Investigators Believe d4vd ‘Had Help Dismembering and Disposing’ of Teen’s Body: Police Source

Singer d4vd has been deemed a suspect in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez — and a police source is speaking out about how authorities believe he’s connected to the case.

The police source alleges to PEOPLE that the 20-year-old singer — whose real name is David Anthony Burke — “most likely had help dismembering and disposing of the body.” The source also claims that while Burke has not been charged with a crime, he “has not been cooperative” in the investigation.

The musician’s representative previously told NBC Los Angeles that he was “fully cooperating” with authorities.

The LAPD, d4vd’s lawyer and his rep didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

On Sept. 8, Rivas was found dead in the trunk of the singer’s impounded Tesla one day after her 15th birthday while d4vd was on tour in the U.S. The car was reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, and neighbors told NBC Los Angeles it had been there for about a month. Officers responded to the scene after others reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle.

Her body was identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, which listed her cause and manner of death as “deferred.”

The police source tells PEOPLE that investigators are “treating this like a homicide” and adds that the girl’s body was “decomposing when it was found in a plastic bag.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Rivas had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore, Calif., at least three times in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times — and residents claimed the teen had run away from home before, though her last known whereabouts remain unclear.

LAPD Captain and Commanding Officer Scot M. Williams previously told PEOPLE that Rivas had been dead for “several weeks prior to her body being discovered.” He also confirmed that the LAPD did serve a search warrant “at a residence near where the car was towed” on Sept. 18.

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A landlord previously told SFGate that d4vd had been staying at an L.A. property with his manager, but that the two moved out days after electronics and more were seized from the home, per the outlet. Williams told PEOPLE that he cannot confirm what was taken from the property.

Speculation has circulated online about the possibility that Rivas and the “Romantic Homicide” singer knew each other. The Los Angeles medical examiner previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the teen had a “Shhh” tattoo on her right index finger, which appears to match one on d4vd. However, authorities have not commented on the matching tattoos.

The girl’s family said on a GoFundMe created following the news of her death that they were “heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.”