The moment investigators opened the trunk of a Tesla abandoned in the Hollywood Hills on September 8, 2025, the music world changed forever. It was a discovery that didn’t just expose a crime but laid bare a terrifying pattern of obsession, manipulation, and violence hiding behind the veneer of a rapidly ascending indie music career. All eyes immediately turned to the car’s owner, David Anthony Burke, better known to millions of streaming fans as D4vd.

D4vd, the 20-year-old artist who achieved global fame with viral TikTok hits like “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” was no longer a sensitive indie icon; he was the central figure in a case that shocked the internet to its core. What investigators discovered next was not just physical evidence, but a digital trail stretching back years, transforming his social media—once considered an outlet for “dark humor”—into a virtual confession, a chilling, step-by-step blueprint of a troubled and dangerous mindset.

The victim at the heart of this horrifying case was Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a bright, 15-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short. Her connection to D4vd, authorities now reveal, was not a casual one but a disturbing relationship allegedly rooted in manipulation and played out across multiple digital platforms long before she disappeared in April 2024.

The Digital Diary of Obsession: When Dark Humor Becomes a Blueprint

For law enforcement, the digital evidence quickly became the case’s road map. Investigators began meticulously combing through D4vd’s social media history, particularly his TikTok reposts. What they uncovered resembled less a celebrity’s timeline and more a twisted diary of escalating jealousy and violence, broadcast to the world as if it were harmless entertainment.

Posts that fans had previously scrolled past, dismissing them as “edgy memes” or “clout chasing,” suddenly took on a sinister new meaning. One particularly unsettling repost featured a video of someone violently chopping up raw chicken, captioned with the threat: “Me if I see her talk with other dudes.” Another repost detailed an imagined act of extreme violence, saying, “Me watching her scream after I poured boiling water on her after she told a boy happy birthday because why are you happy he made it another year.”

The posts were consistent in their themes of possessiveness, anger, and utter disgust over a partner’s perceived past or actions. Perhaps the most telling was a repost of the infamous nail gun scene from the movie American Psycho, paired with the caption: “Me after hearing about her past with other boys i’m jealous and utterly disgusted by her actions.”

At the time, they were just shock-value content, earning double-taps for their supposed darkness. But with the devastating context of Celeste’s disappearance, investigators say these posts transformed into a chilling blueprint, revealing the alleged mindset of an individual spiraling out of control. These weren’t spur-of-the-moment outbursts; reports suggest many of these disturbing reposts were dated well before the case broke, indicating a long-standing pattern of documenting violent and obsessive fantasies online. It was, in effect, a confession hiding in plain sight.

The Hello Kitty Clue: A Twisted Reference to the Victim

While the violent reposts painted a picture of D4vd’s internal state, a seemingly aesthetic detail provided an eerie, direct link to Celeste: Hello Kitty.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez was known to adore the popular character; friends and family confirmed she loved it, and she was last seen wearing Hello Kitty sandals and carrying a Hello Kitty keychain. Disturbingly, D4vd’s TikTok profile picture at the time was a bloody, blindfolded image of the same innocent character.

The connection didn’t stop at the profile picture. Authorities point to a video D4vd had posted in February 2024, captioned “When your card declines at therapy,” which ended with a reference to the “one Hello Kitty girl you met in 2021.” Investigators now believe this was not a random joke but a calculated breadcrumb, a direct reference to his alleged online meeting with Celeste years earlier. This was manipulation with deep roots, proving his relationship with the young teen spanned years, hidden from the public and even from her family.

The pattern of manipulation was further cemented by the discovery of matching tattoos. D4vd and Celeste both had small “shush” tattoos on their index fingers. Celeste’s was reportedly inked in red. To authorities, this wasn’t mere coincidence but a powerful, disturbing symbol of control and secrecy, suggesting D4vd had pressured the young girl into maintaining their hidden relationship.

Music as a Hidden Confession: Romantic Homicide and Celeste Demo Woon

D4vd’s music career was fueled by the raw, emotional power of his breakout hit, “Romantic Homicide,” a song about heartbreak and emotional pain that amassed billions of streams. But as investigators pieced together the timeline, the song’s dark themes took on a truly disturbing new layer. Authorities began to suggest the track might have been more than just art; it might have been a hidden confession, a tragic description of real-life intentions disguised as a catchy indie tune.

Further deepening this chilling musical link was the uncovering of an unreleased track from late 2023, titled Celeste Demo Woon. The lyrics reportedly referenced the young girl directly with overtly obsessive undertones, creating a chilling clue that investigators now see as a clear reflection of his state of mind in the months leading up to the tragedy. The artist who claimed to be singing about fictional heartbreak was, according to authorities, using his platform to process and subtly document a reality far darker than his fame would suggest.

The digital evidence was overwhelming, extending even to the private messages recovered from his 2022 Discord server, which reportedly showed a long pattern of manipulation. Investigators described a systematic isolation of Celeste from those who could have protected her, slowly building trust while simultaneously tightening the alleged web of control. This was not the picture of a reckless act, but of carefully hidden deception and planning.

Systemic Failure: The Missed Red Flags

The tragedy of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is compounded by the systemic failures and missed red flags that allowed the situation to escalate. At just 15, Celeste was a beloved daughter, sister, and friend—a funny, energetic girl who should have been safe. Her disappearance in April 2024 was first reported to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. However, due to a history of running away, the case was tragically not initially treated with the urgency it deserved.

Investigators now believe those earlier instances of running away may have been directly linked to her hidden relationship with D4vd, a misunderstanding that cost crucial time. The desperation of her family was palpable; Celeste’s own mother revealed she had been dealing with an individual named David, and even one of her former teachers recalled Celeste first met him through social media.

Most heartbreakingly, Celeste’s own brother reportedly tried to warn police about her connection to D4vd, but his desperate plea was allegedly brushed aside. This failure, paired with D4vd’s carefully constructed public image as a sensitive, successful indie star, allowed the hidden life to flourish, enabling a preventable tragedy to unfold in the perilous landscape of the digital age.

The Unmasking: Tesla Data and the Collapse of a Career

The case officially turned on September 8, 2025, with the tragic discovery in the abandoned Tesla. The car, found blocks from where D4vd had been staying in the Hollywood Hills, became a crucial piece of evidence. Modern vehicles, particularly Teslas, track everything: location data, usage logs, and even camera footage. This digital footprint provided a clear and undeniable trail connecting D4vd back to the crime. Investigators say he “never saw it coming.”

On September 18, 2025, police raided a Hollywood Hills home tied to D4vd, marking the official end of his freedom and the collapse of his public persona. The fallout was immediate and massive. His record label froze promotions, and major corporate sponsors, including Crocs and Hollister, swiftly pulled their campaigns. D4vd was forced to cancel his entire US and world tour, watching his global career dissolve in real-time.

A final, macabre detail only fueled the public outrage: D4vd’s last Instagram post was dated September 7, 2025—the very day of Celeste’s birthday and just one day before her body was found. The timing, fans and critics agreed, seemed impossible to dismiss as coincidence.

The case of D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez serves as a profound turning point for law enforcement and society. It confirms that the digital realm—the platforms we use for entertainment and connection—can also be an active crime scene, a chillingly public repository of an individual’s darkest intentions. D4vd’s viral fame, fueled by the very platforms that allegedly exposed his secrets, is the ultimate tragic irony. For Celeste’s family, the pain is permanent, leaving a world to grapple with how dangerous behavior online is often overlooked, disguised as a joke, until it is tragically, irrevocably real.