Mother of D4vd Seen at Texas Gun Shop as Remains Tied to Singer's Tesla Spark Investigation

Colleen Burke, 49, the mother of embattled rapper D4vd, was photographed Thursday leaving Tomball Pawn & Jewelry, a pawn and gun shop near Houston. It was her first public sighting since investigators linked her family to the discovery of dismembered remains inside her son’s abandoned Tesla and opened a homicide probe in Los Angeles.

Images obtained by the Daily Mail show Burke gripping an instruction manual for a Del Ton AR-15 semi-automatic rifle as she exited the store, wearing black track pants and a gray T-shirt with the words ‘Send Noods’ on the chest. In one image she is seen glancing at her phone with a large bearded man in a white T-shirt nearby; in another, she paces outside the shop with the phone pressed to her ear. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, she purchased, and a representative for the Daily Mail said Burke did not respond to requests for comment.

Celeste Rivas, 13, was reported missing from Lake Elsinore, California, in May 2024. Investigators identified her remains as the victim in the case and found them on Sept. 8 in the front trunk of a Tesla Model Y impounded in connection with D4vd. Police described the remains as decomposed and wrapped in plastic, indicating she had been dead for some time. Rivas had been reported missing from her California home about a year before the discovery. Some accounts describe a prior acquaintance with D4vd, though investigators have not publicly confirmed any verified link between the teen and the singer. Family members told outlets they had concerns about the nature of her relationship with someone named David, and they have said she was seen with D4vd on the day she disappeared.

Authorities have not charged D4vd with any crime and say he is cooperating with investigators. The Los Angeles Police Department has not commented on whether he remains in contact with investigators, and public statements from his representatives have been limited. D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, rose from SoundCloud to viral fame with Romantic Homicide, a track that gained traction on TikTok in 2022. In interviews, he has described his upbringing in a deeply religious Houston-area family and said his mother played a pivotal role in kick-starting his music career. He was born in Queens, New York, and later moved with his family to Houston, where he was homeschooled and spent his youth playing video games and producing music in makeshift spaces.

The investigation surrounding Rivas’s disappearance and death has unfolded against a broader backdrop of intense public interest in D4vd. After the remains were found, investigators conducted a wave of searches, including a raid of a Hollywood Hills rental home that had been housing D4vd and members of his team. Two masked men were photographed outside the property as moving crews removed boxes and furniture. The home, which had been leased by the singer’s manager, was valued at several million dollars, and the lease was later terminated amid the ongoing inquiry. The LAPD has said only that there are no updates to provide at that moment.

As the case has drawn attention from fans online, some have speculated about possible connections between the lyrics and imagery in D4vd’s music and the real-life case. The artist has publicly described the tension between his breakout hit and the scrutiny that followed, noting that his mother had been vocal about her disapproval of violent themes in his music. He told the Zach Sang Show that his mother once told him the song was too violent, even as she supported his career in other ways.

Public records show Burke has worked in banking and mortgage-related fields, and she has appeared on business filings linked to D4vd Entertainment and related entities. Investigators have not identified a person of interest in Rivas’s death, and no arrests have been announced. The LAPD and other agencies involved have called for patience as autopsy results and forensic analyses are completed, a process that could take weeks or months.

The case continues to unfold in the public eye, with investigators pursuing every lead while ensuring the accuracy of timelines that connect a teenager’s disappearance, a high-profile musician’s career, and a sequence of investigative actions across two states. For now, authorities stress that there is no public update to share about potential charges or suspects, and they reiterate that the investigation remains active as autopsy results are awaited and evidence continues to be evaluated.