Remains Of Missing Lake Elsinore Girl Found In Trunk Of Singer’s Tesla: Report

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Authorities have identified the person whose head and torso were found in the trunk of an impounded Tesla in Hollywood as a 15-year-old girl reported missing from Lake Elsinore more than a year ago, according to reports.

On Wednesday, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department received notification from the Los Angeles Police Department that the missing girl, identified as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, had been located and was identified as the victim of a death investigation, Lt. Deirdre Vickers told Patch.

In April, Lake Elsinore Sheriff's deputies responded to the 3000 block of Jamieson Street in Lake Elsinore, regarding the report of a runaway. Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the reporting party (believed to be the girl's family member) and learned that the teen left the location in an unknown direction, according to Vickers.

Deputies searched the area but were unable to locate Celeste.

"She was entered into the missing person database as a runaway, and the report was forwarded to investigators for follow-up," Vickers said. The investigation remained ongoing until her body was ultimately identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, which identified the person as Celeste Rivas, 15, Vickers said.

Her body was found inside the front trunk of a Tesla — registered in Texas to the singer D4vd — on Sept. 8 at a Hollywood tow yard, according to numerous reports.

Facebook posts made by the family show that Celeste left home at least once, on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day 2024, before she left and did not return on that Friday.

She left her home at 9 p.m. and was considered a runaway, according to the sheriff's department. A missing person report was filed with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and the investigation persisted. Flyers were made by a nonprofit group, "The Missing Truth," and shared across the country, but there was little to no information on what happened to her until this week.

Earlier, TMZ reported that it had received a tip that the body was Rivas'. The publication contacted the girl's mother, who told a reporter that the police description — which included a tattoo on her finger with the letters "Shhh..." — matched her daughter's. She also said her daughter's boyfriend was named "David."

D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, also has a similar tattoo — which was made popular by Rihanna nearly two decades ago. Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen are among those who have the tattoo, TMZ reported.

The vehicle had been impounded and towed to the yard, "an official police garage," police said.

The car had been parked on a public street in the Hollywood Hills for nearly a month, NBC 4 reported.

The remains were described as a "head and torso" found inside a bag in the trunk, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Prior to identifying the body, the Medical Examiner's Office released the following information about the girl:

"She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found. We are unable to determine her age or race/ethnicity," officials wrote.

She is described as 5-foot-2 and 71 lbs with wavy black hair. She has a tattoo on her right index finger that reads "Shhh..."

She was wearing a tube top, black leggings (size small), a yellow metal stud earring and yellow metal chain bracelet.

The car is registered in Hempstead, Texas to Burke, TMZ reported.

A representative said that Burke had been informed about the gruesome discovery and that he is fully cooperating with authorities.

"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 the singer said Tuesday, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Burke is set to perform at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The discovery of the girl's body in Hollywood came as another body was found inside a car that had been impounded and sent to an official police garage across town. That case remains under investigation as well.