A grief-stricken California community came together on Sunday evening to demand answers and justice for Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenager found dismembered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to rising singer D4vd.
Residents of Lake Elsinore, the town where Celeste grew up, gathered at dusk with candles and signs, remembering the teen who vanished from her home in 2024.Â
The vigil, which began around 7 p.m. local time, was filled with anguished cries for justice and the soft glow of dozens of candles lit in her honor, KABC reported.
A growing makeshift memorial now lines the street she once lived on, overflowing with flowers, photos and heartbreaking handwritten notes from loved ones.
Among them: a banner that read simply, ‘Justice for Celeste Rivas.’
According to records obtained by the Daily Mail from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, last week, Celeste’s official date of death is listed as September 8 — just one day after what would have been her 15th birthday.Â
A grief-stricken California community came together Sunday evening to demand answers and justice for Celeste Rivas Hernandez; seen in March 2025
Her place of death is recorded as a Tesla belonging to D4vd, 20. The manner of death has been deferred pending further investigation.
Celeste’s mother told reporters she believed her daughter matched the description police had circulated. She also revealed Celeste had a boyfriend named David.
A missing poster distributed after her 2024 disappearance described Celeste as weighing 120 pounds with dark brown hair and eyes.Â
She was last seen wearing gray pants, a black sweater, a hat and Hello Kitty sandals.
At the time of her disappearance, Celeste was just 13.
The devastating discovery has left her family reeling.Â
TMZ reported it had shared information from Celeste’s mother with LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division before the case was officially confirmed by authorities.
As investigators continue piecing together what happened, Celeste’s community is vowing not to let her memory fade or her case go unanswered.
Residents of Lake Elsinore, the town where Celeste grew up, gathered at dusk with candles and signs, remembering the teen who vanished from her home in 2024
A growing makeshift memorial now lines the street she once lived on, overflowing with flowers, photos and heartbreaking handwritten notes from loved ones.
The latest developments came as an intimate new picture of singer D4vd and Rivas emerged, as police raided the singer’s house searching for blood evidence on Wednesday
The vigil came after an intimate new picture of singer D4vd and Rivas emerged, as police raided the singer’s house searching for blood evidence on Wednesday.
The image depicted D4vd and a then-13-year-old Rivas, sitting together in a green booth at a venue, as a picture flash can be seen in a mirror in the background.Â
The two appeared to be cozy at the time, as the teenager was pictured staring affectionately at the TikTok breakout.
The discovery of the images came as police exited the premises with multiple bags of evidence as well as a computer, TMZ reported last week.
In the recently obtained photo, D4vd was clad in a black shirt with a white spider graphic on the chest (which he was also wearing when he was pictured with musical megastar Billie Eilish in the fall of 2023).
The remains of Rivas – who was reported missing in April 2024 – were discovered in an impounded Tesla under the rapper’s name in Hollywood, California earlier this month.
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has not been formally charged with any violation.
The image depicted D4vd and a then-13-year-old Rivas, sitting together in a green booth at a venue, as a picture flash can be seen in a mirror in the background
D4vd was clad in a black shirt with a white graphic on the chest, which he was also wearing when he was pictured with Billie Eilish in October 2023 in Los Angeles
More media surfacing connecting the musician to the deceased teenager has surfaced, coming in the form of a January 2024 stream that both of them were pictured on.
At one point during the stream, Rivas was encouraging D4vd to answer a question from a viewer.
Another disturbing post, unearthed by websleuths, was one of D4vd’s reposts on TikTok, which showed a man chopping up lunchmeat, suggesting that was the proper way to deal with a love interest who was ‘talking to other’ people.
In the wake of Rivas’ death, the comment section on the clip on TikTok was full of outraged reactions.
‘This makes me utterly sick watching this, knowing she was found dismembered. Poor girl, justice for Celeste,’ one user wrote.Â
Brayan, the content creator who posted the initial chopping video, issued a statement making clear he did not have D4vd in mind when he posted the clip originally.
The discovery of the images came as police exited the premises with multiple bags of evidence as well as a computer, TMZ reported last week
‘My TikTok was a satirical joke, referencing a cucumber trend, not related to any current events or public figures,’ Brayan said.
He said the clip had been ‘meant for entertainment purposes at that point in time’ and not linked to the murder probe.
Brayan said of D4vd: ‘I have no idea who bro was until today keep that in mind.’
People online also pointed to a 2022 single and video from the artist titled Romantic Homicide, which featured a dark-haired female who bore a striking resemblance to Rivas.
Internet sleuths also unearthed a song from the artist revealing a potentially game-changing clue in the teen’s gruesome death in the form of a December 2023 track titled Celeste_Demo unfin.
The lyrics revealed a number of identifying traits Rivas had prior to her tragic death.
The remains of Rivas – who was reported missing in April 2024 – were discovered in an impounded Tesla under the rapper’s name in Hollywood, California earlier this month
The lyrics include: ‘Oh, Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest / Smell her on my clothes like cigarettes / I hear her voice each time I take a breath / I’m obsessed.’
A subsequent set of lyrics points to what appears to be a romantic relationship the artist is describing with the subject of his song.
They include: ‘Oh, Celeste / 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, because.’
It was not immediately clear if D4vd, who recently canceled the remainder of his US tour, was singing about Rivas in the track.
