15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez identified in Tesla trunk case

Los Angeles investigators have identified the decomposing remains found in the front trunk of an impounded Tesla on Sept. 8 as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore in April 2024, officials said. The vehicle was registered to singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, and detectives are continuing a broad inquiry into how Rivas’s body came to be inside the car.

Tow yard workers reported a foul odor coming from the Tesla at a Hollywood impound lot, prompting police to open the front compartment and find human remains wrapped in a bag, Los Angeles police said. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the remains as Rivas Hernandez and described the decedent as a petite female with wavy black hair who was wearing a tube top, black leggings, a yellow metal bracelet and stud earrings. The medical examiner has deferred determination of cause and manner of death pending further testing.

The Tesla is registered to Burke, 20, who rose to prominence on TikTok and is touring in support of his debut album. A spokesperson for Burke said he has been notified of the discovery and is cooperating with investigators; Burke...