Who is d4vd? What to know about the singer and the teen found dead in his Tesla

(NEXSTAR) – Singer David Anthony Burke, better known by the stage name d4vd, is reportedly cooperating with police after a teenage girl was found dead in an abandoned car registered in his name.

The death is being investigated as a possible homicide, Nexstar’s KTLA reports, but police have not publicly named any suspects or a cause of death. Here’s what we know about the investigation so far.

15-year-old found dead

The investigation kicked off on Sept. 8 when human remains were found in the trunk of a Tesla that was left at tow yard in West Hollywood. The car was towed to the lot from a location in the Hollywood Hills where it had been abandoned days before, Los Angeles Police said.

Police had been called to the tow lot after an employee noticed a foul smell coming from the car. The remains were “severely decomposed,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed this week the remains belonged to Celeste Rivas, a 15-year-old who had been reported missing in Riverside County back in April 2024.

Investigators said Hernandez had run away from home at least once before she was reported missing over a year ago.

The remains were described by the medical examiner as a 5’2″ person weighing around 71 pounds with dark, wavy hair. Additionally, the deceased was said to be wearing a tube top with a tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh.”

The tattoo has gained attention online after TMZ first reported singer d4vd had the same tattoo, which can be seen on his finger in recent photos of him performing.

The Tesla in which Rivas was found dead had Texas license plates and was registered to David Anthony Burke, LAPD said.

D4vd is cooperating with police, a spokesperson for the singer told NBC News.

Who is d4vd?

D4vd, pronounced like his first name David, is a 20-year-old singer who grew up in Houston.

His biggest hits include “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” which both top 1.5 billion streams on Spotify.

He rose to fame when he started composing original music to accompany “Fortnite” montage videos he would edit and upload on YouTube, E! News reports. He released an official anthem for the video game days before Rivas’ body was discovered.

“‘Fortnite’ helped shape my life,” he said in an interview with Variety. “Getting to write the ‘anthem’ for it is amazing.”

The singer has remained popular on social media since his start as streamer and content creator. He has more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube, 2 million followers on Instagram, and 3.8 million on TikTok.

D4vd was on tour as news of Rivas’ death broke. He reportedly canceled a show planned for Seattle, but as of publication time was still set to perform in San Francisco on Friday.