The shocking investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas, the minor whose dismembered body was found in a Tesla registered to the rising rapper D4vd (David), has spiraled into a nightmare scenario involving alleged exploitation, institutional failure, and a desperate, clumsy attempt at a cover-up. After days of evasion, when authorities finally secured warrants to search David’s devices, the digital evidence allegedly recovered was so disgusting and incriminating that it has irrevocably sealed the fate of the artist and is now poised to drag down everyone who once stood in his orbit.

The discovery, which shocked even seasoned LAPD investigators, confirms a horror story that seems ripped from the pages of a true crime script. The key to the case was found not just at the crime scene, but inside the rapper’s personal gallery and his internet history. Authorities reportedly found multiple highly inappropriate videos of Celeste on David’s phone, allegedly captured while the young victim was either asleep or high on substances. This digital documentation of exploitation was paired with the most chilling piece of evidence imaginable: David’s search history contained direct receipts of him inquiring about “what to do with a dead body.”

This digital trail of alleged pre-meditation and predatory behavior has fundamentally shifted the nature of the case, transforming it from a mysterious homicide into an alleged cold-blooded crime built upon years of exploitation. The image of the tormented, sensitive artist often presented on stage has been violently replaced by the figure exposed by his own phone—a figure allegedly capable of heinous acts, meticulously documenting his crimes, and calculating his escape.

The Alleged $10,000 Weekly Transaction

While the digital evidence on David’s phone is shocking enough, the alleged context surrounding Celeste’s vulnerability introduces a new, repulsive layer of scandal that implicates the victim’s own family. According to buzzing reports circulating in the aftermath of the device search, Celeste Rivas’s family allegedly “sold her off” to the rapper when she was just thirteen years old. Furthermore, these reports claim the family had been receiving $10,000 weekly payments from David to allow him to allegedly abuse her.

This stunning, unverified allegation speaks volumes about the troubled environment Celeste came from, a dark background that may have fueled her desperation to run away. A source speaking to TMZ confirmed that Celeste came from a “troubled home,” a factor that authorities believe may have triggered her desire to escape. Celeste, who was only in seventh grade when she initially ran away from her Lake Elsinore home, was reportedly able to navigate her independence by using multiple fake IDs in a desperate attempt to present herself as much older than she was. Her own friends have testified to this, noting that she was just thirteen years old when the entanglement with D4vd allegedly began, forcing them to assume she lied about her age to everyone in their social circle. The sheer scale of the alleged financial transaction now forces the public and investigators to confront the grim possibility that her vulnerability was systematically exploited not just by the rapper, but by her own blood.

The Scene of the Crime and the Smoking Gun Tattoo

The beginning of the investigation was centered on the grisly discovery on September 8th, when the dismembered remains of Celeste were found inside a Tesla that had been abandoned for five days and towed to a Hollywood tow yard. Authorities were called to the scene after reports of a “foul odor” emanating from the vehicle.

While the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office initially struggled to identify the age and ethnicity of the remains, one crucial, definitive piece of physical evidence tied the body directly to the rapper long before police publicly confirmed Celeste’s identity. The deceased was noted to have a specific tattoo on her index finger. This unique marking matched a corresponding tattoo David also had on his index finger. This detail, whispered and verified by internet sleuths and friends from their social circle before official police confirmation, was the first undeniable sign that the rapper and the victim were romantically and intimately linked, establishing the immediate basis for the investigation to focus squarely on D4vd.

Further evidence, gathered from the neighborhood where David lived in a $20,000-a-month rental home, suggests that the crime was committed inside the residence. A neighbor who spoke to The US Sun confirmed that they saw Celeste coming into David’s house and that she never came out, leading police to believe the alleged murder took place in the home. This neighbor, who said David and Celeste were always together and seemed like a quiet couple in their late teens, had no idea the horror that was allegedly unfolding behind the closed doors of the rented luxury home.

A Frenzied Attempt at a Cover-Up

The moment the investigation began, the actions of David and his inner circle, particularly his manager, screamed of a guilty cover-up. Right as the police started their inquiry, David and his manager allegedly ditched their expensive lease and completely disappeared from the house.

Their frantic, clumsy attempt to erase the crime scene and their movements reads like a script for a panicked cleanup job. The rental house was equipped with surveillance cameras, both inside and outside, footage of which would have captured the movements of everyone entering and exiting the home, including the final moments of Celeste. However, the owner of the house revealed that David was the sole person who had access to the footage and that he was refusing to cooperate. Worse, before the house was raided, David and his manager allegedly ended the lease and deleted all the surveillance footage.

As if deleting digital evidence wasn’t enough, physical evidence was also targeted. The Ring doorbell camera on the front entrance was found smashed, with plastic debris scattered on the ground. This desperate act of destruction—destroying surveillance footage and physically damaging the Ring camera—is not the behavior of an innocent man. It points to a frenzied, conscious attempt to conceal the truth, further corroborating the disturbing evidence found in his digital search history.

The Public Demands Accountability for the Entourage

The revelations have extended the scope of the potential crime beyond D4vd himself. The public and close friends of Celeste are now demanding a full investigation into the rapper’s entire entourage, including his manager and crew. Their argument is simple and damning: everyone in David’s circle who knew about Celeste’s age should be charged with failure to report child endangerment.

Celeste was reportedly a missing minor, publicly sought by her sister and family, yet she was still allegedly spotted backstage at David’s shows and was known to be living with him. An outraged social media user summed up the mood perfectly: “David’s entire entourage needs looking into. It’s disgusting that they stood back and let this man [exploit] a child that is now dead.”

The focus is now shifting from what D4vd did to how he was protected by those around him. The failure to report a missing and endangered minor, allegedly spotted by numerous people in his close circle, paints a disturbing picture of an industry environment that valued a rising star’s career and profitability over the safety and life of a young girl.

The convergence of overwhelming evidence—the body in the Tesla, the tattoo match, the neighbor’s account, the digital archive of exploitation, the pre-meditated murder search history, and the frantic cover-up—leaves no room for doubt regarding the tragedy. With David and his manager now reportedly on the run, the clock is ticking for authorities to apprehend them and deliver justice. The scandal has not only ended a career but has exposed a dark and toxic underbelly of celebrity privilege, alleged exploitation, and institutional failure that demands a thorough and painful reckoning.