Celeste Rivas’ Father Reacts to Singer D4vd’s Arrest in Murder Probe

Los Angeles police have arrested 21-year-old singer David Anthony Burke (popularly known as D4vd) in connection with the 2025 murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Celeste’s father, Jesus Rivas, has reacted to the news of D4vd's arrest.

D4vd is being held without bail, and prosecutors will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on April 20 for possible charges.

The Rivas family has spoken out after the arrest. Celeste’s father, Jesus Rivas, called it “justice for Celeste” upon learning police had taken the singer into custody. Their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, said the family is “committed to ensuring that Celeste’s voice is heard” through the legal process.

Steinfeld added that the family plans to attend D4vd’s arraignment and will make a statement outside the courthouse after the District Attorney’s press conference.

“Out of respect for the investigation, the family has chosen not to speak publicly until after Burke (D4vd) is arraigned,” Steinfeld said.

Police say Celeste was reported missing from Lake Elsinore in April 2024. Her remains were discovered on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a Tesla Model Y that had been towed to a Hollywood storage yard. The car was registered to D4vd.

The police then found two black body bags in the trunk. The body was severely decomposed. LAPD Captain Scot Williams told ENews that Celeste had likely been dead “for at least several weeks” before her remains were found.

“We did the best we could to keep tabs on him, but once we developed probable cause to arrest him for murder, then we were on him pretty diligently,” the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division told The Post.

“There was a lot of outside pressure for [investigators] to act quickly, they were able to put that aside and do the tedious, meticulous work that was needed to ensure we had an airtight case once it came time for an arrest,” Williams added.

D4vd (21) was identified as a suspect months after the discovery, and he has been under grand jury investigation since late 2025.

Then, on April 16, 2026, LAPD Robbery-Homicide detectives arrested D4vd at a home in the Hollywood Hills on a probable-cause warrant. In a press release on social media, the LAPD said D4vd was booked on suspicion of murder and remains in custody without bail.

According to jail records, D4vd is scheduled to appear in court on April 20, at which prosecutors will decide whether to formally charge him. However, his attorneys kept claiming he was innocent.

His attorneys released a statement saying that “the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez,” and noting that “no criminal complaint [has been] filed” yet. Investigators have continued to gather evidence.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office asked a judge last year to seal the autopsy details, a request that remains in effect as the case is being worked on.