‘She deserves justice’ Celeste Rivas’ mourning “sweet kid” found dead in the D4VD’s car

Lake Elsino, California – 75 miles from the Tony Hollywood Hills community, the broken body of teenager Celeste Rivas remains in the trunk of Tesla, who belongs to singer D4VD, the modest Inland Empire community of Lake Elsinore where she lives with her family.

But the teenage residents and acquaintances are following the case, a mix of heartbreaking, shocking and anger, and with more details, she met the multi-platinum singer whose real name is David Anthony Burke.

“She deserves justice,” said resident Rubi Alonso. “It’s so sad.”

Alonso’s son is about the same age as Celeste Rivas. Celeste Rivas met the girl’s family while she was in kindergarten and stayed with her family.

“She is diligent, hardworking and smart,” Alonso said.

According to authorities, Celeste Rivas reportedly disappeared from the Inland Empire in 2024, but her whereabouts remain a mystery since then.

Her body was found in a vehicle in a Hollywood trailer after being seized in the Hollywood Hills. The Los Angeles Police Department said someone noticed a stinking smell in the vehicle.

When the medical examiner died, her body listed Rivas’ age 15 on the day after her birthday. LA police officials described her body as severely broken down, suggesting she died at the age of 14.

Police said the car was towed around the house rented by Manager Burke.

It is not clear when the girl died and how long her body lasted on the tree trunk. Law enforcement sources said the car had a Texas license plate and the body was contained in a bag.

Rivas’ family could not be contacted Friday for comment. They did not answer the door at their home in Lake Elsino, and neighbors said they hadn’t seen them lately.

Last February, posters of missing persons covered the quiet residential street where Celeste Rivas lived with his family.

This is the first time a neighbor has recalled seeing a girl’s face on the poster. But this is not the last time she has disappeared.

“I realized she was because of her big curly hair,” said neighbor Kayleigh Cortez. “I would see her walking with her backpack on her way to school.”

The teenager reportedly disappeared when he was 13 years old on Valentine’s Day in 2024. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that Rivas reportedly disappeared last year but provided no additional information about the case and referred all questions to LAPD.

It is unclear how many times the teen disappeared or how many times she has been returned to her family by authorities.

After 7 a.m. on March 19, 2024, a young girl walked down the street in a dark sweater and light pants according to surveillance footage of Del Lago Spirits near her.

Rivas’ family asked store owner Elie Naddaf to record the video. He sends it to them, the girl in the video is full of confidence, it is Celeste Rivas.

He thought she drove into a car from the store down the street, but he couldn’t get any details as she walked out of the frame in the video. He said police did not contact him for video.

The teenager often stopped at the corner shop on the way to a nearby bus stop.

“She goes to school with the other kids and she will stop,” Nadav said.

She would get Takis, Soda, maybe candy.

“She was always so quiet, shy, just a lovely kid,” said Nadav, a father who runs his own business in Neigbborhood for the past 11 years. “I feel connected to the community. It’s heartbreaking to see this happen.”

Rivas attended Lakeland Village School in Lake Elsinore, about 76 miles from Los Angeles.

Her body then appears in the trunk of Tesla in the Hollywood Trailer House.

“I felt chicken skin when I heard about what happened when she found her in the car,” Cortez said. “It’s so scary.”

Family and friend Alonso said Rivas returned to Lake Elsino last year, but she didn’t remember a specific date.

Rivas returned home alone and went home with the police, she said.

Authorities said the 20-year-old D4VD initially worked with investigators when it was reported that the body was located in a vehicle that registered his name. It is unclear whether he will remain cooperative after the medical examiner’s office identified Rivas as the trunk.

Burke has since retained a lawyer, law enforcement sources said.

Representatives of the musician did not respond to a request for comment, and the musician canceled several performance dates of his tour, which is scheduled to air in Europe in October.

Since then, multiple photos of Burke and Rivas have been circulating on social media, raising questions about how the two know each other.

Gisel Vera identified himself as a relative of Celeste and helped launch the Gofundme page to raise funds for the funeral, telling the Times family that there was no immediate comment on the case.

Since then, the Instagram account that Rivas used previously has been reactivated by its relatives. Times cannot verify the validity of an account. In a series of posts, it appears that users of her brother Matthew Rivas have published several articles saying the family was trying to find her before she died.

“We lost the girl,” Instgram Story says. “But all the flyers we did at her school, Tiktoks, Instagram, Facebook, police, family searched everywhere and made all the flyers. Even our family in Mexico shared and prayed for her.”

Another article says: “My mom didn’t speak for a week…she felt like she failed her daughter, but she didn’t. She did everything. Our home was quiet and broken.”

Los Angeles Times employee reporter Salvador Hernandez contributed to the report.