Her remains were not discovered until September 8, 2025, when authorities were called to a Hollywood tow yard after workers reported a strong odor coming from an impounded vehicle.

Inside the car — a Tesla registered to Burke — investigators found the girl’s body in an advanced state of decomposition.

The vehicle had reportedly been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills before being towed, where it sat for days before the grim discovery was made.

Hernandez, who was reportedly just 13 when she first went missing, had been the subject of an extensive search before the case shifted into a homicide investigation.

Prior to his arrest, Burke had already been identified in court documents as the target of a grand jury probe into the teen’s death, though he had not been formally charged at the time.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive, and it remains unclear what relationship, if any, existed between the singer and the victim.

The case is expected to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, April 20, as investigators continue to piece together what led to the teen’s death.

In a statement Thursday, Burke's attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter declared: "Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death. There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence."