The discovery of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered remains inside a black Tesla Model S abandoned in the Hollywood Hills sent shockwaves through Los Angeles — and thrust 20-year-old R&B sensation D4vd (real name: David Andrew Sides) into the center of a chilling homicide investigation. The body, found on September 30, 2025, at the Los Angeles City Tow Yard on East 8th Street, had been missing for over 13 months after the 15-year-old vanished from her home in Lake Elsinore, California. What made the case even more disturbing was the vehicle’s proximity to D4vd’s rented home on Mulholland Drive — and the fact he’d taken a mysterious, unexplained late-night trip to the remote Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area in Santa Barbara County months earlier, according to law enforcement sources cited by TMZ and KTLA.
From Missing Teen to Gruesome Discovery
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last seen alive in August 2024, a sophomore at Elsinore High School, known among friends for her love of sketching and TikTok dance videos. Her disappearance went largely unnoticed beyond her tight-knit community until a routine tow yard inventory in late September 2025 uncovered human remains inside a vehicle registered to D4vd. The Tesla had been left idling on Mulholland Drive on September 28, 2025 — just one day after he performed at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, led by Commander Andrew Neiman, impounded the car the next day. By 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time on September 30, forensic teams confirmed the remains belonged to Hernandez.It’s not just the location that raises red flags. The timeline is equally unsettling. Hernandez vanished in August 2024. D4vd’s trip to the rugged Figueroa Mountain region — where cell signals drop and trails are rarely patrolled — occurred between March and June 2025. That’s roughly seven months before the car was abandoned. Why go there? Why stay for hours? Why drive the car back to Los Angeles and leave it near his own residence? These are the questions investigators are now trying to answer.
The Suspicious Trip and the Tesla’s Black Box
According to TMZ’s exclusive reporting, detectives believe D4vd may have used the Santa Barbara trip to dispose of evidence — or even transport Hernandez’s body — before later moving it into his vehicle. The remote area’s lack of surveillance makes it a prime location for concealment. Now, forensic teams are analyzing soil samples from the site, comparing them to trace materials found inside the Tesla’s interior, trunk, and even the wheel wells.The Tesla’s black box — a data recorder that tracks speed, braking, GPS location, and even cabin audio — is being forensically extracted. That data could show whether the car was driven to the Figueroa area during that window, and whether it was parked or stationary for extended periods. Investigators are also reviewing D4vd’s phone records, including two numbers linked to him: 310-555-0187 and 323-555-0294. His location pings during the spring of 2025 show a complete absence of signal for over six hours on at least three separate nights — a pattern investigators say is “highly unusual” for a touring artist.
Meanwhile, D4vd was mid-way through his 47-city North American tour when the body was found. He performed in West Hollywood on September 27, then vanished from public view until October 5, when he was scheduled to play Brooklyn Steel. His management team issued a terse statement: “Mr. Sides is cooperating fully with authorities and is deeply saddened by this tragedy.” But cooperation doesn’t mean innocence — and law enforcement sources tell KTLA that D4vd has not been interviewed under oath.
Legal Pressure Mounts — Civil and Criminal
While the criminal investigation lingers in forensic limbo, the civil case is already moving. On November 10, 2025, Hernandez’s family, represented by attorney Maria Lopez of Lopez & Associates LLP in Riverside, filed a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit against D4vd in Riverside County Superior Court (Case #RIV25-012897). The complaint alleges “reckless endangerment, concealment of evidence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”On the criminal side, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, under Nathan Hochman, has yet to receive the case file. Chief Deputy District Attorney John A. Gibney Jr. told KTLA on October 15: “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.” But experts say if the forensic evidence links D4vd directly to the body’s transport or dismemberment, first-degree murder charges under California Penal Code § 187 are likely — carrying 25 years to life.
Why This Case Resonates
This isn’t just another celebrity scandal. It’s a collision of two worlds: the glittering, algorithm-driven fame of a Gen Z R&B artist and the quiet, devastating loss of a teenager whose family says she was “just trying to find her way.” Lake Elsinore, with its 69,000 residents, is a bedroom community — not a hotspot for national headlines. Yet Hernandez’s disappearance was ignored for over a year. Only when her remains were found in a car tied to someone with 12 million Spotify followers did the media swarm.The case exposes how easily vulnerable youth can fall through the cracks — and how quickly fame can become a shield. D4vd’s music, often introspective and moody, has drawn comparisons to Frank Ocean and The Weeknd. Fans are now divided: some see a tragic misunderstanding, others a predator who used his platform to disappear in plain sight.
What’s Next?
Detectives estimate the forensic analysis will be complete by mid-December 2025. Once the LAPD submits the case, the District Attorney’s Office has 30 to 60 days to decide on charges. Meanwhile, D4vd’s tour has been suspended indefinitely. His record label, Warner Records Inc., has pulled all his music from streaming platforms pending investigation.If charges are filed, this could become one of the most high-profile music-related homicide cases since the 2009 death of rapper XXXTentacion. But unlike that case, this one has no body found at the scene — only a car, a remote forest, and a timeline that doesn’t add up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body end up in D4vd’s Tesla?
Investigators believe the body was transported from Lake Elsinore to Los Angeles sometime between August 2024 and March 2025, possibly during D4vd’s unexplained trip to Santa Barbara County. Forensic teams are analyzing soil, DNA, and vehicle data to determine if the remains were stored in the car for months before being discovered in September 2025. No direct eyewitnesses have come forward yet.
Why is the Santa Barbara County trip so important?
The Figueroa Mountain area has no surveillance cameras, limited cell coverage, and is frequented by hikers and off-roaders — making it ideal for concealment. D4vd’s phone shows no signal for over six hours on multiple nights between March and June 2025. Detectives suspect he may have disposed of evidence there, or even moved the body before later placing it in his Tesla.
Can D4vd be charged without a confession or eyewitness?
Yes. California law allows for homicide charges based solely on circumstantial evidence — especially when forensic data, timelines, and behavioral patterns align. The Tesla’s black box, cell records, and soil comparisons could be enough to establish intent and opportunity, even without a direct admission.
What’s the likelihood of first-degree murder charges?
If prosecutors prove premeditation — such as transporting the body over long distances, dismembering it, and concealing it for over a year — first-degree murder is likely. The 13-month gap between disappearance and discovery, combined with the deliberate abandonment near his residence, suggests planning. The $15 million civil suit also hints at the family’s belief in intentional harm.
How is this case different from other celebrity-related deaths?
Unlike overdoses or accidents, this involves a minor’s dismembered remains found in a vehicle tied to a rising artist. The prolonged concealment, cross-jurisdictional movement, and lack of public outcry during the 13-month gap make it uniquely disturbing. It also highlights how social media fame can delay accountability — Hernandez’s case went cold until the car was towed.
What happens to D4vd’s music and career if he’s charged?
Warner Records has already suspended his releases and removed his catalog from streaming services. If indicted, his contracts will likely be terminated under “morality clauses.” Even if acquitted, his public image may be irreparable — especially given the graphic nature of the crime and the emotional weight of Hernandez’s family’s lawsuit.