Content warning: This article is about the murder investigation of a teenage girl.
On Sept. 8, the Los Angeles Police Department found the body of a 15-year-old girl in the trunk of a towed Tesla, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The body of the girl was later identified by her family as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a teen girl from Lake Elsinore who was reported missing last year.
The discovery was made after officers were called to a Hollywood tow yard due to a foul odor coming from the car. The car belongs to 20-year-old singer David Anthony Burke, better known by his stage name d4vd, ABC7 reported.
The singer, who’s best known for his songs “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” was on tour when the news broke. Before Hernandez was identified, only a couple of physical descriptions had been released about her physical appearance, one of which was a “Shhh…” tattoo on her right index finger.
While Burke is cooperating with authorities and has canceled the rest of his tour, the details that have surfaced are becoming increasingly disturbing. Photos and a video live stream of the two resurfaced, and social media was quick to connect the dots regarding the alleged nature of d4vd and Hernandez’s relationship. Once the internet discovered that both Burke and Hernandez had matching “Shhh…” tattoos on their index fingers, users began to uncover every clue they could find about the two, including information about whether they had been connected in the past.
“In the back of my mind, I killed you, and I didn’t even regret it. I can’t believe I said it, but it’s true. I hate you.”
Romantic Homicide by d4vd
I think we are all familiar with this lyric from one of d4vd’s most notorious songs, “Romantic Homicide,” which gained popularity on TikTok in 2022. The music video features d4vd blindfolded, playing out the scene and recalling the memories of killing his former lover.
In an interview with Genius, Burke explains that this lyric about him killing his former lover is meant to be associated with the thought of her dying mentally.
“It’s really more of a figurative ‘I killed you,’ especially in the back of my mind,” Burke said. “It’s all in the back of my mind because that’s the most secure place you can be is in your mind, so if you can expel that thought from your mind, then everything else will just come together.”
While fans may not have noticed it at the time, some details from this music video and previous music videos are too hard to ignore.
In the music video, d4vd’s lover is a girl who bears a resemblance to Hernandez. If this wasn’t chilling enough, the music video was released on Sept. 7, 2022, which coincided with Hernandez’s 12th birthday.
Burke has also featured girls who look like Hernandez playing his love interest in “Here With Me.” Many theories are circulating about the singer, but all of them center on Burke being allegedly romantically involved with a minor.
Additionally, d4vd released a song titled “Celeste” in 2023, and the lyrics appear to support the allegations against him. One lyric reads, “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, oh Celeste.”
Theories of d4vd’s lyricism in the mentioned songs suggest that the singer was obsessed with Hernandez and had been seeing the teenager in secret since 2022. Hernandez’s mother had also confirmed that her daughter had a boyfriend named David.
As the singer remains silent, social media has been abuzz with speculation. While theories have circulated about Hernandez’s case and the cause of her death, the case is still under further investigation.
As of Sept. 29, Burke is not a suspect in Hernandez’s murder, despite the release of chats and pictures that suggest the two knew each other. Police have already searched a Hollywood Hills home where Burke had stayed during Hernandez’s disappearance.
Lake Elsinore residents gathered at the vigil to grieve the death of Hernandez, including a resident whose nephew had gone to school with Hernandez since kindergarten, according to ABC7.
“I just want to say as a [mother], if it was my daughter, I wouldn’t want her to be forgotten. I just want justice for this little girl because whatever happened to her wasn’t just an accident.”
Lake Elsinore resident to ABC7
Hernandez was 14 years old when she passed away. She would’ve had her 15th birthday earlier this month. She was discovered the day after her birthday, and her body was already very decomposed.
While the internet is trying to piece together this case and get justice for Hernandez, a family is still trying to cope with the loss of a daughter, and the world with the loss of a young soul taken too soon. No matter the details to come, what happened to this young girl was a tragedy, and that should not be forgotten. Do not make her into another example — remember her name. May Celeste Rivas Hernandez rest in peace.