On Wednesday, Sept. 8, remains were found in a Los Angeles car registered to a singer whose stage name is D4vd. The remains have been identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas. Spurred by intense speculation across social media platforms, various details have emerged that have driven many to think that D4vd may be involved or responsible for the death of Rivas.
A Tesla registered to D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was impounded after neighbors reported it being abandoned for nearly three weeks. After a few days of sitting in a Hollywood tow lot, law enforcement in the area began to receive reports of a foul smell coming from the Tesla. Upon investigation, police found a dismembered, decomposing body in the front trunk of the vehicle. Police were not able to tell exactly how long the body had been there.
D4vd has risen to fame over the last few years, with over 3.9 million followers on TikTok alone. One of the songs that catapulted him to popularity is titled “Here With Me,” which became well known shortly after its release in May 2023. He is also well known for his song “Romantic Homicide,” which became most popular in summer of 2022. His debut album came out in April of this year.
“Capacious, freewheeling hooks that belie his angst-rattled, young-love motifs, making them mournful but explosive,” Rolling Stone writer Will Dukes praised in a review of Burke’s album Withered.
There are many facts known about the homicide of Rivas, but few that directly implicate Burke. NBC Los Angeles talked to Celeste’s brother, Matthew Rivas, who said that members of the family still living in Lake Elsinore knew that Celeste Rivas had known Burke, and are still grieving. A house in the area where the car was abandoned on Doheny Drive was searched in relation to the case on Sept. 17. According to the LA Times, on Sept. 24, people were seen moving things out of the house. Burke cooperated with authorities and canceled his show in Seattle the night the remains were found. He has since cancelled the rest of his tour.
There has been a multitude of circumstantial or rumored evidence floating around the internet since the news broke. Many have used the evidence to create theories that Burke was responsible for Rivas’s murder. Photos of the two together, as well as rumors of their relationship, have surfaced online as well. It has been discovered that Burke and Rivas had matching tattoos on their right index fingers that say the word “Shhh…”
Other factors could be the eerie lyrics of his hit song “Romantic Homicide” that paint a vivid picture for listeners. “In the back of my mind, I killed you/ And I didn’t even cry” Burke sings in the verse of the song. Burke also has an unreleased song titled “Celeste”.
Other questionable elements have come to light regarding the relationship between Rivas and the singer. Burke was known by his friends to be introverted; those friends also saw similar qualities in Rivas. Friends of Burke also told Fox News that they thought Rivas was 19, due to the fact that they had noticed her at multiple age restricted events. Authorities also confirmed that Rivas had more than one fake ID.
Rumors about potential evidence have spread to Manheim Township students. Some have taken to both social media and news sources to keep up with the most recent updates.
“Infant remains were found near his house,” freshman Ally Hagel said.
While the remains in question have not been connected to the case by law enforcement and are unsupported, they have sent social media into a tailspin.
“It’s kind of hard to believe someone like this would do something, because they have all of this money and fame,” Hagel said. If Burke is charged with a crime, his trial will certainly be influenced by the amount of opinions on and off the internet.
Beyond the impact on Burke and the related families, the public may now question what type of person any celebrity is. The sheer amount of perspectives that have grown from information being shared on a daily basis from multiple platforms has and will continue to cause bias in the public opinion.
