Los Angeles police are investigating the death of an unidentified woman whose decomposed remains were discovered Monday, September 9, inside a Tesla registered to popular singer D4vd at a Hollywood tow yard. The gruesome discovery was made after workers reported a foul odor emanating from the vehicle that had been impounded for several days.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the 1000 block of North Mansfield Avenue around 12:20 p.m. Monday following reports of the suspicious smell. Upon investigation, detectives located human remains contained in a bag inside the front trunk of the 2023 Tesla.
The vehicle is registered in Hempstead, Texas, to David Anthony Burke, the 20-year-old musician known professionally as D4vd. The Tesla had been towed from the upscale Bird Streets neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills after being reported abandoned approximately five days prior to the discovery.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim was a female who appeared to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period before being found. The medical examiner described the remains as severely decomposed, making it impossible to determine the victim’s age or ethnicity. The woman measured five feet two inches tall and weighed approximately 71 pounds.
The victim was wearing a tube top and black leggings in size small, along with yellow metal stud earrings and a yellow metal chain bracelet. She had wavy black hair and bore a distinctive tattoo on her right index finger that read, “Shhh…” The medical examiner could not determine eye color due to the advanced state of decomposition.
D4vd, who rose to prominence through viral TikTok videos and has over 33 million monthly listeners on Spotify, is currently on his Withered World Tour. The singer performed in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday and was scheduled to perform in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. Representatives for the musician confirmed he has been informed about the discovery and is fully cooperating with authorities despite being on tour.
The investigation is being treated as a homicide, according to law enforcement sources. Police Captain Robert Peters indicated that the vehicle had been at the impound lot for several days before the discovery. The case represents one of two separate incidents involving bodies found in vehicles at Los Angeles area tow yards this week.
A second unrelated case emerged Tuesday when the body of another woman was discovered in a burned Honda Civic at a different tow yard in South Los Angeles. That vehicle had been towed Sunday from the 6800 block of South Flower Street after a car fire. Family members had filed a missing person report and tracked the woman to the scorched vehicle using location services. Authorities confirmed they do not believe the two cases are connected.
The discovery has prompted some of D4vd’s corporate partners to distance themselves from the singer while the investigation continues. Fashion companies Crocs and Hollister announced they were removing campaign content featuring the musician from their “Dream Drop” collaboration. The companies issued a joint statement expressing awareness of the developing story and their decision to pull the content out of respect for the ongoing investigation.
D4vd, born in Queens and later relocated to Houston, Texas, gained widespread recognition in 2022 with his singles “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” which garnered significant traction on social media platforms. Both tracks have accumulated over one billion streams on Spotify. He released his debut album “Withered” in April 2024 and launched his current world tour last month.
The singer has maintained his social media presence throughout the investigation, posting promotional content for his album’s deluxe version as recently as Sunday. His tour schedule includes North American dates through the end of September, with a Los Angeles performance scheduled for September 20, followed by European dates in October and November.
Police continue their investigation into the identity of the victim and circumstances surrounding her death. The advanced decomposition of the remains may complicate identification efforts, according to law enforcement sources who noted the body was not intact when discovered.
