Los Angeles (KABC) — Authorities have identified the body discovered inside an impounded Tesla registered to singer D4vd as that of Celeste Rivas, a 15-year-old girl reported missing from Lake Elsinore last year.

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Identification and Background

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Rivas’ identity on Wednesday. While the official cause of death has been listed as “deferred,” investigators say the teen had been dead “for some time” before her body was found.

Rivas was first reported missing in early 2024. According to family and officials, she had run away multiple times but always returned — until her final disappearance in April 2024. Her last known contact was a phone call home in May 2024.

Those who knew her described Rivas as a “bubbly and sweet” young girl.

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Discovery of the Body

Police discovered the body on Sept. 8, 2025, after responding to reports of a foul odor at a tow yard near Mansfield Avenue and Romaine Street in Hollywood.

The Tesla had been towed two days earlier after being abandoned on a public street. LAPD sources said officers found Rivas’ decomposing body inside a bag placed in the front trunk of the vehicle.

The car, a distinct Tesla model, had reportedly been seen parked in multiple spots on the same street before being impounded.

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Connection to Singer D4vd

The vehicle is registered to 20-year-old singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, an indie/R&B/alt-pop artist with more than 33 million monthly Spotify listeners and viral hits including “Here With Me” and “Romantic Homicide.”

D4vd’s scheduled performance at The Showbox in Seattle on Wednesday was listed as canceled. He is set to perform in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, though neither he nor his team has issued any public comment regarding the case. His social media accounts have since limited comments.

Adding to the intrigue, a leaked track titled “Celeste” has surfaced online, allegedly connected to the artist.

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Ongoing Investigation

On Wednesday night, LAPD detectives searched a Hollywood home near where the Tesla had been left. Officers carried out a computer and several evidence bags but did not confirm whether the property was directly tied to the case.

The medical examiner described Rivas as 5’2” tall, weighing 71 pounds, with wavy black hair. She was found wearing a tube top, black leggings, a yellow metal bracelet, stud earrings, and a tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh…”

Police say the investigation is ongoing. Detectives plan to question the vehicle’s registered owner and any individuals possibly linked to the case.

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Community Impact

The discovery has sent shockwaves through both Lake Elsinore, where Rivas was from, and the broader public, as fans of D4vd await answers.

Authorities emphasize that no arrests have been made and that the cause and circumstances of Rivas’ death remain under investigation.