The meteoric rise of David, known to millions as D4vd, seemed like a modern fairy tale. An 18-year-old artist, homeschooled and rooted in a deeply Christian household, stumbled upon music-making almost by accident – a solution to copyright strikes on his Fortnite montages. With an iPhone, wired Apple earbuds, and his sister’s closet as a makeshift studio, he recorded “Romantic Homicide,” a track whose raw, emotionally charged lyrics like “in the back of my mind you died and I didn’t even cry not a single tear” resonated deeply, rocketing him to almost 1.7 billion Spotify streams by 2022. This wasn’t just a hit; it was a phenomenon, a milestone few artists ever achieve, especially before reaching legal drinking age in the US. D4vd, with 33 million monthly listeners, built a brand around heartbreak, loneliness, and longing, often admitting these were imagined emotions, vicariously lived through others’ stories he collected from Discord and Fortnite. His musical journey, from his debut EP “Pedals to Thorns” to opening for SZA and releasing the official Fortnite anthem “Locked and Loaded,” painted a picture of undeniable, almost otherworldly success.

But beneath the glittering facade of global tours and chart-topping hits, a sinister narrative was allegedly unfolding, one that would irrevocably intertwine his public persona with a horrifying, real-life tragedy. The story that broke in April 2024, and intensified in September 2025, wasn’t just “horrifying”; it was a macabre saga that shocked the music world and beyond.

The narrative pivots dramatically to September 7th, 2022, the same day D4vd released the music video for “Romantic Homicide,” a date that would later hold an ominous significance for another young life. April 5th, 2024, marked the official report of Celeste Hernandez, then a 13-year-old, going missing in Riverside County. A year and a half later, on September 8th, 2025, one day after what would have been Celeste’s 15th birthday, her remains were allegedly discovered in Los Angeles. The scene was gruesome: inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla, her body, decomposed and dismembered, was found wrapped in a plastic bag. The car, abandoned for at least a month in the Hollywood Hills, had been towed on September 6th due to a foul odor. On September 16th, 2025, the medical examiner publicly identified the body as Celeste Hernandez. The car in question was registered to David.

At the time of the discovery, D4vd was on tour, out of Los Angeles. The initial reaction was disbelief; could the kind-hearted artist whose dark lyrics were supposedly just an aesthetic, be involved? His spokesperson quickly stated full cooperation with authorities. Yet, the gravity of the situation was undeniable. Despite the grim news, D4vd continued his shows, even handing out merchandise to the crowd. However, major brands like Epic Games (Fortnite), Crocs, and Hollister swiftly dropped their ad campaigns with him. The identification of Celeste Hernandez’s body, reported missing since April 2024, deepened the mystery and intensified public scrutiny. She would have been just 13 when she went missing and 15 when her remains were found.

While authorities have not publicly named D4vd as a suspect, TMZ reported that investigators were exploring the possibility that Celeste’s death occurred at a Los Angeles home where D4vd was allegedly living. Law enforcement sources detailed a 12-hour search of the home by LAPD’s scientific investigation division, specifically looking for blood. The house, rented by D4vd’s manager, Josh Marshall, was found to be strikingly similar to locations seen in D4vd’s own social media posts – photos of him dancing, singing with Benny Blanco in the kitchen, and slouched over a piano that matched the real estate listing. This placed D4vd in close proximity to the abandoned Tesla’s original parking location.

The narrative takes a chilling turn with the emergence of allegations suggesting a direct, disturbing connection between D4vd and Celeste. Celeste’s mother, speaking to TMZ after the identification of her daughter’s body, revealed Celeste had a boyfriend named David. She also mentioned a distinguishing tattoo: the letters “SH” on her daughter’s finger, a detail that matched the police description. Disturbingly, D4vd was found to have the exact same tattoo. Immediately following these revelations, D4vd canceled his upcoming tour dates. The police investigation had also reportedly seized a computer and several evidence bags from the manager’s rented home, hinting at potential breakthroughs in the case.

Further evidence began to surface, drawing a tighter circle around the artist. A photograph surfaced of D4vd in Lake Elsinore, Riverside County, just 0.3 miles – a six-minute walk – from Celeste’s family home, the area where she lived before her disappearance in April 2024. This placed him geographically in her vicinity. Another photograph showed D4vd with a young woman strikingly similar to Celeste. The age disparity between D4vd (20 at the time Celeste was found, 19 when she went missing) and Celeste (15 when found, 13 when missing) added a deeply unsettling layer to the unfolding allegations.

TMZ also uncovered a video from January 2024, two months before Celeste was reported missing, allegedly showing her on a live stream with D4vd. In the clip, D4vd is heard saying, “we need to delete this,” and “as soon as the stream ends delete the stream too,” suggesting an awareness of something that shouldn’t be public. This video, if authentic, strongly indicates a personal connection.

The rabbit hole deepened with a Twitter thread from an account named “produre me” titled “all proof that David did it.” This thread presented photo evidence of D4vd allegedly on FaceTime with someone named Celeste. More disturbingly, alleged messages from D4vd’s Discord community in early 2024 discussed him dating someone named Celeste, with a song released in March 2024 believed to be about her, featuring lyrics like “you didn’t want to fall in love you’re looking out for yourself now it’s starting to piss me off.” Screenshots from 2022 discussions in his Discord also mentioned a “Celeste” being part of the community, and by 2024, a new moderator named Kate led users to assume she was dating D4vd, implying an end to the previous relationship with Celeste.

A harrowing Reddit post from a “close friend’s little sister from the IE” (Inland Empire) claimed her sister ran away last year and was “pimping her out,” alleging she was with D4vd and “in the seventh grade at the time.” The post expressed terror that it might be her in the car, further linking D4vd to a minor from Lake Elsinore. A peculiar tweet from D4vd in 2022 about wanting to be with “your mom and sister again” also caught attention, along with a Discord user’s request in August 2024 for D4vd to “Drop the one with the missing girl Celeste Hernandez,” referring to a song he allegedly recorded a year prior. This song, with lyrics about being “obsessed” and hearing Celeste’s voice “each time I take a breath,” further fueled speculation, though the authenticity of the song and the Discord messages remains alleged.

Other unsettling social media activity included a dark meme reposted by D4vd in 2024 about being “jealous and utterly disgusted by her actions” after hearing about a girl’s past, and a Tik Tok video of him holding a Hello Kitty coffee mug. In the comments, he tagged an account named “0907” (September 7th, Celeste’s alleged birthday) asking, “Should we?” in response to a comment “Please adopt me.”

Perhaps the most damning evidence comes from a former collaborator, Anglesy, who publicly attempted to expose D4vd for alleged “PDF activity” since 2023. Anglesy claimed D4vd had posted Celeste on his Instagram close friends’ story. Despite being silenced by D4vd’s legal team in 2023 and facing backlash, Anglesy re-emerged with more allegations. He tweeted, “Been trying to expose David since 2023,” sharing Discord chats suggesting D4vd only engaged with “under girls,” specifically mentioning “1562” (allegedly meaning 15 or 16-year-olds in 2023). Anglesy also showed a screenshot of D4vd’s story from 2023 where he’d posted, “Now that I’m 18 I’m going to need all the single mothers of three to hit my DM.” Anglesy highlighted D4vd’s alleged pattern of connecting with “13-year-olds in 2023.”

In a public video, Anglesy clarified that his 2023 allegations were not specifically about Celeste but other underage girls. He recounted how D4vd’s legal team contacted him, forcing him to remove everything and even pulling their collaborative song from streaming services, blaming Anglesy for “spreading misinformation” or “leaking music.” Anglesy stated that D4vd himself denied the claims, making them appear false at the time. He expressed guilt for not speaking sooner but maintained he was a scared 16-year-old facing powerful legal teams. He emphasized he had no “solid evidence” beyond Discord messages, but the current events made everything “make sense.”

This unfolding narrative paints a harrowing picture, one that contrasts sharply with the innocent origins of D4vd’s musical journey. The true victims remain Celeste Hernandez and her family, who deserve closure and justice in what has become one of the most disturbing sagas to emerge from the music industry in recent memory. The ongoing investigation promises further revelations as the world watches to see how this complex and tragic story concludes.