D4vd Tesla Case

D4vd's rise to fame -- and infamy -- has been pretty meteoric, as the performer went from internet notoriety to real-life success.

However, the singer's career has been clouded by the recent discovery of a dead body in his car, and subsequent revelations about his alleged connections to the deceased individual.

Here's a look at how the performer made a name for himself before he became involved in the case.

D4vd -- legal name David Anthony Burke -- was born in Queens, New York City, and he later moved with his family to the Houston, Texas area, where he was raised.

The singer mainly listened to gospel music growing up, and he was homeschooled in his younger years, according to DIY.

The performer began his musical career after his Fortnite gaming montages were demonetized on YouTube for copyright violations.

D4vd's mother encouraged him to start making his own music for the clips, and he later began recording songs in his sister's closet using apps on his phone.

D4vd began sharing tracks on SoundCloud, and he released breakout single, "Romantic Homicide," in 2022, after clips from the track gained popularity on TikTok.

He later signed with Darkroom/Interscope, and he released his debut EP, titled "Petals To Thorns," in May 2023, and he started his first tour the same month.

D4vd quickly rose to fame in the music industry, as he went on to release several other singles, make guest appearances on other artists' tracks, and embark on multiple tours, both as a headliner and a supporting act.

The performer eventually released his debut album, "Withered," in April 2025, though it was preceded by the release of multiple singles.

D4vd was enmeshed in controversy in September 2025, when a chopped-up, decomposed body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla that was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills ... the Tesla was registered under his name. The car was impounded and taken to a Hollywood tow yard, where a smell emanating from the vehicle prompted the discovery of the body.

Although the singer began cooperating with authorities after they started looking into how the body ended up in the car, he was removed from an ad campaign for Hollister.

The investigation into how the body ended up in the car didn't stop D4vd from performing, however, as he kept touring and played a show in Minneapolis just a day after the body was found in the car.

The case turned even more mysterious when the body was identified on September 16, though not publicly, pending notification of next of kin ... the next day it was revealed it was a 15-year-old girl named Celeste Rivas who was reported missing in 2024.

Connections between D4vd and Celeste began popping up after she was identified, and her mother told TMZ her daughter, who'd been missing ever since April 2024, had a boyfriend named David. We also revealed Celeste and the singer had matching tattoos.

We later learned the singer was seen in the area where Celeste had lived prior to her disappearance, and a photo began circulating online showing him posing next to a girl with a resemblance to the deceased individual. He also professed his love for someone named Celeste in a leaked demo track from December 2023.

D4vd ended up pausing his world tour after the girl's body was identified. LAPD officers subsequently began speaking with residents of the area where the Tesla was abandoned to find further information in the case.

D4vd professes his love for someone named Celeste in one of his leaked songs ... and it's the same name as the 15-year-old girl who was found dead in his Tesla.

The track features some pretty interesting lyrics ... and there are two mentions of "Celeste."

D4vd sings ... "Oh, Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest / Smell her on my clothes like cigarettes // I hear her voice each time I take a breath / I'm obsessed."

The person whose body was found in singer D4vd's Tesla has been identified as Celeste Rivas ... and TMZ has spoken to her mother, who says she had a boyfriend named David.

Celeste was 15, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner. Several days ago, TMZ got a tip that the victim was a young girl who had gone missing from Lake Elsinore, CA in April, 2024.

TMZ contacted Celeste's mother, who told us she felt the body found in the Tesla might be her daughter. She said the police description -- which included a tattoo on her finger with the letters "Shhh..." -- matched her daughter's.

Singer D4vd has a tattoo on his finger with the letters "Shhh..." -- and the young girl's body found in his Tesla has the same tattoo on her finger.

As TMZ reported, the body has now been identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas. Authorities said she had a tattoo on her right index finger with the letters "Shhh..." David's tattoo is also on his right index finger.

TMZ spoke with Celeste's mom last week, and she told us about her daughter's tattoo, adding it was in red ink. The mom said Celeste had been missing for more than a year, but she was suspicious of the Tesla discovery because she said Celeste's boyfriend's name was David.

D4vd's hitting pause on his world tour after authorities in Los Angeles identified the dead girl found in his Tesla ... we've learned he's NOT taking the stage tonight for a scheduled gig in Seattle.

The singer was supposed to perform Wednesday night at the Showbox SoDo, but sources with direct knowledge tell us the concert is canceled.

D4vd had been touring even while cops in L.A. were in the middle of a homicide investigation involving a chopped up and decomposing body that was found earlier this month in the front trunk of his Tesla.

3:57 PM PT -- ABC 7 Los Angeles reports forensics determined the victim was a female between 14 and 15 years old, according to the outlets sources.

Los Angeles authorities have identified the body found in the trunk of singer D4vd's car, TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner tells TMZ ... the deceased has been identified, yet, the legal next of kin notification is still pending -- and so, they're unable to release the name at this time.

We spoke to multiple law enforcement sources yesterday, who said they had yet to identify the body or the driver ... so, it seems the body was identified in the last 24 hours.

Cops still haven't figured out some key elements of the homicide case involving a body found in a Tesla registered to D4vd ... but progress is being made.

LAPD sources with direct knowledge tell us police still have not been able to identify the victim. The body was badly decomposed and chopped up when it was found earlier this month in the front trunk of the singer's Tesla.

Our sources say detectives have yet to determine who was using D4vd's Tesla before it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and impounded with body parts inside. The car was never reported stolen.

Los Angeles authorities are inching closer to identifying the badly decomposed body found chopped up inside a Tesla registered to singer D4vd.

The LA County Medical Examiner issued an online report Tuesday night, listing the gender of the victim as a female who is about 5-foot-1 and 71 pounds. The M.E. says she has wavy black hair with a tattoo on her right index finger that reads, "Shhh..."

When her corpse was discovered, she was wearing a tube top and black leggings with two pieces of jewelry -- a metal stud earring and a metal chain bracelet in the shape of a "W."

The show goes on for D4vd ... the singer just took the stage for a scheduled concert in Minnesota, one day after cops found a dismembered body in the trunk of his Tesla in Hollywood.

D4vd is performing right now at The Fillmore Minneapolis ... the latest stop on his world tour.

The concert is moving forward as a death investigation is underway in Los Angeles ... cops were called to a Hollywood impound Monday for a report of foul odor coming from a Tesla, and police found human remains.

D4vd was modeling hoodies, sweatpants and Crocs for Hollister ... until news broke that a dead body was found in his Tesla ... and now he's been sidelined as a Hollister model.

The Hollister website prominently featured D4vd Tuesday morning as a model for a brand new collab between Hollister and Crocs ... he was in photos and videos promoting the new clothing line ... but now he's been replaced by another model.

D4vd's removal follows headlines about a chopped up and decomposed body being found in a Tesla registered in his name that was sitting in a Hollywood tow yard.

The Tesla found in L.A. with human body parts that had been chopped up and left in the trunk is being investigated by LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division, and the L.A. County Coroner is trying to determine both cause of death and whether the victim is male or female.

The LAPD tells TMZ, the Tesla, owned by singer D4vd, was left on a public street for more than 72 hours. The L.A. Department of Transportation impounded the vehicle last Friday, and we're told it had not been reported stolen.

The car was taken to a police garage in Hollywood. The garage staff noticed a noxious smell on Monday, opened the trunk and found the remains in a bag.

D4vd -- a popular singer with millions of streams -- is alive and well after a chopped up and heavily decomposed body was found in a Tesla registered to him that was sitting inside a Hollywood tow yard ... we've confirmed the body isn't his, and he's OK.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police are the ones who informed D4vd his Tesla was in an impound with a dead body inside, and he had no idea there was anything untoward going on.

We're told D4vd is fully cooperating with police as the investigation moves forward.

9:26 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... The body found in the Tesla was chopped up and heavily decomposed. The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death.

A Tesla registered to singer D4vd -- a popular singer with millions of streams -- is under a police microscope after a body was found inside the vehicle at a Hollywood tow yard.

LAPD tells TMZ ... officers responded Monday after receiving a report of a foul odor coming from the Tesla. Cops say human remains were found, and the case is now being treated as a death investigation.

According to ABC 7, the remains were found in a bag inside the car's trunk. The Tesla has been sitting at the tow yard for the past couple days. Authorities have not released the person's identity.