Loved ones gathered over the weekend in California, to mourn the death of Celeste Rivas, a 15-year-old found deceased earlier this month, inside the trunk of singer D4vd’s vehicle.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the vigil took place Sunday evening in Lake Elsinore, where Celeste disappeared from in early 2024, at age 13.
On September 8, police found her body inside a Tesla registered to the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, at a tow yard in Hollywood. The vehicle had reportedly been at the lot for several days, and then abandoned.
Police said Celeste’s body had been put in a bag and left in the front trunk, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
So far, no arrests have been made.
“She deserves justice,” resident Rubi Alonso, who attended the Saturday gathering, said. “It’s just so sad.”
Police said they found her body just one day after she turned 15, “severely decomposed,” meaning she likely died at age 14.
Neighbor Kayleigh Cortez told the Times that she remembered seeing Celeste around the area, after spotting missing persons flyers last February, posted in Riverside County.
“I recognized her because of her big, curly hair,” Cortez said. “I would see her walking with her backpack on her way to school.”
Cortez said she didn’t personally know Celeste, but “couldn’t even breathe, knowing that a child had to go through that,”
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed that Celeste was reported missing last year, but haven’t yet provided additional details regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.
Del Lago Spirits store owner, Elie Naddaf, shared security footage with her family, which showed someone who appeared to be Celeste, walking just after 7 a.m. on on March 19, 2024, down the street in a light sweater and dark pants.
Naddaf reportedly said he thought the teen got into a vehicle with someone down the road from the store. However, shel walked out the video frame and the details remain unclear.
Naddaf, who said Celeste would often stop by the store on the way to school, claimed that police have not contacted him for the video.
“She was always so quiet, shy, just a sweet child,” Naddaf said. “I feel a connection to the community. It’s just heartbreaking to see this happen.”
Celeste allegedly had a history of running away. In one instance, she came back home voluntarily, and another time, police brought her home.
Meanwhile, Burke has since retained an attorney but is said to have been cooperating with the investigation.
“D4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities,” a spokesperson for Burke said Tuesday, according to NBC 4 Los Angeles.
There have been photos and images purportedly showing the two together, but none of those have been officially confirmed.
Celeste’s mother reportedly said she had a boyfriend named David, while Celeste’s former teacher, according to TMZ, posted a video on TikTok, showing Celeste and David together before her disappearance.
“When I taught her, she met this dude on social media. He was a rapper in LA,” the said in the video, referring to Celeste and D4vd.
“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.”
The unnamed teacher told his students the story as a cautionary tale about meeting people on social media.
@user.lol951 #rip #fyp #viral ♬ original sound – user 951
Investigators also searched a rental home that Burke lived in, in Hollywood Hills, on September 17. They removed numerous items from the home.
The teen’s cause of death is pending..
Meanwhile, Burke’s record label has reportedly cancelled promotion of his music, The Tab reported. He has also cancelled his remaining tour dates, KABC reported, including the final show that had been set for Saturday in Los Angeles.
A European tour that was set to begin on October 1 appears to have been cancelled as well.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Celeste Rivas/GoFundMe and D4vd/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]
