The girl had been missing since April 2024, when she was 13 years old.

Singer D4vd is arrested on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl found dead in his Tesla.

American singer-songwriter D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl.

The victim’s decomposed body was found last year in an apparently abandoned Tesla, registered to the singer, which was towed from the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles police said on Thursday.

In a brief statement, police said the 20-year-old Houston-born singer, whose legal name is David Burke, was being held without bail.

Police said investigators would present a case to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges on Monday.

The singer had been under investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury looking into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Police had been called to the vehicle at a Los Angeles impound lot after reports of a foul smell, and found her decomposed body stuffed inside a bag.

The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and the designation of D4vd as its target — was revealed on February 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

In 2022, D4vd released the singles Here With Me and Romantic Homicide, which gained popularity on TikTok and led to him signing a record deal with Darkroom and Interscope Records.

Representatives for the singer have not responded to multiple requests from The Associated Press for comment on the case.

Missing teen turned victim

Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been missing since April 2024, when she was 13 years old.

Celeste was 13 when she went missing.Celeste was 13 when she went missing. Credit: GoFundMe

Her family reported her disappearance to authorities on at least three occasions, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

On a GoFundMe page, organisers remembered Celeste as “a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend” and said her family was “heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss”.

Her sister wrote on social media the family didn’t know where she was and didn’t know who D4vd was.

A candlelight vigil was later held in her honour, with mourners leaving candles, flowers, Hello Kitty toys and flyers calling for “Justice for Celeste Rivas”.