D4vd’s former landlord takes investigation into death of Celeste Rivas into his own hands with LAPD silent
The owner of the Hollywood Hills mansion raided by police investigating the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has hired a private investigator to get to the bottom of the mysterious case after weeks of no response from the LAPD.
Rivas’ dismembered remains were discovered in the front trunk of a seized Tesla belonging to viral TikTok singer D4vd on September 8. He had been officially missing for more than a year after running away from home in April 2024 when he was 13 years old.
On September 17, LAPD homicide detectives raided the $4.1 million house where D4vd was staying. Authorities confirmed the search was linked to Rivas’ death and said ‘some evidence’ had been collected for analysis but did not provide further details.
There has been little information from the LAPD since the raid. No arrests have been made, no suspects have been publicly identified, and Rivas’ cause of death has not yet been determined.
Mladen Trifunovic, the owner of the mansion where D4vd lives, is desperately searching for answers. He told the Daily Mail he had limited contact with police and was concerned about what role, if any, his home played in Rivas’ death.
Determined to find the truth, Trifunovic hired a private investigator to review security cameras and interview potential witnesses to determine whether Rivas had ever stayed at the home and, if so, when he was last seen there.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found dismembered and wrapped in plastic in the front trunk of a Tesla belonging to singer D4vd.
D4vd was staying in a $4.1 million home in the Hollywood Hills. The Los Angeles Police Department raided the house on September 17 as part of the investigation into Rivas’ death.
‘I have a private investigator who collects information because my family and I want to understand what is going on in or around a house that is very special to us,’ Trifunovic said.
‘We are not interfering with the LAPD’s investigation; We are looking for answers that I fear cannot be delivered to us unless we use a licensed investigator.’
D4vd – real name David Anthony Burke – has not been accused or charged with any crime. The LAPD did not say whether he cooperated.
The 20-year-old had been living in the property, rented by his manager Josh Marshall, since February 2024.
The Daily Mail was first to report that Marshall had suddenly broken his $20,000-a-month lease just days after the raid, citing the ‘ongoing situation’ with Burke.
Burke’s current whereabouts are unclear. He has retained a top Hollywood lawyer who has not yet issued a statement.
Trifunovic said he only learned Burke was living there when police raided the rental house.
According to his knowledge, there was no one at home at the time of the raid. Burke was traveling in the US and Marshall has since claimed in a statement on social media that he never lived at the facility.
The owner of the mansion, Mladen Trifunovic, told the Daily Mail that he had hired his own private detective to investigate the girl’s death.
Contractors and neighbors told Trifunovic that they did not notice anything unusual at the time Rivas’ remains were found.
Neighbors told Trifunovic that the house was “extremely quiet,” and weekly maintenance workers (gardeners, pool cleaners and pest control) said they didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
He said the police activity left no lasting damage and that he was not told what tests the LAPD did. Sources claimed officers were looking for ‘blood evidence’. This has not been confirmed, but officers were seen removing numerous items, including a laptop.
‘Law enforcement did not tell me Celeste died at home. “There’s no obvious sign of anything going on inside,” Trifunovic said, adding that the LAPD had not shared plans to return for additional testing.
‘I believe they have whatever they think may help their investigation… Although my family and I did not know Celeste or even knew that D4vd was staying at the house, we are deeply saddened by her passing.
‘And since our home is the focus of the case, I’m working with a private investigator to better understand the circumstances of what happened.’
Trifunovic said he would consider releasing the findings of his special investigation only after the LAPD’s investigation concludes.
‘He’s not even close to completing his investigation at this point,’ he said.
Rivas was reported missing from his home in Lake Elsinore by his family in April 2024, when he was just 13 years old. Rivas was found one day after his 15th birthday.
D4vd’s Tesla was seen being pulled into evidence by the LAPD last month
D4vd moved out of Trifunovic’s house a few days after the property was raided
It is unknown how Rivas died or how long he had been dead when officers found him.
At this time, the LAPD says it is unsure if there is ‘any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of his body.’
Rivas’ cause of death was postponed pending further examination. Authorities suspect he had been dead for ‘weeks’ when his body was found on September 8, citing severe decomposition.
Investigators are also investigating the nature of Rivas’ ties to Burke and are also reportedly reviewing footage showing them together.
Sources close to Rivas previously told the Daily Mail that Burke was in an illicit relationship with the teenager, having first met her online when she was 11 or 12. They claimed Burke ran away to Los Angeles to be with her.
Additional details have since emerged about the months leading up to Rivas’ disappearance in April 2024.
Dispatch records obtained by the Daily Mail show police were called to Rivas’ family home in Lake Elsinore, California, 11 times before she disappeared and 22 more times after her disappearance.
Sources said Rivas had a troubled home life and ran away several times.
Police and social media records show she first ran away on Valentine’s Day 2024 and left a note for her family before she was reported missing that morning. Deputies returned to the home several times over the next two days as relatives posted postings and missing person alerts online.
He eventually returned, but it’s unclear when. Friends told L.A. Times He was upset about the public attention his disappearance had generated.
Screenshots from Burke’s social media pages show him with a girl who closely resembles Rivas’ descriptions and photos
In the March 2024 video published by TMZ, Rivas, wearing light-colored pants and a dark sweater, was seen speeding past a liquor store at the end of his street.
However, he was gone again on March 19. Police visited the home three times that day and surveillance footage was released. TMZ It showed him walking past a liquor store near his street and toward a dark vehicle just outside the frame.
Rivas was reported missing once again on April 5, and police carried out various pursuits until the end of April, including a ‘suspicious circumstances’ report. Later the neighbors told Times They saw him at home again that year.
A TikTok clip posted by a cousin in June showed Rivas at a neighborhood dinner, but it’s unclear when it was filmed.
Over the next nine months, police recorded more than a dozen additional calls to the home for alleged disturbances, vandalism and assault.
Rivas was found dead on September 8, and his identity was made public the following week.
Property records show that days later, Burke transferred the deeds to two properties he owned near Houston, Texas, into his mother’s name.
The LAPD and Burke’s attorney have been contacted for comment.
