Body of teen found in D4vd's impounded Tesla is missing girl from Southern California
LOS ANGELES -- Medical examiner's officials on Wednesday released the name of a teenage girl who was found dead in the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to singer D4vd, and our sister station KABC has learned she is a teen who went missing in Lake Elsinore last year.
Celeste Rivas, 15, was identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office. The official cause of death was listed as "deferred."
Rivas was reported missing from Lake Elsinore in early 2024. Eyewitness News has learned she ran away a few times and returned before her last runaway in April 2024. She called home at the end of May and had not been heard from since.
On Wednesday night, a house close to where the Tesla was abandoned was searched.
A dozen LAPD investigators took a computer and other items from a Hollywood home. Police spent hours at the home on Doheny Place, placing several evidence bags into an SUV, but they wouldn't say if or how it was connected to the Tesla.
Several homeowners say they remember seeing that distinct Tesla for a while - first parked in front of the house police searched, then at two different spots on the street.
Those who knew Rivas say she was bubbly and sweet.
The medical examiner hasn't determined Rivas' cause of death.
Authorities discovered her body on Sept. 8 after responding to a tow yard near Mansfield Avenue and Romaine Street in Hollywood.
Officers went to investigate a foul odor coming from the Tesla, which police sources say had been at the lot for two days after it was found abandoned on a public street.
READ MORE: New details emerge after decomposing body found in Tesla linked to singer D4vd
Police located the body last week inside a bag placed in the front trunk of the Tesla, LAPD sources said. The body was in a state of decomposition, sources told ABC News.
The vehicle is registered to 20-year-old singer David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, who has more than 33 million monthly listeners on Spotify and is known for the songs "Here with Me" and "Romantic Homicide."
The girl was described as having wavy black hair, 5 feet 2 inches tall, and weighing 71 pounds. She was found wearing a tube top, black leggings, a yellow metal bracelet and metal stud earrings. She also had a tattoo on her right index finger that said "Shhh..."
Sources told ABC News she appeared to have been dead for some time.
Last week, investigators intended to talk to the registered owner of the vehicle, as well as anyone else who may be connected to the case, sources said.
D4vd, who first went viral on TikTok, released his debut album in April. The 20-year-old singer, known for his indie, R&B and alt-pop sound, is currently on tour. However, the Showbox venue in Seattle listed D4vd's Wednesday show as canceled.
He is set to perform in Los Angeles on Sept. 20.
So far, D4vd, nor his team, has released any comment on the investigation, though he has limited comments on his social posts.
ABC News contributed to this report.
