Singer D4vd, a rising rap star, was arrested as part of the investigation into the murder of a teenager whose decomposing body was found in the trunk of a car registered in the artist’s name, police announced Thursday.
Los Angeles police said they had arrested the musician, whose real name is David Burke, “for the murder of Celeste Rivas.”
The 21-year-old rapper living in Los Angeles will remain “in detention without the possibility of release on bail”.
The body of Celeste Rivas was found dismembered and in a state of decomposition in the trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd on September 8, the eve of her 15th birthday.
Police discovered the body after being called to a Hollywood impound lot by employees and neighbors who complained of a foul odor coming from a car.
When they arrived, the agents found a body in an advanced state of decomposition in the trunk, cut into pieces and wrapped in a plastic sheet, according to several American media.
According to investigators, the car remained parked for almost a month in this upscale corner of the city, not far from a Tesla restaurant recently opened by Elon Musk, before being impounded.
“The case must be submitted to the major crimes division, which will examine the facts and evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to initiate charges,” the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office told AFP.
Additional information on the case will be communicated on Monday “once a decision has been made regarding possible prosecution,” he added.
Celeste Rivas was reported missing when she was 13 years old in Riverside County, southeast of Los Angeles.
At the time, D4vd was in the final stages of a world tour that was abruptly cut short due to the outcry over the affair.
The young man became famous in 2022 when his song “Romantic Homicide” experienced dazzling success on TikTok.
