Hidden True Crime - The Dark Secrets Behind Teen Found Dead in Celebrity's Trunk | d4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

About Hidden True Crime What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at⁠ Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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found dead, stuffed inside the trunk of a car. And not just any car, but one registered to an up-and-coming celebrity. At first, it looked like a bizarre twist of fate, the star on tour while his car sat quietly in a towyard. But now, as strange details begin to surface, the question is impossible to ignore. Are we looking at a tragic coincidence or a chilling connection? So stay with us. As I break down everything, we need to know so far in this developing story. On Saturday, September 6th, a call came in to a tow company about a vehicle that had been sitting abandoned near the Byrd Streets. It's a neighborhood tucked in the Hollywood Hills famous for its breathtaking views, modern mansions, and ultra-exclusive reputation. This wasn't the kind of place where you'd expect to see a car left for dead on the side of the road.

But this one, a sleek black Tesla sedan was hauled away and taken to Hollywood tow, a storage yard off Mansfield Avenue and Romaine Street. And for two days, the Tesla sat untouched on the rooftop lot. But soon, workers began to notice something deeply unsettling. A smell, foul, heavy, unmistakable started drifting through the air. It wasn't just garbage. It wasn't just something spoiled as one. employee described it, the stench, could only be compared to death itself.

Alarm, the tow yard staff called the LAPD, and officers arrived just afternoon on Monday. What they discovered inside the Tesla's front trunk was every bit as horrifying as the smell had suggested. Stuffed inside a bag was a heavily decomposed body, described as a head and torso. The medical examiner would later describe the victim as a petite figure, around 5 foot 2 inches weighing about 71 pounds with dark wavy hair. The remains were clothed in a tube top and black leggings with a single yellow metal stud earring and a chain bracelet still intact. One finger, a tattoo, a small but distinctive mark hinted at a story that was only beginning to unfold. Using dental radiographs, authorities were finally able to put a name to the remains on one.

Wednesday, September 10th, the victim inside the Tesla was identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Celeste had been reported missing months earlier, last seen by her family on May 5th, 24. And now the question that looms over this case is chilling. How did a bright, spirited teenager end up in such a tragic and horrifying situation? Celeste was born on September 7, 2010, and I want to point out, technically when the car was found on September 6, 2025, that was a day before her 15th birthday. She was born to her parents, Mercedes, and Jesus Rivas Hernandez. She had a younger brother, Matthew, and an older half-sister, Jennifer.

She grew up in Lake Elsinor, a community in Western Riverside County and attended Lakeland Village Middle School. Friends and family described Celeste as bubbly, friendly, and unusually mature for her age. She worked hard in school, usually with her head in the books, earning strong grades. But things began to change in 2024. Celeste started skipping classes, and her attention shifted from her studies to her boyfriend, David. At just 13 years old, she was diving into a relationship that her mother described as troubling. Around this time, Celeste began running away from home. Usually she would disappear for a day or two before returning, but in May of

of 2024. When she left home again, she never came back. Police searched. Her family posted flyers, but all through the summer and into the fall, Celeste remained missing. Her story hanging in limbo until the grim discovery in Hollywood broke the silence. And now Celeste's family's worst fears have become a devastating reality. Celeste will never be coming home. But the question still lingers how did she end up in the trunk of a Tesla and who is responsible? The first step for investigators was obvious. Find out who owned the vehicle. Well, the black Tesla Model Y carried Texas license plates,

and when police traced them, they uncovered the first of many eerie coincidences in this case. The car belonged to a 20-year-old man named David Anthony Burke. Yes, David. The very same name Celeste's mother had given police. when she reported that her daughter was dating someone before her disappearance. At first glance, the connection seemed almost too strange to be true. After all, the David linked to the Tesla wasn't a teenage boyfriend.

He was a 20-year-old rising star in the music world, better known to fans as David, pronounced David but spelled D4VD. David Anthony Burke had built his career almost overnight, transforming from a kid making Fortnite montage videos into a chart-topping artist. Born in Queens in 2005 and raised in Houston, Texas, he grew up surrounded by gospel music before discovering new sounds online. What started as a workaround to avoid copyright issues, recording his own songs instead of borrowing others quickly spiraled into a passion that launched him into stardom. By 2022, his singles, Romantic Homicide, and Here With Me,

exploded on TikTok, earning him a record deal with darkroom and interscope. And from there, his career only accelerated. He released two EPs, pedals to Thorns and The Lost Pedals, before dropping his debut album Withered in 2025. Known for haunting lyrics and raw, lo-fi sound, David had already carved out his own lane in music, amassing millions of fans along the way. but now his name was tied to something far darker than even the music industry.

His Tesla, his car was at the center of a homicide investigation of a teenage girl. At the time Celeste's body was discovered inside the Tesla, David was on tour promoting his brand new album. By all accounts, he seemed unaware that his car had even been towed. He cooperated with investigators, even canceling one of his shows to make himself available for questioning. So to piece together, House Les ended up in David's trunk, police began working backwards. They canvassed the neighborhood where the Tesla had been abandoned, an area just one block away from the $20,000 a month Hollywood Hills home, David, had been renting. Neighbors told police they'd seen the Tesla parked David's driveway before, but over the weeks leading up to its discovery,

the car began appearing in different spots around the neighborhood. Eventually, it sat a move near Doheny Place and Bluebird Avenue. That's when one neighbor out walking her dog noticed a foul odor coming from the vehicle. Her dog wouldn't stop sniffing around the car, but she assumed the smell was nothing more than a dead animal hidden in the nearby brush. It was the same smell these residents and their dogs have been smelling for more than a week now. He took a very big interest in sniffing all of it. I'm just remembering something. This is going to sound horrible. So we would walk by the hedges and I'm like the hedges always smell like something decomposing and there's a lot of rats around in here but there was always a smell there was always a smell this man who lives about 50 yards

from where the car was parked didn't smell anything but says he didn't notice something seemed off the only thing out was uh was an out of a state license plate and it was banged up and keep moving from one place to other place within a couple of blocks from here still questions linger even though David was away on tour, how could he not have known what was happening with his car? This wasn't some old beat-up vehicle. It was a Tesla equipped with advanced technology that alerts its owner to movement, location, and towing. If it had been driven, abandoned, and eventually impounded, wouldn't he have known? Why wasn't it parked in his driveway anymore, like neighbors said it had been before? There are a few possibilities. Maybe David was so focused on performing that,

he simply wasn't paying attention to his car. Maybe it was stolen and used to discard Celeste's body. Maybe someone David knew had access to it. Or could David himself know more about what happened than he's letting on? Since this information has surfaced, public speculation has been running wild. And many people believe that David may, in fact, be tied to what happened to Celeste. Take the tattoo, for example, when investigators describe Celeste remains, one detail stood out, a tattoo on her index finger that read, coincidentally, or perhaps not, David himself has that exact same tattoo in the exact same spot. Now, it's true that plenty of celebrities sport a similar design, but still, this could point to a deeper connection between the two.

And then, there's the matter of David's music. in December of 2023, just months before Celeste disappeared, an unreleased track of his leaked online. The title, Celeste Demo, Unfinished. And in the lyrics, he's saying about a girl named Celeste, describing her voice, her scent, even his obsession with her. The lyrics read, quote, Oh, Celeste, the girl with my name tattooed on her chest. I smell her on my clothes like cigarettes.

I hear her voice each time I take a breath. I'm obsessed. Oh, Celeste, I'm afraid you'll only love me when undressed, but you look so damn gorgeous in that dress. Missing you so much makes me depressed, but I digress. Oh, Celeste, the girl with mine ain't tattooed on a chair. Smell her on my clothes, I've sick of her voice each time I take a breath. The words

The words A picture of a love That was all consuming toxic and destructive For many of the fact that this song existed And that a girl with the same uncommon name Later turned up dead in his trunk feels like more than coincidence.

But the coincidences don't stop there. David was also reportedly spotted near Celeste neighborhood before she vanished. A photograph appears to show him in a parking lot just a six-minute walk from her home. And since the case broke, online sleuths have been digging relentlessly, turning up what they believe to be evidence that David and Celeste knew each other and knew each other well. screenshots have surfaced that allegedly show a discord exchange between the two. In it, Celeste tells David that her parents won't allow her to go to one of his shows. His response, I'll fix that.

Yeah, I'll fix that. Other images have been shared online that seem to show David with a girl who resembles Celeste, sometimes in photos, sometimes in live streams. Yo, yo, wait, wait, way, way, way. Oh, look, answer that one. That's so mean if you don't answer that. Which one? Which one? What's good? There was a good big fan mixed by me.

So, thank you, Mitch Ocundrio. I got a sound with him if you even. We need to delete this. Maas, can we delete all vives? And then as soon as the stream ends through the street, too. Each piece of evidence on its own might be easy to dismiss. But taken together, the tattoo, the songs, the sightings, the alleged messages, the coincidences begin to stack up in a way that's difficult, I would say impossible to ignore. Some other coincidences that have fueled

speculation are small but striking. When Celeste went missing, she was reportedly wearing Hello Kitty slippers. David, meanwhile, has posted multiple photos of himself wearing Hello Kitty merchandise, leaving some online sleuths to suggest that this could hint at a connection between the two. Legal analysts have noted that at a certain point, repeated coincidences can start to take on the weight of circumstantial evidence. And in this case, the coincidences, though, continue to add up, to pile up. People close to Celeste have come forward, unofficially confirming that she was indeed dating David and that it wasn't some secret kept from her family. One of these sources is Celeste's own brother, Matthew. He stated that the family was aware of the alleged relationship.

And on the day she disappeared, Celeste was reportedly on her way to a movie with David. But then she never returned. Matthew also said that David would frequently pick her up in the same Tesla, where her remains were later found. Another source, close to Celeste's mother, Mercedes, corroborated that the family knew about her daughter's relationship with David Burke. They shared some chilling detail, saying, quote,

for a period, Celeste came back home by herself and stayed with her mom, but the police weren't involved. why didn't they ask her where were you? Are you okay? End quote. And that source went on to explain that at one point someone allegedly called Celeste's mother and told her to stop looking for her daughter saying she was fine and instructed the family to take down social media posts about Celeste being missing. The source said, quote, I don't know who the caller was or whether they were connected to David, but I did take down a post asking for help because I was scared. The situation felt completely out. of hand." End quote. Will these revelations paint a picture of a tangled secret of web surrounding Celeste's disappearance, a web that raises as many questions as it does suspicions? Other sources have described Celeste's relationship with David as an open secret.

By 2024, she had begun skipping classes again at Lakeland Village Middle School and a former science teacher confirmed that Celeste had made her way to Hollywood after connecting with David on social media. Police had brought her back home once before, but she ran away again to be with him. How long ago with me? We all just found out yesterday who it was, but she's been missing since I taught her. So when I taught her, she met this dude on social media. He was a rapper in LA.

He came and got her. She ran away from home. She was gone for like a month. The cops found her in Hollywood brought her back to our school. She came back to our school, kind of told people this story. She disappeared again in May of that. year may have 2024 that's what her friends told me what happened and it was this rapper it remains unclear exactly when or how Celeste and david first connected but evidence suggests that references to him dating a

girl named Celeste go back to at least as far as 2022 and let me point out in 2022 she was 11 and 12 years old online sleuths have even noted an eerie coincidence david's 22 breakout hit romantic homicide was released on Celeste's birthday, September 7. Banza pointed out that his co-star in the music video bears a striking resemblance to her. The song's lyrics describe killing a lover. They say, quote, in the back of my mind, I killed you and I didn't even regret it. I can't believe I said it, but it's true. I hate you, end quote. The song was paired with blood splattered imagery adding to the chilling parallels people have drawn. In another music video, one more dance.

It features a young Hispanic woman with curly hair as well as scenes of a blindfolded, bloody character called Itami, dragging David into the back of a car in a remote woodland, followed by a police chase. Well, Itami is a character created by David and is said to mean pain in Japanese. Itami serves as the main antagonist in the Davidverse, a narrative universe inspired by magnet and anime that is being built through his music and visuals. The character is a metaphorical representation of the pain and suffering that David experiences

particularly in the context of love and heartbreak. And for many, the connections between his artistic imagery and the events surrounding Celeste feel too pointed to be purely coincidental. taken together with the other evidence and eyewitness accounts and disturbing timeline emerges. The alleged relationship may have begun when Celeste again was as young as 12 or 13. And she was found dead just one day after her 15th birthday. The car again parked when she was still 14. For investigators and the public alike, the coincidence is corroborating testimonies and timeline raise haunting questions.

about what really happened and how someone so young, so young, could end up in such a tragic situation. Since this story broke, major brands have taken swift action. Crox and Hollister removed David from their dream drop marketing campaigns on both their websites and social media pages. The campaign, which debuted on September 3rd, had featured David modeling Crocs and Hollister apparel. While the product images remain online, his face has been carefully cropped out. In a joint statement, the company said, quote, we are aware of this developing story with respect to the current situation. We have removed campaign content featuring David while the investigation continues, end quote. David has not yet made any public comment, but he did,

however, decide to cancel the remainder of his withered tour. Police have also recently rated, it? Yes, they have recently raided David's home near Doheny Drive, hauling evidence bags into an SUV and removing computers and other items. According to producer Charles Latipodeer, who spoke to Ashley Bainfield, officers were looking specifically for anything resembling blood evidence. He explained, quote, they were checking drains to see if there was any blood evidence or tissue. They conducted a thorough scouring of the house looking for any trace of evidence, end quote. This is only being called a death investigation and not a homicide. And we're told that is because the LA County Medical Examiner's office is still working to determine how exactly this teen girl died. We now know the body found inside the front trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard belonged to 15-year-old Celeste Revis.

The car where she was found registered to David Anthony Burke, a 20-year-old singer who goes by David. Take a look. This video shows crime scene investigators carrying out a laptop and other items. From this home on Doheny Place, its possible evidence connected to the missing teens' disappearance and death. Police remaining very tight-lipped about the investigation, but we now know this home is where the singer was staying. One neighbor we spoke to remembers seeing that distinct Tesla for a while. First, parked in front of the house, police searched, and then at two different spots along the street. It's a little weird to see a car that I haven't seen.

here for a long time, had a big dent on it, had a Texas plate on it. So all a little odd, but at the same time, you know, people could be hanging out with friends for, you know, for long time. The victim, 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, was first reported missing from Lake Elsinore in early 2024. Eyewitness news learned she ran away a few times and returned before her last run away in April of 2024. The teen had not been heard from since until September 8th when the authorities discovered her body inside of that Tesla. She just seemed very very. lively and friendly. I just hope that the truth comes out and she gets justice for what happened to her. As of now, the cause and manner of Celeste death has been listed as deferred while the investigation continues.

In the meantime, her family has set up a go-fund me to help cover funeral costs. A statement released on behalf of her loved ones reads, quote, As many of you know, Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been identified as the body found last week. She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend. Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss. They are seeking help to lay her body to rest. Any funds you are able to donate are greatly appreciated, end quote. The case continues to unfold, leaving the public, including myself, with countless questions.

A trail of coincidences that start to feel less like coincidences and more like evidence. and a grieving family searching for answers. But I would like to know what you think happened in this case. Some of have asked if Celeste's family knew she was dating David, if they knew that, why weren't they able to bring her home? Now, family dynamics, as we know, can be complicated, confusing, and sometimes even contradictory. And if Celeste was determined to run away,

her parents may have feared that forcing her to return could make things worse, but still she was only 13 years old. and if police were aware that she was involved with a much older man, a man, not a teenager, a man, why wasn't more done to intervene? A 20-year-old dating a minor is troubling enough on its own. But what could have happened that ultimately led to Celeste's losing her life? Was she trying to leave? Was David enacting the dark imagery of his songs in real life?

Were authorities aware of her location but prevented from taking action? due to influence, money or power. These are the questions that linger for me, and the questions we will continue to pursue until Celeste gets a justice she deserves. Before I switched to wealth front, my APY was probably 0.1, like, it was a joke.

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