The world of music was shaken to its core in September 2025 by a revelation so stunning and dark that it seemed ripped from the lyrics of one of the artist’s own macabre hits. David, the musician known professionally as D4vd, was thrust into the center of a homicide investigation after police announced the unthinkable: the body of a missing young girl, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, was found in the trunk of his vehicle. What began as an unbelievable rumor quickly spiraled into a complex, twisting narrative that has captivated the internet, raising profound questions about fame, alleged predatory behavior, and the dark side of an edgy public persona.

For many fans, the initial news was met with outright disbelief. D4vd, a young artist who found his footing as a Fortnite YouTuber, had become a musical sensation almost overnight. His foray into music began out of necessity; constantly battling copyright strikes on the background tracks of his gaming videos, he decided to produce his own. The unexpected consequence? His original music was a massive hit. He became a global phenomenon with the release of “Romantic Homicide,” a track that took the world by storm and became a viral soundtrack across social media platforms. His career quickly accelerated, including a high-profile tour with SZA, solidifying his status as a major new voice.

Yet, D4vd’s artistic signature—a preoccupation with dark themes and death—now hangs over the case like a shadow. His songs often revolve around loss and demise, an aesthetic he pushed further by incorporating dramatic, “edgy” elements into his live shows, even utilizing coffins as stage props. While artists like Lana Del Rey have previously explored similar themes, D4vd’s intense lean into the morbid has taken on a chilling new context following the grim discovery in his trunk.

When police made the initial announcement in September 2025, the music industry reacted with shock. The revelation that the remains belonged to Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a young girl whose age highlighted the gravity of the situation, launched D4vd into an international firestorm. The immediate public scrutiny began to unearth a trail of digital breadcrumbs and alarming connections that link the celebrated musician directly to the deceased young woman.

The Cryptic Connections: Tattoos, Discord, and a Lake Elsinore Payoff

The evidence pointing toward a relationship between D4vd and Celeste began with a detail as small and permanent as ink. Police reported that Celeste Rivas Hernandez had an ‘sh’ tattoo on her finger. Online observers immediately noted that D4vd possesses the exact same tattoo. While other celebrities share this particular marking, the combination of this shared ink with the horrific discovery began to shift public perception from mere coincidence to strong suspicion.

The digital trail only deepened the mystery. Celeste’s name surfaced repeatedly in D4vd’s Discord server. In one instance, D4vd himself was noted asking, “Yo, is Celeste in here?” In another chilling and now deeply incriminating moment, a chat member provocatively suggested, “Yo David drop the song about that missing girl Celeste.” Furthermore, rumors of their relationship were openly discussed in the server, with users confirming that D4vd was dating someone named Celeste.

This digital speculation was later corroborated by a report from TMZ, which claimed to have found an unreleased song where D4vd specifically mentions somebody named Celeste. The song, if authentic, would serve as compelling evidence of a personal connection that extended beyond mere acquaintance.

But the most compelling and geographically specific piece of early evidence tied Celeste’s missing person poster—which noted she was from Lake Elsinore, California—to the musician. A photograph soon surfaced showing D4vd in Lake Elsinore interacting with students. For those familiar with the sprawling, segmented geography of Southern California, a celebrity from the core of Los Angeles traveling to a “fourth-ring” city like Lake Elsinore is highly unusual, suggesting a specific, non-casual purpose. According to the students in the photograph, D4vd’s specific reason for being there was to silence them. They claimed he was there to pay them off because they knew about his relationship with Celeste and, crucially, about her age—a fact D4vd allegedly wished to keep from the public eye.

A Desperate Mother’s Warning and the Timeline of Running Away

The relationship was not a secret to everyone. Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s teacher confirmed that the young woman was his student and that the person photographed with D4vd was also his student. The teacher also corroborated that Celeste had a history of running away, and her friends admitted she had gone off with a “rapper from Los Angeles.” This narrative aligned perfectly with the tragic path that Celeste’s life had taken.

The most heartbreaking confirmations came directly from her family. Both Celeste’s mother and brother confirmed she was in a relationship with D4vd. They desperately tried to report the situation to the police, but as is often the frustrating reality in missing persons cases, law enforcement’s jurisdiction and available resources were limited in dealing with a minor who repeatedly left home.

A private investigator’s findings paint a picture of a distraught parent fighting to save her child. After Celeste’s mother discovered the relationship, she took action, emailing D4vd’s manager to alert him to Celeste’s age and the troubling nature of the connection. The very next day, Celeste was reportedly returned to Lake Elsinore. Despite the intervention, Celeste left again, even being caught on video leaving her home.

The last confirmed sighting of Celeste Rivas Hernandez on video was in September 2024. In the footage, she is seen arguing with a neighbor. This date, September 2024, is significant because it marks the beginning of a grim “year of darkness” where her documented presence completely vanishes before her body was found. While some speculate she may have returned to D4vd after that sighting, the public record and the timeline of evidence go cold.

The Smoking Gun: A Deleted Live Stream and a Devastating Accusation

Before this “year of darkness” descended, the most explosive piece of evidence linking D4vd to a potentially criminal situation was captured and, thankfully, preserved before its intended deletion. A live stream video, since removed from the internet, featured D4vd talking to a girl whose voice bore a striking resemblance to Celeste’s voice from the September 2024 neighbor argument video.

In the crucial moments of the stream, the girl, possibly recognizing the precarious nature of the conversation, advised D4vd, “Yo, you probably should delete this live stream.” D4vd agreed. The chat, already reacting to the alarming exchange, began throwing out comments, including one mentioning D4vd’s potential to land on the “Epstein list”—a reference that immediately implies illicit activity involving minors.

D4vd, attempting to control the narrative, responded to the girl, “I media trained you, you wilding, like you know, chill out.” Her subsequent reply, however, delivered a shocking and devastating accusation that likely sealed the stream’s fate: “Media train me. Whole time you’re out here r-wording folks of this age.” The chat erupted, D4vd frantically insisted on deleting the video, and the girl was heard laughing at the failed attempt to erase the evidence. This entire exchange, which occurred before September 2024, now serves as the most critical and damning piece of circumstantial evidence in the investigation.

Unraveling the Truth: The Tesla and the High-Profile Defense

To complicate the already labyrinthine case, another young woman named Celeste Herrera, confirmed to be 23 years old, began appearing publicly with D4vd around July 2025. She was seen at events, on live streams with famous streamers, and was initially mistaken for Celeste Rivas Hernandez due to similar looks and shared fashion tastes (both being described as often “hooded up” and “low-key”). While this “other Celeste” may seem like a distraction, she doesn’t automatically clear D4vd. The extensive prior evidence and the confirmation from Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family about their daughter’s relationship remain highly compelling. The presence of a second, legal-aged Celeste simply introduces another layer of complexity for the investigators to unravel.

The police investigation, which has to be meticulous due to the high-stakes nature of the accused, is focusing heavily on the technological evidence. The vehicle in question, a Tesla, is essentially a “driving camera.” These vehicles record everything, and investigators will be seeking to recover data showing when the car’s cameras were stopped or disabled—a clear indication of a deliberate attempt to conceal activity. The fact that the Tesla was found near what is believed to be D4vd’s managerial residence further grounds the case in the artist’s immediate circle.

D4vd has since hired a high-profile lawyer, known for representing figures like Harvey Weinstein, signaling the seriousness with which his defense is preparing. This lawyer will be a formidable hurdle for the prosecution, ready to leverage every piece of ambiguity to establish “reasonable doubt.”

The defense strategy is expected to be aggressive, potentially using the timeline itself to D4vd’s advantage. His legal team could argue that D4vd did know Celeste Rivas Hernandez but either ended the relationship as soon as he learned her age, or that the relationship simply concluded in September 2024—the last time the public saw evidence of them together. They could argue that the discovery of the body in his trunk was a framing attempt, suggesting he had no idea what happened to her in the year between their last confirmed interaction and the shocking discovery.

Ultimately, the police must build a case that can disprove these calculated arguments. An airtight case requires not just circumstantial links but irrefutable proof of what happened to Celeste during that “year of darkness.” Until then, the story remains a tragic mosaic of speculation, digital whispers, and the agonizing question of guilt versus legal responsibility.

The complexity of this case underscores the need for a thorough and uncompromising investigation. While the world waits for confirmed evidence, the memory of Celeste Rivas Hernandez—a young girl taken far too soon—is a tragic reminder of the consequences of secret relationships and the darkness that can lurk behind the most popular figures in modern culture. Rest in peace, Celeste.