Rhianna Benson
Court documents have identified the rapper D4vd as the 'target' of an inquiry into the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas.
The teenager's body was discovered by a member of the Los Angeles Police Department inside a vehicle parked in a Hollywood tow yard back in September. The car - a Tesla, which had previously been towed from an upscale neighbourhood in the hills - was quickly identified as belonging to New York-born musician, D4vd.
In a statement provided to press at the time, responding officers claimed they'd previously received reports of a 'foul odour' being emitted from inside the car, after which they found the body of a female with wavy black hair and a 'Shh' finger tattoo.
These details led detectives to identify the remains as Rivas, who'd disappeared from her Lake Elsinore, California home in April 2024.
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She'd been 13 when her family launched a missing person's appeal and shared flyers across the area with an image of her face and a description of her physical appearance, which included a reference to her body art.
A spokesperson from the Medical Examiner's Office previously noted that Rivas had been 'deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found'.
As we say, in a subpoena that has since been made public following an appeal in Texas by D4vd's - real name David Burkre - family, the rap star has been explicitly listed as the 'target' of the inquiry. His father, Dawud Burke, had previously been summoned to testify before the grand jury.
As a reminder, investigating officers hadn't previously named the alt-pop artist as a suspect.
The filings state, however: "Target may be involved in having committed the following criminal offences against the laws of the State of California, to wit: One count of Murder."
Previously unknown specifics regarding the discovery of Rivas' body were also included in the documents, which reveal her remains had been found in a cadaver bag in the trunk of a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The bag had been 'covered with insects and a strong odour of decay'. After detectives 'partially unzipped' the bag, it adds, they 'observed a decomposed head and torso'.
"Upon removing the cadaver bag from the front storage compartment," the documents continued. "It was discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body. A second black bag was discovered underneath the cadaver bag.
"Upon opening the second bag, the dismembered body parts were discovered."
According to The Independent, however, the details surrounding the police investigation haven't been publicised in California.
D4vd was on tour across the US when Rivas's remains were discovered by police. He'd been scheduled to play several more dates in America, as well as an entire European tour, when he cancelled the remainder of his concerts in light of the news.
It's vital to note, however, that despite being named as a 'target', D4vd has not been charged, nor has an indictment been announced.
The musician's team has not yet commented on the release of the files. His agent previously claimed D4vd was cooperating with police, however.