WARNING: This report includes details involving human remains.
An inquiry by a Los Angeles County grand jury is focusing on singer D4vd regarding the death of a 14-year-old girl whose decomposed body was discovered last year inside an apparently abandoned Tesla registered to the artist, as per court records.
Officials have identified the 20-year-old alt-pop artist, born in Houston as David Burke, as the subject of the investigation in grand jury subpoenas issued on Jan. 15, requesting three of his family members to testify.
The documents, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, were sealed in California where the grand jury proceedings have been confidential. However, they were made public due to a challenge against the subpoenas in Texas by the singer’s mother, father, and brother.
According to the documents, the “target may be involved in having committed the following criminal offences against the laws of the State of California, to wit: One count of Murder.”
Tesla linked to singer, court filings reveal
The Tesla was listed in D4vd’s name at the residence of his summoned family members, as stated in court filings.
Authorities had not officially named D4vd, pronounced as “David,” as a suspect in the case.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body, who was found deceased on Sept. 8, a day after what would have been her 15th birthday, was a 13-year-old seventh grader when reported missing in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, approximately 112 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles.
The documents state her age as 14 at the time of her death.
The subpoena indicates that during a search of the 2023 Tesla Model Y at a tow yard, investigators discovered a cadaver bag “infested with insects and emitting a strong odor of decay.”
“Upon partially unzipping the bag, a decomposed head and torso were observed,” it mentions.
Officials from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office were dispatched to the scene.
“Upon removing the cadaver bag from the front storage compartment, it was revealed that the arms and legs had been detached from the body,” the document mentions. “A second black bag beneath the cadaver bag contained the dismembered body parts.”
Representatives for D4vd did not provide immediate comments on Wednesday and had previously not responded to inquiries from the AP regarding the case.
The District Attorney’s Office declined to provide a statement.
A Texas judge ruled that the three family members must comply with the subpoenas and testify in California.
Vehicle apparently deserted
The Tesla had been taken from an affluent neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills, where it was left unattended.
The artist was touring the U.S. and continued to perform several shows after the discovery of the girl’s body. However, he later canceled the remaining concerts and a European tour as his involvement in the case became widely known.
The Medical Examiner’s Office previously stated that the body was significantly decomposed, suggesting Rivas Hernandez had been deceased for a considerable period before being found.
In November, Los Angeles police secured an order preventing Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo from releasing the autopsy findings, and the cause of death remains undisclosed.
D4vd gained a following among Gen Z fans for his fusion of indie rock, R&B, and lo-fi pop. He gained prominence on TikTok in 2022 with the track Romantic Homicide, which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s hot rock and alternative songs chart. Subsequently, he signed with Darkroom and Inters
