": she ran away from home several times, forged IDs to look older, and spent a lot of time online. In May 2024 (or maybe even April 5), she just disappeared. Her family reported to the Riverside County police, but a year passed - no leads.
And now it's September 2025. On the 8th, in Hollywood, at a regular parking lot, the Los Angeles police (LAPD) respond to a complaint: "The smell is strange, like something's rotten." They evacuate an abandoned Tesla - d4vd's car, which was towed a couple of days before, on September 6. They open the trunk... and there's a bag with remains. A girl's head and torso, in plastic, in clothes: a tie-top, black leggings, a yellow bracelet, earrings. Weight - a mere 32 kg, the body decomposed, so it's clear: it lay there for at least a week, maybe two.
A week later, DNA shows: it's Celeste. Los Angeles County medical examiners classify it as murder, but the exact cause of death is "pending" for further analysis. The date of death is indicated as September 8 (but that's not certain). The incomplete body suggests dismemberment, but officially - silence.
D4vd is on the "Withered World Tour" at this time but immediately cancels everything and moves out of his rented house in Hollywood Hills ($20k a month for rent, no joke), which attracted the attention of the press and various onlookers. His statement to the public: "I am fully cooperating with the police." No arrest, no suspect status. Just a guy whose car ended up at the center of bloody events.
What is his connection to the deceased? It all comes down to online. Back in 2023, when Celeste was 12-13, they crossed paths on Twitch and Discord. Photos together, matching tattoos ("Shhh" on the finger), even a demo track "Celeste_Demo" leaked. The family says: "He contacted her at 11-12 years old and picked her up in the same Tesla." Friends saw them as a "couple" - thought she was 18-19 (but many acquaintances by correspondence clearly understood that the girl might be underage).
It turned out not to be a movie, where we are used to seeing such things, but a reality where social networks erase boundaries. The investigation is active: on September 18, they already searched d4vd's house, seized computers, phones, bags with evidence. They suspect everything happened there. Celeste's family is raising funds on GoFundMe for the funeral - October 5 and collects the necessary amount for their daughter's funeral.
In short: circumstantial facts press, but direct ones - zero. The autopsy and gadget analysis will decide the artist's fate.
From Discord chats to joint photos - how they came together
Now let's dive deeper into what connects d4vd and Celeste. It's not just a random meeting at a concert - it all started online, where teenagers and stars can chat for hours without seeing boundaries. Remember, Celeste was 12-13 when in 2023 (or a little earlier) they crossed paths on Twitch and Discord. D4vd was just gaining momentum then: streaming, sharing demos, interacting with fans. And she - a typical teenager, a music fan, running away from home to feel grown-up. D4vd himself was 17 at the time of acquaintance.
The Rivas family doesn't shy away from details: according to them, David (d4vd) wrote to her first when she was 11-12. Discord chats - it's like evidence from the future: flirting, personal stories, promises to meet. Everything is stored on servers and even though moderators tried to delete the server, backups are kept by the company (Discord is not Telegram or Signal). Celeste's mother recalls: "She talked about someone named David who picked her up in his Tesla." And yes, that very car - the one where the body was later found. Not a coincidence, but a pattern.
Celeste's friends add color. They saw the correspondence, heard stories: "She seemed happy, they thought it was a normal relationship." Someone even talks about a video from d4vd's concert in August 2025 - they say, Celeste was there, in the crowd, waving. And the photos? Plenty leaked online after the scandal. D4vd and the girl (with a face everyone now recognizes) hugging, smiling. Matching tattoos: "Shhh" on the index finger of the right hand - both have it. Another touch: Hello Kitty pants on d4vd and messages from him mentioning a girl with sandals similar to Celeste's. A trifle, but it adds up to the picture "they were together".
Neighbors from Hollywood Hills are also in the loop. "Quiet couple," they say. "Thought she was 18-19, nothing suspicious." D4vd rented this house for 20k a month, typical Los Angeles chic for a young music millionaire. And Celeste? She ran away more than once, used fake IDs to sneak into clubs or parties. In July-August 2025 - last contacts with friends. Then silence.
What comes out of this? The connection is real, and it started too early. Grooming (establishing trust relationships for the purpose of sexual exploitation of a child)? Child abuse? Under California law, sex with a minor is an article, even if "consent" was given. But murder? That's still shaky. The leak of the demo track "Celeste_Demo" - fans whisper it's a hint, but d4vd in a 2023 interview talked about a "dark alter-ego" in the lyrics. Coincidence or not - experts will decide.
Celeste's family is not silent: her brother accuses directly - "inappropriate relationships with a 12-year-old" and directly says that d4vd killed his sister. Officially, the artist's representative says nothing. His label Interscope - in silence, the tour is canceled, fan streams have soared, but with tags #JusticeForCeleste.
The analysis is simple: online made them close, but age - that's a red line. If the chats confirm intimacy, then at a minimum - a criminal case for sex with a minor. Murder hangs by a thread: the body in his car, but who knows how it got there? Maybe he's not involved, or maybe - the central figure.
What the police are digging into and why d4vd is still free
Alright, we've figured out how the bodies were found and how these two crossed paths online. Now - the meat: what's on the police's mind and why, for heaven's sake, is no one in handcuffs? The LAPD is conducting a serious investigation - this is not a series where everything is resolved in one episode. The investigation has been dragging on for a couple of weeks, since September 8, and by the 26th - zero arrests. But let's break down what they're digging into and why they're stalling.
First - the search. On September 18, ten days after the discovery, cops burst into d4vd's house in Hollywood Hills. Not with fanfare, but with a warrant: they seize everything that might hold traces. Computers, hard drives, phones, tablets - classic for a digital trail. Discord and Twitch chats? Photos and videos? Maybe even search queries like "how to hide a body" - a joke, but you get it. Also bags with "evidence": clothes, rags, maybe tools. They suspect the murder (or whatever happened) took place in this house - the body was packed, dismembered (head and torso - horror), and then into the Tesla trunk. The car was abandoned on September 6, the body lay there for 2-3 days until the smell, so the timeline matches: death on the 8th, but decomposition suggests earlier.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner is a key player. September 15 - identification by DNA, classification as murder. Cause of death "pending," meaning waiting for further tests: toxicology (drugs? poisoning?), injuries (blows? strangulation?). September 22 status "ready for release" - the family can collect for the funeral on October 5, but details are under wraps. The family says: "We got answers," but don't share (respect for privacy or waiting for the trial to start)?
The LAPD is cooperating with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office - those who handled Celeste's disappearance case since May 2024. She ran away more than once, fake IDs - so cops are checking: was there an abduction? Human trafficking? Or did she leave for d4vd on her own? Family statements: "He picked her up in a Tesla" - this could pull on abduction if confirmed. And child abuse? From 12 years old, chats - this is pure grooming, under California laws sex with a 15-year-old - an article, even with "consent". Age of consent is 18, and a 5-year difference doesn't save.
Why no arrest? Forensic experts (like Brian Buckmire from the news) explain simply: circumstantial evidence. His car - yes. His house - yes. Connection - yes. But direct evidence? D4vd's DNA on the body? Witnesses to a fight? Video? Zero. Maybe he didn't know about the body in the trunk - stolen? Or an accomplice? Fans on X and TikTok are breeding theories: "Gus" (a guy dated a girl and was killed. Suspect d4vd), Celeste 2 (after Celeste's death d4vd actively appeared on streams with a Celeste-like older girl with the same name, supposedly to get away) and "Celeste's pregnancy" (there are messages in Discord where d4vd and Celeste reported a mutual child) as a motive for murder. Police ignore "internet detectives," as fakes are everywhere now.
Is d4vd really guilty? And what does it mean for all of us
Well, we've reached the climax - the very question that spins in everyone's head: is this guy guilty of what he's suspected of? Murder? Grooming? Or just a tragic turn in the lives of two people brought together by the network? Let's analyze objectively, without shouting "guilty!" or "innocent!". Only facts, logic, and a bit of realism. And then - broader: what is this signal for music, social networks, and everyone who chats there.
First - the arguments "for". They are heavy, like that trunk. The body in his Tesla - fact. The house in Hollywood Hills was searched, a bunch of electronics seized - so the cops smell a connection. Chats with a 12-year-old? The family isn't lying: photos, tattoos, the demo track "Celeste_Demo" - these aren't coincidences. In California, child abuse - that's when an adult (even a 20-year-old) with a minor (15 years) - an article, period. Age of consent 18, a 5-year difference doesn't cut it if she's not emancipated. Grooming? If he wrote first, invited her into the car - yes, classic: manipulating a teenager through attention and compliments. Murder?
Classification as murder - that's no joke, the body is dismembered (head and torso), packed neatly. Timeline: last contacts in August, death in September - she was with him. Plus, his interview about a "dark alter-ego" in the lyrics - fans see a hint, though it might be a coincidence. In short, circumstantial evidence piled up: at a minimum, he's involved in abduction or relations with a child. Arrest? Maybe in a week, after the autopsy - if DNA or expertise shows violence.
Now "against" or, rather, "not so simple". No direct evidence - that's key. D4vd's DNA on the body? Not yet. Witnesses who saw a fight or heard screams? Zero. The car is abandoned - maybe stolen, or he himself didn't know what was lying there. Celeste ran away more than once, fake IDs - she could have rushed to him on her own, voluntarily. 15 years - that's an age when teenagers fall in love without brakes, especially with a TikTok star. D4vd - "quiet guy," according to neighbors and fans: quiet, not aggressive. He cooperates, doesn't run away - strange for a killer. Experts like Brian Buckmire say: without expertise on gadgets (chats, videos) - no case. Maybe an accomplice? Or a tragedy: a quarrel, overdose, panic - and they hid the body, but not him? Presumption of innocence is not on his side yet. For now - suspicions, but not a verdict.
Objective verdict? Guilt is likely in something serious: grooming and child abuse - 80-90% chance, by the evidence. Murder? 50/50 - the body in his car presses, but without motive or witnesses - shaky. It's not "he's a monster," but "the system broke": online erases age, celebrity attracts, and parents/platforms don't always catch. If the autopsy shows strangulation or poison, then the case will become like premeditated murder. If not - it may become like involuntary or just a relationship that ended badly.
And broader? It's a bomb for the industry. D4vd - not the first: remember R. Kelly or others whom social networks exposed. Twitch and Discord - a haven for grooming, millions of teenagers there without moderation freely communicate, unaware of age restrictions and not knowing what's in others' heads. Labels like Interscope? Silent, but the tour is canceled - reputation in minus, streams fell. Fans are divided: #JusticeForCeleste vs #InnocentD4vd - polarization, like in politics. For society, it became a lesson: check children's chats, platforms - implement AI to mark minors online. Music? Lyrics about "romantic homicide" - cool, but when murder happens in reality, it's no longer a joke.
In the end: we have to wait for updates on the case from the LAPD. Celeste's family deserves the truth, d4vd - a trial, and we - reflections.
If new facts emerge - I'll write an update. What do you think? Write in the comments.
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