LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has identified human remains found in a car registered to singer David Anthony Burke as those of a missing teenager.
The severely decomposed body discovered in the trunk of a Tesla last week belonged to 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, according to officials.
Multiple media reports indicate the vehicle is registered to Burke, who performs under the stage name David.
Police found Rivas' body inside the Tesla on September 8 after responding to reports of a foul odor at a Hollywood tow yard where the car had been impounded, CBS News reported.
The Tesla had been towed days earlier from Hollywood Hills, where one neighbor said it had been abandoned for weeks.
"It hurts, it hurts," said a friend of Rivas.
Neighbors expressed shock at the news of her death.
"When I met her, very lively and just giggly," another acquaintance said.
Rivas, a resident of Riverside County, was reported missing in April 2024 when police received a report that she had run away from home.
The medical examiner said Rivas appeared to have been deceased for an extended period of time and noted a distinctive tattoo on her right index finger. Images show David had a similar tattoo on his finger.
Representatives for the singer have not responded to requests for comment.
David had been scheduled to perform in Seattle on Wednesday night before the show was canceled.
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