STORY: Los Angeles police said on Thursday (April 16) they arrested David Burke, a 21-year-old musician known professionally as D4vd, on suspicion of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, whose remains were found last year in the front trunk of a car registered to him.

The arrest came nearly a year and a half after Rivas went missing and seven months after her decomposed remains were discovered in September 2025 in a vehicle that had been parked for weeks in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood, police said.

Rivas was from a suburb about 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Los Angeles. The vehicle had been towed to an impound lot, where workers reported a foul odor, police have said.

D4vd gained fame in 2022 after songs he recorded on his phone for his Fortnite gaming videos went viral on TikTok, with the hit "Romantic Homicide" helping him sign a deal with Darkroom/Interscope Records, a label associated with Billie Eilish.

The case drew attention following media reports that linked Burke to the vehicle shortly after the girl's body was found. Police said at the time they were conducting an extensive investigation but declined to announce charges until now.

"Detectives from Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery-Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21-year-old resident of Los Angeles, for the murder of Celeste Rivas," Los Angeles police said in a statement on X.

Burke was being held without bail and his case will be presented to prosecutors on Monday, the statement said.

Blair Berk, the attorney representing Burke, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prior to Burke's arrest, Berk said there was no publicly disclosed evidence linking her client to a crime and emphasized his rights during an active investigation

On Friday (April 17), a memorial grew outside Rivas' home.

"I feel so bad they take a long time to arrest the guy," said Lake Elsinore resident Amalia Castro, 71. "Now she's going to rest in peace"

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 17, 2026)(REUTERS - Access all)

1. SIGN READING (English): "JUSTICE FOR CELESTE RIVAS"

2. MEMORIAL OF FLOWERS AND SIGNS FOR RIVAS

3. CANDLES ARRANGED READING (English): "CELESTE"

4. MEMORIAL OF FLOWERS AND SIGNS FOR RIVAS

5. AMALIA CASTRO, 71, LAKE ELSINORE RESIDENT, WALKING UP TO MEMORIAL

6. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) AMALIA CASTRO, 71, LAKE ELSINORE RESIDENT, SAYING:

"I feel so bad they take a long time to arrest the guy, but I am glad that you know they did it, and it's justice for the girl and her parents. Now she's going to rest in peace."

7. VARIOUS OF PHOTO OF RIVAS ON MEMORIAL

8. VARIOUS OF MEMORIAL OF FLOWERS AND SIGNS FOR RIVAS

9. PHOTO OF RIVAS ON MEMORIAL

10. VARIOUS OF MEMORIAL OF FLOWERS AND SIGNS FOR RIVAS

11. SIGN READING (English): "AN ANGEL"