Masked guards outside D4vd’s Hollywood Hills home as LAPD probes teen’s death linked to musician

Two masked men were photographed outside the Hollywood Hills rental home of musician D4vd days after Los Angeles police raided the property in connection with the death of a runaway teen whose dismembered remains were found in the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla. The Daily Mail published exclusive footage of the scene on Wednesday, showing movers loading furniture and belongings from the $4.1 million mansion as two imposing figures stood watch. It was not clear whether the men were part of a private security detail arranged by Burke, his team, or a third party. Both wore glasses and ski masks, and one appeared to be wearing an armored vest with a gold badge, though the provenance of their assignment could not be confirmed.

The homeowner, Mladen Trifunovic, told the Daily Mail that the neighborhood has a robust security presence and is subject to frequent patrols. He said he did not know D4vd—real name David Anthony Burke—was living at the property until last week, and noted the home was leased for about $20,000 a month under Burke’s manager’s name beginning in February 2024. On Monday, the Daily Mail reported that Burke’s manager abruptly ended the lease after LAPD’s Homicide Unit raided the residence amid the investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The teenager’s dismembered remains were later found in Burke’s impounded Tesla.

A spokesman for the LAPD said last week that several items of evidence had been collected for analysis, but the department has not issued an update in the investigation since then. No arrests have been announced, and no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly named. When contacted on Wednesday, a department spokesperson declined to comment on Burke’s cooperation with investigators and said there are no updates at this time.

The 20-year-old rapper, who rose to prominence on TikTok before making a late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 2023 at age 18, was away performing on the U.S. leg of his Withered World Tour when Celeste disappeared. Investigators discovered the body after responding to a report of a foul odor at a Hollywood tow yard, where Burke’s impounded Tesla Model Y had been parked. Inside the car’s front trunk, Celeste’s dismembered remains were found, wrapped in plastic.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore in May 2024 when she was 13 years old. Police have described her disappearance as closely tied to the events surrounding Burke, and investigators have sought to determine when she died and how her remains ended up in Burke’s vehicle. The timeline is complicated by the gap between her May disappearance and the discovery of the body, which authorities say occurred about 16 months later.

Family members say Celeste last seemed in contact with Burke in early May 2024, with various accounts indicating she left home to see a movie with Burke and never returned. In the months that followed, there were reports—cited by Daily Mail sources and others—of ongoing communication between Celeste and friends, including text and phone messages that abruptly stopped in late July or early August. Two sources close to Celeste told the Daily Mail they believed Burke was in an online relationship with Celeste that began when she was as young as 11 or 12, with contact reportedly occurring on social platforms such as Twitch. The brother of Celeste, Matthew Rivas, said his family was aware of contact between Burke and Celeste and that she would sometimes ride in Burke’s Tesla.

The Daily Mail also published images showing Burke with a young girl who resembled Celeste at a concert in late August 2024, though a source later told TMZ that the person in the footage was not Celeste. Investigators have examined tattoos that Celeste bore—specifically a red tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh…”—which the Daily Mail noted matches a tattoo Burke has. Internet sleuths pointed to an unreleased song titled Celeste_Demo unfin as part of the broader but unverified narrative surrounding the case.

Legal and security observers have described the case as highly unusual. Neama Rahmani, a former Department of Justice prosecutor, told the Daily Mail that the mounting circumstantial evidence appears significant and that an arrest would be expected soon given what investigators have found. Rahmani cautioned that the pace of LAPD work is often meticulous, but he said the combination of a body found in a vehicle and the surrounding context makes it hard to ignore culpability should a suspect be identified.

As investigators continue to fill in the gaps between Celeste’s disappearance in May 2024 and the discovery of her remains, Burke’s team has remained publicly silent. The musician’s world tour was canceled quietly, and he has retained counsel who has not issued a public statement or responded to requests for comment. Authorities have emphasized that the investigation remains active and that new information could prompt updates at any time.

The security scene outside Burke’s Hollywood Hills rental—where two masked men were observed standing guard as belongings were moved out—underscores the high-profile nature of the case and the ongoing public interest in the relationship, if any, between the artist and the teenager. Officials have not released additional details about the evidence recovered at the residence, and they have not disclosed a timeline for arrests or further charges. In the meantime, the community around the Hills remains watchful as investigators pursue multiple lines of inquiry related to Celeste’s disappearance and the startling discovery tied to the musician.