Wild New Twist in D4vd Scandal: Cops Swarm D4vd's Home & Celeste’s Ex-Boyfriend Tells All

Summary

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Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: Wild New Twist in D4vd Scandal: Cops Swarm D4vd's Home & Celeste’s Ex-Boyfriend Tells All

Date: October 1, 2025

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Overview

In this gripping episode, Ashleigh Banfield dives into the latest twists in the tragic and controversial case involving rising music star David Anthony Burke (professional alias: D4vd) and his underage girlfriend, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposing body was discovered in the front trunk of Burke's abandoned Tesla. Ashleigh brings listeners up to speed with breaking developments: a swatting incident at David’s family home, new testimony from Celeste’s ex-boyfriend, exclusive interviews, and evolving details about Celeste's last year alive. The episode teems with Banfield's trademark blend of irreverence and journalistic rigor as she questions timelines, motives, and the slow grind of justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Swatting Incident at David Burke’s Family Home

• Swatting Breakdown
  Police with guns drawn responded to a 911 call about a "shooting and a dead body" at Burke’s family home in Houston on September 18. The call was a hoax intended to provoke an armed police response, a phenomenon known as "swatting."
  [03:07] Police Officer: “We got a phone call from here saying that somebody was dead … There was a gunshot and a woman scream.”

• Banfield highlights the timing: this happened one day after LAPD raided David’s Hollywood Hills rental for evidence in Celeste’s case.
  [04:49] "Police stuck around for less than 20 minutes, and it did not appear that David was there."

• Question Raised:
  Is the swatting a coincidence or a reaction to the raid in LA? Banfield notes the timing is suspicious and speculates whether the prank was meant to flush David out if people believed he fled to Texas.

2. Details of the LAPD Hollywood Hills Mansion Raid

• September 17 Raid:
  LAPD searched David’s LA rental for "blood evidence" in a raid that lasted 12 hours (no charges filed as of recording).

3. Updates on Celeste and David’s Relationship

• Timeline Clarified:
  Social media clues (matching tattoos, David’s song “Celeste”) led to confirmation (via TMZ, friends) they were indeed in a romantic relationship—illegal due to her age and likely without parental consent.

• Legal Complexity:
  In some states, relationships between 14-year-olds and adults may skirt statutory rape laws if parents consent, but that was not the case here.

• Banfield on the Crime:
  [06:16] "We've got this child who’s decomposing in the trunk … for weeks and weeks, likely upwards of a month or more … and no one's been arrested, nothing. There’s been no resolution to this obvious crime."

  • Highlights that while murder is not confirmed, disposing of a body is itself a felony but with a drastically lower sentence than homicide.

4. Celeste's Life Before Running Away: Testimony from Ex-Boyfriend

• Damian Hernandez’s Interview (TMZ Clip):
  Damian, 15, says he dated Celeste before she ran away to David. Confirms she talked of running away due to unhappiness at home.
  [09:54] Damian: “We were at PE and she told me and my friend she was running away… because of her parents. She was, like, happy joking like she always was… The next day, she wasn’t at school. And that’s the last time I saw her.”
  • Damian’s reaction to the news of Celeste’s death is one of shock and disbelief.
    [10:27] Damian: “My heart dropped. I just couldn’t believe it... When I saw it really was her, I was like, damn, I really knew.”
• Home Life Issues:
  Damian relays Celeste described her family as "mean," but no accusation of abuse.
  [09:18] Damian: “She said how her mom didn’t treat her well or whatever, and she didn’t like where she was at.”

5. Revelations from New Video Evidence: Celeste’s Timeline Rewritten

• September 8, 2024 Nest Cam Video:
  Shows Celeste at her parents’ house four months after her family claimed she'd disappeared—contradicting previous reports.
  [12:39] Banfield: “This video seems to prove that Celeste visited her family at least one time after she ran away.”

• Implications:
  Raises new questions about her actual timeline, frequency of visits home, and possible family awareness of her whereabouts.

6. Analysis with Charles Ladibodier (TMZ, Executive Producer)

• Swatting Motivation & Investigation:
  [14:05] Ladibodier: “It does seem strange to say this is coincidence... This was likely someone who's been watching the investigation and has strong feelings about it and decided to prank the home where his parents live, perhaps even doing it thinking that David was there.”

• Who Was Home?
  Banfield and Ladibodier sift through police body cam footage and parents’ statements. Confusion over whether David was present is discussed. Real conclusion: Probably only his minor siblings were home.

• David’s Mom’s Role:
  Banfield and Ladibodier debate whether David’s mother could have known what her son was doing, given her involvement in his early career; consensus: likely not to have known everything once David turned 18 and gained more independence.

7. Complications in the Investigation

• Celeste’s Social Circle:
  Banfield and Ladibodier discuss the reluctance of Celeste’s family to speak to media and the insularity of their Lake Elsinore, CA community.

• Breakup Details:
  Damian did not seem heartbroken over Celeste leaving—more resigned—indicating perhaps a gradual emotional distancing before her deeper involvement with David.

• Crucial Ring Camera Video Discovery:
  The neighborhood knew Celeste had returned at least once, but nobody alerted authorities, assuming all was normal.
  [24:48] Ladibodier: “They assumed she had returned. … There was no concern about Celeste that the neighbors detected when they went and spoke to her parents.”

• Lingering Questions:
  Was David ever in Lake Elsinore with Celeste? Did her parents know of her relationship? Did David know her true age?
  Banfield: "[If she brought David around,] I'd be pretty angry that she’s got… a 19 year old boyfriend." [26:22]

8. Suspicious Actions After Celeste’s Disappearance

• David’s Muted Response:
  No birthday post, public acknowledgement, or indications he tried to find “missing” Celeste—odd for an alleged close friend or romantic partner. [27:37] Banfield: “There’s not one post, there’s not one mention. … This is highly suspicious for a guy who, if he has nothing to do with this, had no idea she was in the trunk.”
• Car Abandonment:
  Tesla with Celeste’s body reportedly sat abandoned for over a month before being ticketed and towed.
  [31:18] Banfield shares quote from LAPD Captain Williams confirming weeks of decomposition before Celeste found.

9. Medical Examiner’s Updates

• Cause of Death Deferred:
  Toxicology results still pending.

• Rumor Quelled:
  Celeste was not pregnant at death or in the previous year, debunking social media theories that pregnancy might have motivated her death or disposal.

  [31:56] Banfield: "Let me repeat that – she was not pregnant when she died. And guess what? They were also able to determine that she had not been pregnant in the past year."

10. Current Status of Investigation, David & His Management

• David Burke:
  – Not arrested, not named a suspect or person of interest.
  – Last seen post-raid moving out of the Hollywood Hills mansion; supposedly has gone “underground.”
  – Friends confirmed relationship with Celeste; unclear what he knew about her age.
• Manager’s Denial:
  Josh Marshall, Burke's manager, denies any involvement and claims distance from David's day-to-day affairs. Confirmation of his statements comes from podcast sources.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Swatting Incident:
  [04:19] Police Officer: “Someone's messing with us.”
• On the gravitational pull of the case:
  [00:05] Ashleigh Banfield: "If there is one word that describes how I feel about the story of Celeste Rivas Hernandez and the star named David... it's obsessed.”
• On Celeste's final days:
  [06:16] Banfield: “We've got this child who’s decomposing in the trunk … for weeks and weeks, likely upwards of a month or more … and no one's been arrested, nothing.”
• Celeste’s Ex-Boyfriend Damian on Hearing the News:
  [10:27] Damian Hernandez: “My heart dropped. I just couldn’t believe it.”
• Charles Ladibodier (TMZ Producer) on the Swatting's Intent:
  *[14:05] "It does seem strange to say this is coincidence... This was likely someone … watching the investigation and … pranking the home where his parents live, perhaps even thinking David was there.”
• Banfield on Social Media Silence:
  *[27:37] "There’s not one post, there’s not one mention. … This is highly suspicious for a guy who, if he has nothing to do with this, had no idea she was in the trunk.”

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Important Timestamps

• [00:05] Episode introduction and case summary
• [03:07–04:49] Swatting incident at David’s family home (Texas), police interaction
• [06:16] Discussion of legalities and nature of Celeste and David’s relationship
• [08:55–10:50] Damian Hernandez interview: his relationship with Celeste and reaction to her death
• [12:20–12:39] Nest Cam video evidence showing Celeste at home after initial disappearance
• [13:15–17:41] Extended interview with TMZ’s Charles Ladibodier about the swatting, timeline, and David’s family
• [23:07–25:26] Breakdown of the ring cam video and community’s reaction to seeing Celeste post-disappearance
• [27:37–30:08] Banfield and Ladibodier probe the suspicious lack of action from David acknowledging Celeste’s disappearance
• [31:18] Statement from LAPD’s Captain Williams and details of body’s discovery and condition
• [31:56] Medical examiner’s revelation: Celeste not pregnant, debunking rumors

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Tone & Style Observations

Ashleigh Banfield’s style is irreverent—blending tabloid energy with a reporter’s analytical eye and empathetic questioning. She’s explicit about legal uncertainties, sharply critical of official inaction, and unsparing regarding the inconsistencies in David’s narrative and the questions surrounding Celeste’s last months. Her tone pushes for accountability and scrutiny, both of the system and those orbiting the case.

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Final Thoughts

The episode remains focused on the search for truth as the case teeters between internet speculation and incomplete official answers. As Banfield notes, every new day generates more questions than solutions. She pledges to remain on the case and keep delivering exclusive updates as the investigation evolves.

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For listeners: This summary brings you all the criminal intrigue, community dynamics, and new revelations from the episode—while preserving Ashleigh Banfield’s dynamic true crime storytelling.

Transcript

[Damian Hernandez]

Foreign.

[Ashley Banfield]

Hey everybody, I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead serious. If there is one word that describes how I feel about the story of Celeste Rivas Hernandez and the star named David in whose Tesla the underage girl was found dead, it's obsessed. My sister in law reached out to me the other day using that exact same word that she was obsessed with this story. And she's not alone either. There are tick tockers who are posting memes saying me refreshing every 10 minutes to see if David's been arrested yet. And there's news today again, and it's not small. Armed officers showed up at David's family home in Houston, guns drawn. And the boyfriend that Celeste left when she ran away to David's mansion in the Hollywood Hills. That kid. Yeah, kid. Is now speaking out. David's legal name is David Anthony Burke. He's a 20 year old superstar in the making. But he's gone underground as police investigate why Celeste, his 14 year old girlfriend, was found decomposing in the front trunk of his Tesla. If you're just jumping into the case or if you want the full backstory or the timeline, all of it. I have put together a playlist with all of our coverage and it's linked in the episode description. But up until now, the coincidences seemed uncanny between Celeste and David before we knew for sure that they were actually a couple despite her young age. We only had a few clues to go on like their matching tattoos, social media posts and David's love song named Celeste. But all those coincidences turned out to be proof that the dead runaway and the singer were in fact in a romantic relationship, as David's friends confirmed to tmz. And now tonight, yet another coincidence. Or is it? Some video has emerged of a police encounter involving David's family back in Texas, where David grew up. It happened September 18th and that's a very important date. So remember that September 18th, it happened in a suburb of Houston. The footage that was acquired by TMZ shows officers approaching David's family home with their guns drawn. When David's father answers the door in a panic, police tell him that they're responding to a 911 call that came in about a shooting and a dead body at their home. David's mom comes to the door and it is soon very clear that the cops and or the Burke family, again, that's David's surname, had been pranked. There is actually a term for this kind of prank. It's called swatting. A bogus 911 call comes in to provoke an armed response at some location. A building or a house or an area. But here's what it looked like when the officers showed up at David Burke's family home.

[Police Officer]

Almost. I'll go out wide and keep you covered. You want to step the door at.

[Ashley Banfield]

Least when we wait for me?

[Police Officer]

Because I'm gonna keep you covered. Sweet. I got you covered right here. There's too many windows here. Knock on the door. We got a phone call from here saying that somebody was dead. Is there somebody else that lives on this property that has your address? What's your address?

[Ashley Banfield]

No.

[Police Officer]

That'S it. That's it. That's what I actually got. We got. We got an address. There was a gunshot and a woman scream.

[Ashley Banfield]

What?

[Police Officer]

I'm serious. That's why we came up here like this because. And then they talked to the caller. Whoever they were talking to said that there's a person dead. No, sir. No, sir. Knock on the door. We need to talk to him. We ain't got time for this, ma'.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Am.

[Police Officer]

We got to figure out what's going on so we can leave. Okay. Hey, guys. We made contact. They said nothing happened here. She shut the door. Now she's calling 911. Oh, it ain't on their phone, and that's not it. This is not a. It's not a Texas. Yeah, it's an out of state number.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Someone's messing with us.

[Police Officer]

Someone's pinged here, though, because wherever they call from, it pings and sends it to dispatch. So, like, whenever you call 91 1, wherever you are, it sends it. It sends, like, a ping to. Let's. That's how they know the address. And this address and this address came up to this number?

[Ashley Banfield]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[Police Officer]

That's where he was meeting. 42. So is that somebody on my property? Could be. We'll check the property for you.

[Ashley Banfield]

Police stuck around for less than 20 minutes, and it did not appear that David was there. Of course, it raises the question of where David was and where David has been ever since his world tour was cut short a week and a half ago when he moved out of his party mansion in Hollywood Hills. Now, back to the possible coincidence. The swatting event in Texas at his family home happened just one day after David's Hollywood Hills rental was being tossed by the LAPD in a raid that yielded evidence bags and electronics. Remember, the swatting event happened September 18. The raid, September 17, 18. And the cops were there for 12 hours, reportedly looking for, quote, blood evidence. There's no word on what they found, but they still haven't brought any charges against David or anybody else for that matter. So basically what you have here is a teenage runaway who by all accounts was in a romantic relationship with someone who was much, much older. An illegal relationship because it's clear her parents weren't giving the okay to this relationship. Right. Some states it's okay to have a 14 year old with a 20 year old if the parents are all right with it. But she was 12, maybe, and definitely 13 when she was with David. And he at that time would have been 18, 19 or 20. All of that is illegal if the parents aren't okaying it. And in some states it's illegal even if they are. Right. So we've got this child who's decomposing in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla for weeks and weeks, likely upwards of a month or more. She's decomposing on her 15th birthday in that trunk. And no one's been arrested, Nothing. There's been no resolution to this obvious crime. Okay, want to be really clear. You can't necessarily call this a murder because we don't know if she was legally murdered. We don't know if someone took her life in an illegal way. We don't know if she might have o overdosed. Right. We're still waiting for toxicology. We don't know if she hanged herself. And suddenly people who were panicking because she's an underage runaway decided to somehow, you know, dispose of her body. Now that's a crime. Disposing of her body is a crime, but it is not murder. And it don't yield anywhere near the kind of prison time that murder does. Disposing of a body might yield you a year or two, upwards of, I think, tops four in California. But murder, that can get you the death penalty or life, no parole. Just ask the Menendez boys. So we're talking about a horrendous thing, thing that happened, and definitely a crime, but no one's been arrested. We're also learning a lot about Celeste's life before she ended up with this much older singer. A California teenage boy who says he dated Celeste before she ran away to Hollywood, is now speaking out and he's doing so with his mother right beside him. That gives a lot more credibility to the story. Right? Damien Hernandez is 15, same age that Celeste would be had she lived past September 7, her birthday, when she was rotting in that trunk. He says that he and Celeste were a couple when he was in the eighth grade and she was in seventh in an Exclusive interview again with tmz. That's been like a rocket ship on this story. He says that Celeste was indeed unhappy at her home and may have been running away from her family as much as running to her rich and famous new boyfriend. Okay, here is TMZ's interview with Damian Hernandez, and his mom, again, is sitting beside him.

[Damian Hernandez]

I guess she liked me, or she was looking for someone. And, yeah, she just. We started talking. She was really kind, and she said she wanted something serious.

[Damian's Mother]

And how old were you when you met her?

[Damian Hernandez]

13 or 14.

[Damian's Mother]

So at what point did you feel or did you hear from Celeste that there were problems at home?

[Damian Hernandez]

She said how her mom didn't treat her well or whatever, and she didn't like where she was at.

[Damian's Mother]

Did she talk at all about her relationship with her parents?

[Damian Hernandez]

Kind of. She just said they. They were mean or whatever, she didn't like them.

[Damian's Mother]

And then you guys broke up, and the next thing you know, you find out that she's involved with this Internet sensation. David.

[Damian Hernandez]

Yeah, I didn't think it was gonna happen, like, at all because, like, she was always, like, so happy and stuff.

[Damian's Mother]

What is your last memory that you have of Celeste?

[Damian Hernandez]

We were at PE and she told me, my friend, that she was running away. And she said it was because of her parents, and she was, like, joking about it, and she was, like, happy joking like she always was. And it didn't seem real because she was playing around joking about it. And the next day, she wasn't at school. And that's the last time I saw her.

[Damian's Mother]

What was your reaction when you saw the breaking news that they had found your ex girlfriend's body in the trunk of his car?

[Damian Hernandez]

Uh, my heart dropped. I was like, I don't know. I just couldn't believe it. I thought. I mean, I kind of had a feeling when I saw, like, the first thing. I was like, what if it is her? But I just, like, brushed it off. But when I saw it really was her, I was like, damn, I really knew.

[Damian's Mother]

So let me just make sure I'm understanding this correctly. You had seen the news out of Los Angeles that a body was found in his car?

[Damian Hernandez]

Yeah.

[Damian's Mother]

And you immediately had a sinister thought about Celeste?

[Damian Hernandez]

Yeah, because one of my friends told me.

[Damian's Mother]

Were you at home with your mom when they identified Celeste and you saw it all over the news? Can you remember that moment for us?

[Damian Hernandez]

Yeah, I was on the way to school, and then she just, like, showed me, and, like, I took a picture of it, and I sent it to one of my friends. And he's like, yeah, I saw it too. It's crazy. And I just couldn't believe it.

[Ashley Banfield]

There is also some intriguing new video of Celeste Rivas Hernandez that really rewrites the timeline of this. This case as we've come to know it. The video was recorded at the home of Celeste's parents. They live in Lake Elsinore, California. And it was recorded exactly one year to the day before her body was found rotting in the trunk of that Tesla belonging to the rising music star named David. We'd been told that Celeste went missing in April of 2024 and that her family hadn't seen her since then. But this new video was recorded by a nest camera on September 8, 2024, which would be four months after she ran away. The neighbors who provided the video to TMZ say that it shows her arguing with people who had pulled a prank on her. Take a look. Let me talk real quick, okay? No, you ain't going to let me talk. Why are you not going to let me talk? You tripping. Nah, you ain't. You tripping.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Oh, my God.

[Police Officer]

You better get over there.

[Damian Hernandez]

Get your over, little girl.

[Ashley Banfield]

This video seems to prove that Celeste visited her family at least one time after she ran away. But a year and a half after the final missing person report was filed, her body was discovered in that trunk, that front trunk of David's Tesla. And that was just three weeks ago. Earlier today on my News Nation show, Banfield Shout out. News Nation, 10:00pm Love my team. Make sure you go watch. I spoke again with TMZ's executive producer Charles Ladibodier, and here's our conversation. Charles, any idea who is behind this swatting?

[Charles Ladibodier]

No idea. I mean, we've asked police. They obviously they want to try and track those things down when it happens, but they don't know on this one. And they, you know, I think they figured out pretty quickly when David's parents came to the door that that's what was going on here. They didn't see any activity. And the area where their home is is in a very rural area. It's not like there's a lot of houses around. So, you know, when police are pulling up, they didn't. There's no activity. It would have been pretty obvious to them if there was some crisis going on as they pulled up.

[Ashley Banfield]

Sure. And. But you can't escape the date September 18th. And it's a day after the LA house that he was renting was raided that, I mean, coincidence or something more.

[Charles Ladibodier]

It does seem strange to Say that this is coincidence. And his parents said to the police, somebody is messing with us. And clearly, even if David wasn't at the house, his parents are aware of what's going on back in la. And I think at that point, got to remember David's name, had been out there enough. It was easy enough to know where he's from in Texas, that this was likely someone who's been watching the investigation and has strong feelings about it and decided to prank the home where his parents live, perhaps even doing it thinking that David was there. Because, remember, even when the police executed their search warrant, we hadn't seen David in public. Everyone was wondering where he was. And we now know that the day after that search warrant, he moved out of the house. But we haven't seen him since. So, you know, I'll be honest, Ashley. When we got this body cam, the main thing we were looking for, we knew at the point we got, we ordered the body cam, we got it from police, we knew that this was a swatting incident. What we were wondering is whether or not when they went to the house, whether or not they would see David there didn't turn out that way.

[Ashley Banfield]

And that was fascinating. You're right. The story was already really popping. So plenty of people knew what was going on. Plenty of. Plenty of people knew that David was off the radar. So maybe this was an effort by someone to find out if he was at the home. But what was the response from the parents once the police did knock on that door regarding who was at home and who wasn't?

[Charles Ladibodier]

So they said to the police that their, their daughter was there and also their son, which immediately we thought, oh, is that David? Did she just confirm that David's there? We went back and looked and found that he also. We knew that David had a younger sister. There is also a younger brother who clearly lived there with their parents. They're both minors, so that's who we think they're talking about. Is it possible that David was there and they just didn't say anything? I guess I don't know if they would be thinking that way. So.

[Ashley Banfield]

So David, from what we gather, is that his mother was really heavily involved in his career. There's apparently a video saying, you know, he had to ask for her permission to use, you know, private plane. Which makes me wonder if David would have been able to travel back and forth to Los Angeles during this tour if he were involved in anything nefarious without her permission and without her knowing exactly why.

[Charles Ladibodier]

I think he could have. I know that she was involved in his career, but she is not officially his manager and he is now, you know, adult age. Certainly when he was a minor and getting started in the business, she had a lot of say in what was going on. But he's managed by people at his label now, so I don't. There's nothing we've heard that makes it seem like his mom had that much control over him at this point. So I don't think necessarily she knew exactly where he was, you know, at every moment during this tour. So whether or not she would know his whereabouts during that time when the body was found and the weeks right before that, I don't have any indication that she would.

[Ashley Banfield]

I expect that they have been deluged with, you know, requests for comment, but I wonder if the police have paid them a visit. My expectation is that possibly yes, given that he spent some time at that house. But let me switch gears to Damian Hernandez, a 15 year old boy. TMZ scored an incredible scoop with this, this boy and got an interview with him. He was ostensibly Celeste's last boyfriend. Take it from there.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, Damian would, I think the right description for him is her last boyfriend before she ran away, before she started running away in early 2024. He said they met when they were. He said they think he said either 13 or 14, but at. Probably 13 because he's 15 now. But he said that they met through mutual friends. The way he had heard it was that, you know, she was looking for a boyfriend, like a serious boyfriend, and they started dating and he said that they had some interesting conversations about her home life and it clearly stuck with him. He said that he recognized right away when the story, he and other people in school recognized when the story came out about this body being found in David's car. They were all aware of her relationship with David.

[Ashley Banfield]

And did she say to this boy, Damien, what her relationship with her parents was like?

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, what he told us was that she described, described it as not, not a good situation. He said that she would say that her parents were really mean and that she didn't like being at home and in fact announced to him and other friends that she was planning to run away because she didn't want to be around her parents. Now you kind of think that's something teenagers typically say, right? At some point, all teenagers go through this with their parents and they say, oh, they're, they're too mean, they're too strict. It sounded like it was something more than that. At least the way he said that Celeste was Describing it to him.

[Ashley Banfield]

Did he indicate that she'd ever said that she was abused in any way?

[Charles Ladibodier]

No, no, he didn't say that there was any abuse. It was just more about her not liking the environment that she was in. Beyond that, anything else he said beyond that, like I said, was hearsay. And we obviously are still trying to talk to other people in town who knew Celeste, who knew her family, to get more information. But, you know, we're also still continuing to try and get in touch with her parents. We, you know, we told you that we spoke to her mom early on, right after or right before they confirmed that the body was Celeste. But we have not been able to get in touch with her since then. And I think for obvious reasons, the family has kind of gone underground and we have, you know, they're not doing interviews anymore.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, there could be so many reasons for that. Totally understandable. With Damien, this 15 year old boy, did he indicate at all why they broke up? Was it David that broke them up?

[Charles Ladibodier]

He didn't say that. He said that she basically said, you know, that she was going to be leaving. He said that. It's funny, you know, we, our producer asked, were you upset about that? And he's like, like a kid. You just went, no, not really. I just, I kind of figured we were just friends, you know, I already had realized that we're just going to be friends. And he was, he was like kind of, I'm cool with that. So he wasn't heartbroken. I think we even asked him, were you heartbroken? And he's like, no. So he's clearly had moved on at that point. But he said that it was really upsetting once he saw the news. One, then they saw the news about the body being found in David's car. He and other people in town, in school, he said, were concerned that it might be Celeste. Which is interesting because that's what exactly what Celeste's mom said to us when we spoke to her, which was before they had identified the remains. And she just said that she had this really horrible feeling that it might be her daughter. So people and kids in that town were certainly watching this story and were worried. He said it was upsetting to him when he found out that it was Celeste and he felt like he wishes that he and other people in town had took it more seriously. When she said she wanted to run.

[Ashley Banfield]

Away, she confided that she did want to run away.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah. And we now know that she did multiple times, you know, that she ran away and was one time the police brought her back and then she ran away again. I don't know how much, and we've talked about this, how much her family played a role in her coming back to Lake Elsinore as many times as she did. Did she go back to them because she wanted to be at home or what were, what was not what was happening in her life, why she came back. And we now know that she was back there, you know, late. Late in 2024.

[Ashley Banfield]

That is a big surprise. You guys again scored a big scoop. You found ring cam video from a neighbor on September. Well, in September of 2024. I'm not sure what date, but that is five months after the last missing person's report. We had assumed that was the last they saw of her. It was a year and a half. But five months after that missing person report, there she is in the backyard screaming at the neighbors.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, it was really shocking when we saw the video and we were talking to neighbors in the area about this and they remembered the incident. In fact, they said they remembered. But the date is really interesting because the date is exactly one year before her body was found in the Tesla while the car was in that impound yard. They remembered first she came over and was yelling. Some kids in the neighborhood had been playing a prank. They were like ringing the bell and running. And she came over to yell at some of the kids that she thought were responsible for knocking, for ringing the doorbell at her parents house. And when she walked away, the neighbors were kind of like, hey, wasn't that the girl in the poster? Who was on the posters? They'd seen the posters up. They said that her family members did walk around town that summer showing everyone the poster saying, hey, have you seen, have you seen Celeste? Have you seen Celeste? So it was in their heads. And then when she was yelling, they were like, oh, I guess she must have come come back. They found her and they didn't think that there was anything like. They didn't. They admitted that no one ran to Celeste's parents immediately and like, hey, we saw her. We saw her. They knew that she was at the.

[Ashley Banfield]

House, so they just assumed she'd returned.

[Charles Ladibodier]

They'd assumed she had returned. And in fact, the neighbor that she was yelling at, the neighbor's boyfriend went over to Celeste's parents the next day and talked to her father and said, hey, just want to apologize for this mix up. Clearly your daughter thought that, you know, our kids were responsible for it. And he said that the dad was just like, no big deal. Whatever. It's Just, just kids. There was nothing about. There was no concern about Celeste that the neighbors detected when they went and spoke to her parents.

[Ashley Banfield]

So she was clearly there. He. They didn't say what are you talking about. Our girl's not here. It was clear that she was there.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, she was there. What we don't know is was she just there visiting? Was she there for her birthday? Was David with her? He's not in the video that we saw. But was this one of those times when she came back to Lake. Lake Elsinore and David was with her? We've seen that photo of him standing in the parking lot talking to some other kids. We just don't know the date of that photo yet. So we know that there were times where David went, was. Was in Lake Elsinore. We just don't know if this was one of those times.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, strangely, when you guys met with the mother and early in the story, when she did speak with, before she went radio silent, she said Celeste was dating someone named David. But if he'd been at the house, if he'd been there at that point, you know, the day after her birthday would have been her 13th birthday. That would be a bit shocking if I were a parent. And my 13 year old daughter, by the way, 12 turning 13, actually 2024.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Ashley, I think that would have been her 14th birthday because remember.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right, let me back that up. You're right. If she was at the house on September 8th and her birthday September 7th. Yeah, she would have been 13 turning 14. And if she brought David around, if I were her parents, I'd be pretty angry that she's got, you know, a 19 year old boyfriend.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, yeah. And that would also indicate if she went back for her birthday and David was there and again, we don't know that he was. You would think that would be her birthday. The fact there was her 14th would have been mentioned by someone. And so that sort of would mean that David does know because up to this point we really don't, because we've heard nothing from him. We don't know what he knew about her true age. And all we know is that friends of his have said that, yeah, they saw them together, but they always assumed that she was a student at USC, that she was 18 or 19. So we don't know what David knew or thought about Celeste's age. But yeah, you're right. If he was back there for her birthday, well, I think that would say a lot.

[Ashley Banfield]

I have been really surprised, Charles. I don't know how you Guys have felt about this, that on her birthday, while she was decomposing in that trunk on September 7, David did not know, ostensibly, if he had nothing to do with this, that that was her in the trunk. No one knew there was anyone in the trunk on her birthday. And there's not one post, there's not one mention. There's not a happy birthday. There's no reference to a girl his friends say he was dating. This is highly suspicious of a guy who, at this point, who, if he has nothing to do with any of this, had no idea she was missing or dead.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, you know, it's one of the things that we've been puzzled by, and we don't know what the nature of their relationship was at that point. Obviously, there's plenty of photos and videos that show they were friends. At the very least, perhaps a couple, but we don't know. When he left to go on tour, what was the nature of relationship? Did they. Did they break up if they were.

[Ashley Banfield]

A couple, if they'd broken up before David went on tour or even during. She has no way of sustaining herself at 14 years old. She can't drive. She doesn't have a car. She probably doesn't have a whole lot of money or a job.

[Charles Ladibodier]

You're assuming that she's not driving. We don't know. One thing we do know is that we've been told that she had. She had multiple fake IDs, so whether or not she was driving, I can't say, but.

[Ashley Banfield]

Or had enough resources to stay on her own in the Hollywood Hills.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Yeah, we just. Because there have been very few people in their circle that have been talking. It's hard to say. But, you know, I. I've heard people in our office say this, like, if. If they weren't. If they were still friends or if they were still a couple, why wouldn't he have been calling her around that time? Why wouldn't he have been like, oh, it's strange that she hasn't responded to any of my calls or any of my.

[Ashley Banfield]

Friends, Every one of their friends. Where is my girlfriend? Why is she ghosting me day after day after day for weeks on.

[Charles Ladibodier]

Even if they were just friends, let's say they're not. They weren't a couple, and they were just friends. It still seems weird that you wouldn't. Why haven't I heard from her in two weeks? And if you haven't, and if you weren't trying to contact her at all for two weeks, then how close of friends were you, really?

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, and more than that, honestly, because now we know that the car, according to the police, at least, contained her remains for multiple weeks. And neighbors are confirming to a private investigator the car had been there for well over a month. And the dust on it indicates as much as well. So why, if she is ghosting him, because she's dead in a trunk, or why is he not canvassing everyone saying, where is Celeste? Someone help me find her. This is highly unusual. She's only 14. You know, it just. None of that makes sense. Regardless of he's innocent, right?

[Charles Ladibodier]

And really, regardless of what her age is, if they're that close, you don't hear from someone for that long, you start asking questions. It's. It is confounding. Ashley, I agree with you. And it feels like every day we learn a little bit more, maybe about Celeste. But as far as what happened to her, what was her demise in that last couple of weeks, not last month. I feel like we have more questions each day than answers, and we're just hoping. The big thing is, when will the medical examiner have a cause of death if they can determine one? Because that's going to say a lot about this investigation and where it goes.

[Ashley Banfield]

My thanks to Charles ladibodier. And by the way, we are finally learning what's been going on behind the scenes of the investigation. The LAPD's captain and commanding officer released a statement saying that the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was likely in the front trunk, called the frunk of that Tesla, for a long time before it was discovered. According to Captain Scott Williams, quote, we know for sure that Celeste Rivas Hernandez died, and someone placed her body in the front trunk area of David Burke's Tesla. We know that the Tesla had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks. So it's very likely Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been dead for several weeks prior to her body being discovered. Look, this tracks with all of our reporting last week when we spoke with a private investigator who tracked down the tow reports for that Tesla. The reports showed that neighbors had called police about the car on Aug. 26. Police responded the next day and ticketed the car. As per protocol. They've got to wait 72 hours, by the way, between each ticketing event, and after three visits, then they can tow the car. So the second ticket came on September 3rd, and the Tesla was finally towed on September 5th. By our math, police were involved with the car for about a week and a half. Okay. But the neighbors told the private investigator that that car had likely Been there for a month. So if after a month they're calling the police to complain and the police are dealing with the Tesla for a week and a half, well now we're talking about maybe in excess of five, maybe six weeks that she's in this trunk. The Tesla was registered in David's legal name. David Burke, the 20 year old singer has not been arrested. He is not a suspect. He has not been named a person of interest. But his friends are confirming to tmz, in fact just last week that he was indeed in a romantic relationship with that 14 year old girl. Social media posts indicate they may have known each other since she was 12, maybe even as early as 11 when she came into contact with David. Captain Williams of the LAPD responded to the friends characterization as well by saying as far as their relationship, it would be premature for me to say anything. We are looking into everything. An important piece of the puzzle that has yet to be determined is Celeste's cause of death. The medical examiner has deferred the cause of death. That the medical examiner has deferred a cause of death while they wait for toxicology results. But one thing they have determined is that Celeste was not pregnant when she died. Let me repeat that she was not pregnant when she died. And guess what? They were also able to determine that she had not been pregnant in the past year. You can knock me over with a feather. I had no idea that you could actually test somebody for an entire year to find out what their whether they were pregnant or not. But that's what the medical examiner was able to determine, that no, she wasn't pregnant and no, she hadn't been pregnant for the last year. There'd been so much speculation online that maybe she was pregnant with David's child. Right. Maybe that's why this happened. Maybe again, big maybe she's pregnant with his child, he freaks out, he kills her, that's why she's in the trunk. Or he's pregnant, she's pregnant with his child, somebody else freaks out who has his interests in mind, maybe family or management or someone in the business and kills her and puts her in the trunk. Or maybe she's pregnant with a child and she's so distraught she kills herself over the fact that he doesn't want to be a father. These were all the theories. Well, now none of those theories can play out. She was not pregnant. As for David, his reps said that he was, quote, fully cooperating with authorities when Celeste's body was first discovered. But that was back on September 8th. Again one day after Celeste's 15th birthday. But interestingly, Captain Williams would not confirm if David is still cooperating. Right. I'm recording this on the last day of September and we have no word on whether he's still working with the cops or if he really was. It's just the management that said he was. David's been like off the grid. Right? He has said exactly nothing about Celeste's death, nor did he mention anything about her birthday. And remember, that birthday was before her body was found, before it was announced that Celeste was dead. So if she was his girlfriend, why no mention of her birthday? Especially if he doesn't yet know she's dead. Or does he? One person who is talking right now is his manager, Josh Marshall. David had been living in that Hollywood Hills mansion that was leased by Josh Marshall, his manager. And some reports suggested that Josh was actually living there with him as well. A red Tesla was driven out of the garage last week by a masked man. And the plates, according to a KTLA reporter who was on the scene, traced back to David's management. Important to say management because at first the report was that it was his manager, which would be Josh. Right. But that manager is denying all of these accusations on TikTok using the handle J Mogul. His post was in a response to a TikTok video accusing him of being involved in Celeste's death. And Marshall wrote this in response. Let me read it. He said I had zero knowledge of any anything and I don't live in California. Also, I work remotely 95% of the time and my job doesn't require me to have much interaction with any of my clients. Slash David, as there are many others that work with him on a day to day capacity. Not me. Well, anyone can say anything on TikTok and pretend to be anyone as well. But the podcaster Lauren Conlen said she was able to reach out to this particular person and confirm that it is in fact Josh Marshall and that in fact he did say those words. So that's where we stand now. But I am continuing to follow this story and you know you will get updates just as soon as they happen. But don't forget to subscribe on YouTube or on your podcast app so that you don't miss any of these updates. Sometimes I just drop little extras too, and I want to make sure that you don't miss them. For Atlas Banfield, I'm Ashley Banfield. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's dropped dead serious.