D4vd Named Target in Grand Jury Murder Probe After Teen’s Dismembered Body Found in His Tesla

Newly unsealed court documents show that d4vd, the stage name of David Burke, has been described by Los Angeles County prosecutors as the "target" of a grand jury investigation into the death of a teenage girl. The designation matters because it moves a months‑long inquiry into formal grand jury proceedings amid intensely grisly evidence found in a vehicle registered to him.

D4vd Named "Target David Burke" in Grand Jury Subpoenas

Prosecutors identified the 20‑year‑old artist by his legal name, David Burke, and described him in a grand jury subpoena as "Target David Burke, " who "may be involved in having committed the following criminal offenses... One count of Murder. " The subpoenas were issued as prosecutors began presenting evidence to an investigative grand jury in November, and numerous witnesses have been called to testify, including one of Burke’s managers.

Discovery in the 2023 Tesla Model Y

Investigators recovered the victim’s remains from the front storage compartment of a 2023 Tesla Model Y that had been towed from a Hollywood Hills neighborhood. A tow yard worker had noticed a rotting smell, and detectives obtained a search warrant for the vehicle on September 8. When officers opened the compartment they found a black cadaver bag "covered with insects and a strong odor of decay. " Detectives partially unzipped that bag and observed a decomposed head and torso; upon removing it they found the arms and legs had been severed. A second black bag beneath the first contained additional dismembered body parts. Criminalists and medical examiners processed the scene.

Victim: Celeste Rivas Hernandez and Missing‑person Timeline

Court documents identify the victim as Celeste Rivas Hernandez and state she was 14 when she was killed. The body was found on September 8, 2025, in a Tesla registered to Burke, one day after she would have turned 15. Her family had reported her missing in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, a community about 70 miles (112 km) southeast of Los Angeles. The county medical examiner’s office has previously described the remains as severely decomposed and noted the victim had probably been dead for an extended period; no cause of death has been publicly released. In November, police obtained a court order preventing Dr. Odey Ukpo, the chief medical examiner, from releasing autopsy findings.

Witness Orders, Arrests and Testimony

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman issued subpoenas seeking testimony from Burke’s father, mother and brother. A friend of the singer, Neo Langston, was arrested in Montana after ignoring a subpoena and was compelled to return to Los Angeles to testify. The subpoenas and ensuing appeal have prompted sworn testimony from multiple witnesses as prosecutors present material to the grand jury.

Family Appeals and Texas Court Rulings

Burke’s parents—Dawud and Colleen—and his brother, Caleb, who reside in Texas, challenged the subpoenas in Texas courts. The legal filings are part of a challenge filed by the family in Texas. A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles approved the subpoenas after they were issued on January 15, and the First Court of Appeals in Texas on February 9 denied the family’s petitions to ignore the orders. A Texas appeals court footnote references an underlying case captioned "The People of the State of California v. David Burke, " listed as pending in the 506th District Court of Waller County with Judge Gary W. Chaney named; there is no public criminal complaint under that caption, consistent with the confidential nature of grand jury proceedings. Lawyers for the family could not be reached for comment.

Tour Disruption and Public Response

Before the discovery, the singer’s profile had been rising and plans for a global tour were in place. Burke had been in the middle of a U. S. tour and continued to play several shows after the body was found, but he later canceled the remainder of his concerts and a European tour once his connection to the matter became widely reported. Representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment and had not previously replied to emails seeking comment.

What makes this notable is that the grand jury designation places prosecutors at the center of a confidential process while law enforcement publicly resists formally labeling the death a homicide, creating a rare public‑legal crossroads between investigative secrecy and court‑mandated testimony.

Authorities have described the probe as ongoing and have pursued testimony and evidence across state lines as the grand jury evaluates whether to return criminal charges in the matter.