Singer D4vd is target of L.A. County grand jury investigation into teen’s death, according to court documents

Singer D4vd is target of L.A. County grand jury investigation into teen’s death, according to court documents

Court documents reveal that D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is under scrutiny by a Los Angeles County grand jury for the death of a 14-year-old girl. The investigation centers on allegations that the singer may be linked to the fatal incident involving Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who went missing from Lake Elsinore, California, in 2024. Her remains were discovered in the front trunk of D4vd’s Tesla in September 2024, prompting further legal action.

Hernandez’s body was found on Sept. 8 at a Hollywood tow lot, where her dismembered parts were stored in a black cadaver bag. The trunk also contained additional body fragments, as detailed in the court records. Officers reported noticing a strong odor of decay and the presence of flies when they approached the vehicle, which had been abandoned on a Los Angeles street in August.

Both of D4vd’s parents, Colleen and Dawud Burke, were summoned to appear before the grand jury on Feb. 11. The documents state that the father was called as a witness, while the mother’s participation was also required. The car was towed after the Department of Transportation cited it for being left unattended. D4vd was on tour at the time, and he canceled the remainder of his U.S. tour following the discovery of Hernandez’s remains.

“Detectives approached the vehicle, which was parked on the upper deck of the impound lot, and immediately noticed a smell of decaying biological material consistent with a decomposing corpse coming from the front storage compartment of the vehicle,” the court filings state.

A Los Angeles Police Department source confirmed D4vd was considered a suspect in Hernandez’s death but noted he had not been formally charged. While his spokesperson claimed he was “fully cooperating with authorities” in September, a police source told NBC Los Angeles that the singer had not been cooperative during the probe.

D4vd’s legal team has yet to respond to multiple inquiries about the case. The documents also include a correction regarding the victim’s age: Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14, not 15, as previously stated in an earlier version of the article.

Minyvonne Burke, a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News, is associated with this report.