The d4vd Murder Case Full Story: What Happened to Celeste Hernandez?

If you’ve been anywhere near social media this year, you’ve probably already seen this name everywhere, tied to one of the most disturbing cases people have been talking about in 2026.

It all started on September 8, 2025, when the badly decomposed and dismembered body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing for over a year and a half, was found in the trunk of singer d4vd’s car. His real name is David Anthony Burke.

In late August 2025, a Tesla was left abandoned in Hollywood for weeks before it was eventually towed to a car impound lot. On September 8, employees called police after noticing a terrible smell coming from the vehicle.

When they opened the trunk, they found a black cadaver bag covered in insects. Inside was the severely decomposed head and torso of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. In another bag, investigators found dismembered arms and legs. Celeste’s pinky and ring finger had also been cut off.

Her body was identified using dental records because of how badly decomposed it was.

Celeste was last seen leaving her house in April 2024 when she was just 13 years old. It was the third time that year she had run away and been reported missing, but tragically, this time she would never return home.

When she was first reported missing in April 2024, David said he had spoken to her in February and claimed he didn’t know she was a minor. But that turned out to be a lie, and one he repeated multiple times.

He later contradicted himself after showing deputies a yearbook photo of Celeste that he had saved on his phone. So how do you have a yearbook photo of her, but then claim you didn’t know she was a minor?

Celeste eventually returned home, and her parents took away her phone as punishment for running away.

Despite knowing she was only 13 years old, David later drove to where Celeste lived and allegedly paid a middle school student $1,000 to deliver her a phone so they could stay in contact.

Throughout 2024, Celeste reportedly spent weekends at David’s home and traveled with him to Vegas, London, and Texas to meet his family.

Messages between David and Celeste reportedly referenced sex, pregnancy, abortion, and the use of Plan B. There were also multiple explicit photos of Celeste that investigators say corroborated the abuse.

Prosecutors believe Celeste was murdered on April 23, 2025, based on the timeline they pieced together during the investigation.

On April 22, 2025, David and Celeste allegedly had a serious argument because Celeste was upset that David was sleeping with other women despite telling her he wanted to build a life with her. She then reportedly threatened to expose him for being a predator.

Keep in mind that David’s first studio album was scheduled to be released on April 25, 2025. He also had multiple product collaborations at the time with brands like Crocs, Hollister, and Fortnite.

On the night of April 23, 2025, David allegedly sent an Uber to pick Celeste up from her house and bring her to his home. It was a 90-minute ride, and the two stayed in constant communication the entire time.

This is where he may have thought he was some sort of criminal mastermind because he premeditated everything.

Even though Celeste had allegedly arrived at his house around 10:10 p.m., David reportedly sent a message to her phone at 10:30 p.m. asking where she was. The fact of the matter is that by the time he sent this text, Celeste was already dead.

According to investigators, David stabbed Celeste multiple times before trying to cover up the murder. Shortly afterward, he allegedly drove to Santa Barbara County to dispose of her belongings and destroy evidence. While doing this, he reportedly continued texting her phone asking where she was, despite knowing that she was already dead.

The following morning, he did a radio interview promoting his upcoming album release. Later that day, he allegedly sent two more texts to her phone. They went unanswered because, again, she was already dead. He never contacted her again after April 26, 2025.

Despite Celeste’s family repeatedly asking where she was, prosecutors say David continued lying and claiming he didn’t know.

Investigators also say David went to extreme lengths to cover up the murder. To dispose of her body, he allegedly placed Celeste in an inflatable pool to stop blood from getting onto the garage floor before using a chainsaw to dismember her.

Small blue plastic fragments were reportedly found embedded in her body. Investigators later matched those fragments to a pool David allegedly purchased through [Amazon]

Some of the tools investigators believe were used in the murder and cover-up were reportedly purchased through [Amazon] and [Postmates]. He ordered two chainsaws, a burn cage, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, a blue inflatable pool, and a shovel. The purchases were allegedly made using a fake name.

So far, the investigation has remained extremely hush-hush, and much of the information circulating online has come from internet sleuths and social media users trying to piece the case together themselves.

Everything I’m about to mention from this point forward is alleged.

Online sleuths believe they uncovered evidence suggesting Celeste and David may have known each other since she was around 11 or 12 years old. According to reports online, Celeste’s mother, brother, and teacher all allegedly confirmed that she had a boyfriend named David around the time she disappeared. Her mother also reportedly said that on the day Celeste vanished, she had gone out to meet someone named David.

People online also pointed out what appeared to be matching tattoos between Celeste and David — the word “shh” tattooed on their right index fingers. Celeste also allegedly posted a photo to her close friends story showing the name “David” written on her finger, along with what appeared to be either a promise ring or an engagement ring.

Sleuths also claim to have uncovered photos that appear to show Celeste and David together. Some of the images allegedly came from David’s close friends stories or from files reportedly leaked online.

An unreleased song by David titled Celeste was also leaked online. According to people discussing the timeline, David would have been 18 at the time the song was allegedly written, while Celeste would have been around 12 years old.

Clips from old livestreams also began circulating online. In some clips, it appeared that David and Celeste acknowledged they should not be seen together on stream. Other clips sparked outrage online because people believed they contained jokes referencing inappropriate behavior involving minors.

Additional livestream clips allegedly showed David with someone believed to be Celeste in the background. According to online discussions, these streams would have taken place during one of the periods when Celeste had previously gone missing.

In another clip, someone in David’s Discord reportedly asked who the girl in the livestream was, and David allegedly responded by calling the person “a fed.”

As more allegations surfaced online, people also began revisiting David’s older music and videos, pointing to references involving murder, violence, and dead bodies. One music video in particular drew attention because it featured a body being placed in the trunk of a car.

People also started dissecting lyrics from some of his older songs, including his hit song Romantic Homicide, where he says:

> “I just killed you and I didn’t even regret it.”

In April 2026, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on social media that David Burke had been arrested in connection with the murder of Celeste Hernandez. He was initially being held without bond while prosecutors reviewed the case.

On April 20, 2026, Nathan Hochman announced that Burke had officially been charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilation of human remains.

Burke has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody without bail.

Through all of this, it’s important not to lose sight of the real victim in this story: Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Celeste was only 14 years old when her life was taken. Her body was found badly decomposed the day after what should have been her 15th birthday. She never even got the chance to turn 15.

Celeste was a little girl. She was a middle school student. She was a daughter, a sister, a cousin, and a friend.

By all accounts, she seemed like a bright and beautiful soul whose life was taken far too soon, no matter how this case ultimately unfolds.