Los Angeles police said on Thursday they have 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.
Rivas, who was from a suburb about 110 km southeast of Los Angeles, had been missing for nearly a year and a half when her decomposed remains were discovered in September 2025.
The vehicle had been parked for weeks in a Hollywood Hills neighbourhood before being towed to an impound lot, where workers reported a foul odour, police have said.
Arrest follows months-long investigation
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.