Was Celeste Rivas Living a Double Life? Detectives Focus on Her 'Turbulent' Past in D4vd Death Probe

A 15-year-old reported missing more than a year ago has been formally identified as the decomposed body found in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer-songwriter known as D4vd; a discovery that has forced investigators to retrace her final days and renewed scrutiny of the artist's past interviews and imagery.

Authorities say the remains were recovered after tow-yard staff reported a foul odour from an impounded Tesla on 8 September 2025. Forensic investigators at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed the victim's identity as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, while the cause and manner of death remain 'deferred' pending further testing.

Discovery And Identification

Workers at a Hollywood impound lot reported a strong odour coming from a black Tesla on 8 September 2025. When officers opened the vehicle's front trunk, they found human remains wrapped in a bag, police sources told local reporters.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner then identified the remains as Celeste Rivas Hernandez and noted distinctive features used in the forensics match — including a tattoo on the right index finger — and that the body had been in an advanced state of decomposition when discovered. The ME's public case record lists the identification, and that the cause of death remains under investigation.

Celeste's family and her community in Lake Elsinore have been left reeling; reporters in her hometown describe vigils and questions about how a teenager reported missing in April 2024 came to be connected with a vehicle found in Hollywood nearly 18 months later.

The Artist's Interviews, Imagery, and the Online Reaction

Online sleuthing accelerated rapidly after a clip of an earlier interview with the singer resurfaced; in a May 2025 sit-down for the Mahogany channel, the artist described a fictional alter ego called Itami, 'an agent of chaos', he said, and explained that violent motifs in his music and videos were born of a manga he had conceived rather than of lived actions.

That interview and the dark visuals of the 2022 single 'Romantic Homicide' have been mined by the public and commentators for possible clues. Some viewers point to lyrical lines and imagery and to a tattoo similarity between the musician and the deceased; others warn against conflating artistic persona with real-world culpability.

The artist's camp has said he is cooperating with investigators; meanwhile, the commercial fallout has been swift, with tour dates and promotional activity being paused while labels and brands assess the situation. Such steps are business-driven responses to reputational risk and do not equate to criminal findings.

The Next Steps

Celeste's relatives have launched a fundraiser to cover funeral costs; organisers posted that the family is grateful for support and that they are planning a memorial service, and the page publicly displays the current donations.

Forensic timelines will be decisive in establishing when Celeste died and what, if any, connections existed between her and others whose lives intersected hers. Detectives have said they are tracing her final days and examining online communications and images as part of the effort.