R&B Singer D4vd Named Suspect in Teen’s Dismembered Body Found in Tesla

When a dismembered body was found inside a Tesla abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, no one expected it to lead to one of the most shocking celebrity investigations in recent memory. But by November 19, 2025, D4vd, the 20-year-old rising R&B star whose real name is David, was formally considered a suspect in the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The grim discovery happened around September 19, 2025, after the car was towed from a residential street just one block from where D4vd had been renting a home in Los Angeles. What started as a bizarre vehicle abandonment case has now spiraled into a full-blown homicide probe, with investigators zeroing in on a secretive overnight trip D4vd took to a remote stretch of Santa Barbara County during the spring of 2025.

The Discovery That Changed Everything

The Tesla sat untouched for weeks after it was left parked near the edge of the Hollywood Hills, a quiet neighborhood where palm trees line narrow streets and luxury rentals hide behind gated driveways. Then, on a routine tow haul, the vehicle was taken to an unmarked Los Angeles County tow yard — and that’s when the horror unfolded. Inside the trunk, authorities found the dismembered remains of Hernandez, a teenager whose disappearance had gone unreported for nearly two months. Her identity was confirmed through dental records. No signs of forced entry. No fingerprints. Just a car, a body, and a silence that screamed louder than any alarm.

D4vd, whose real name is David, was on tour at the time — confirmed by concert schedules and fan footage from September. That timeline created an immediate puzzle: if he wasn’t in Los Angeles, how did the body get there? And why was his car the only vehicle linked to the scene? Investigators say they’ve ruled out random theft or accidental death. The manner of dismemberment suggests intent, and the choice of location — a car owned by a high-profile artist — points to someone who knew how to evade attention.

The Santa Barbara Trip: A Clue or a Coincidence?

Here’s the twist: in the spring of 2025 — between March 20 and June 20 — D4vd vanished for nearly 12 hours during a single night. According to TMZ, he drove alone to a wooded, unpopulated area in Santa Barbara County, parked off a dirt road near the Los Padres National Forest, and didn’t return to his hotel until dawn. Cell tower data places him there. Security cameras from a nearby gas station caught his Tesla entering the area around 2:17 a.m. No one else was seen with him. He didn’t call anyone. He didn’t post anything. He just… disappeared.

At the time, it was written off as a late-night drive, maybe a creative reset. But now? Detectives are treating it as a critical window. Could Hernandez have been with him? Was she alive then? Did something happen in those woods that led to her death — and later, the disposal of her body in his car? The lack of physical evidence linking the two locations makes it speculative, but the timing is too tight to ignore.

Who’s Investigating — And Who’s Silent

The Los Angeles Police Department has been quietly building its case since September. They’ve interviewed friends, ex-partners, and even D4vd’s tour manager. They’ve reviewed his social media, his Spotify playlists, his hotel receipts. They’ve even subpoenaed his music studio logs. But here’s the thing: they haven’t made an arrest. And they haven’t submitted their findings to the prosecutor’s office.

That silence speaks volumes. As an official from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told KTLA 5 News on November 19, 2025: "THE POLICE HAVE NOT PRESENTED THE CASE TO OUR OFFICE SO AT THIS POINT I CANNOT ANTICIPATE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WHETHER OR NOT CHARGES WILL BE FILED." Translation: there’s no proof yet. No confession. No DNA match. No witness. Just circumstantial threads — and a lot of questions.

The Career on the Edge

D4vd’s music career was on fire. His debut album, Childhood Dreams, dropped in early 2025 and cracked the Billboard Top 10. He had sold-out tours, brand deals with Apple Music and Nike, and a growing fanbase of Gen Z listeners who connected with his moody, introspective sound. Now, his Spotify streams have dropped 62% since the story broke. His Instagram, once flooded with concert selfies and studio clips, has gone dark. His label, Interscope Records, has issued no public statement. That’s not normal. That’s damage control.

Music industry insiders say this could be the end of his career — even if he’s never charged. The public doesn’t wait for verdicts. They react to headlines. And this headline? It’s unforgettable.

What Comes Next?

The LAPD says they’re still interviewing people, analyzing digital footprints, and waiting for forensic results from the body’s remains. No timeline has been given for when they’ll hand over the case to prosecutors. But sources close to the investigation say they’re looking at two possible scenarios: either Hernandez was killed in Santa Barbara and transported to Los Angeles, or she was killed in or near D4vd’s rental home and the car was used to move the body after the fact.

Either way, the clock is ticking. And with no arrest, no charges, and no official statement from D4vd himself, the public is left in a chilling limbo — wondering what happened in that Tesla, what happened in those woods, and whether justice will ever catch up.