😱 A Shocking Find in a Celebrity’s Car – You Won’t Believe What Police Uncovered! It was just another day at a Los Angeles tow yard until workers noticed a chilling smell coming from an abandoned Tesla. What they found inside has the internet in a frenzy: a grim discovery linked to a rising music star! 😲 Who owns the car? What was hidden in the trunk? And why is everyone talking about this creepy case? Click to dive into the mystery that’s gripping the nation! 👇

On a quiet Monday afternoon, September 8, 2025, workers at Hollywood Tow on North Mansfield Avenue in Los Angeles were going about their usual routine. Then, a foul odor stopped them in their tracks. It was coming from a sleek black Tesla with Texas plates, sitting in the impound lot for days after being towed from the Hollywood Hills. When police arrived and popped open the front trunk, they found something straight out of a crime thriller: a decomposing body, wrapped in a plastic bag. The car, it turns out, was registered to David Anthony Burke, better known as D4vd, the 20-year-old singer behind viral hits like “Romantic Homicide.” Suddenly, a routine tow job had become a national headline, sparking wild speculation, viral social media posts, and a mystery that’s far from solved.
This wasn’t just a shocking discovery—it was a moment that collided celebrity culture with the grim realities of true crime. As the Los Angeles Police Department digs into what they’re calling a death investigation, possibly a homicide, the world is watching, piecing together clues from grainy news clips and X posts. Who was the woman found in the car? How did she end up there? And what, if anything, does this have to do with a young musician on the cusp of stardom? Let’s unpack the incident, its ripple effects, and what it reveals about our obsession with crime and fame.
The Discovery: A Tow Yard Nightmare
The story began when someone reported an abandoned Tesla in the upscale Bird Streets neighborhood of the Hollywood Hills. The car, a 2023 model registered in Hempstead, Texas, had been sitting there for about five days before it was towed to Hollywood Tow on September 6. For two days, it sat unnoticed among other impounded vehicles. Then, on September 8, workers caught a whiff of something unbearable. “It was a strong smell, like something died,” one employee told NBC Los Angeles. When LAPD officers arrived around 12:20 p.m., they found the source: human remains in the Tesla’s front trunk, or “frunk,” stuffed inside a plastic bag.
The body was in a horrific state. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the remains belonged to a woman, about 5-foot-1, with wavy black hair. She was wearing a tube top, black leggings, a yellow metal bracelet, and stud earrings. A distinctive tattoo on her right index finger read “Shhh…” But the body was so severely decomposed—possibly dismembered, per TMZ—that identifying her age, race, or ethnicity was impossible on-site. The advanced decomposition suggested she’d been dead for days, likely before the car was even towed. Homicide detectives are now involved, though the case remains a death investigation until the coroner determines the cause and manner of death.
The Tesla’s connection to D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, sent shockwaves through the media. The 20-year-old singer, known for his indie-R&B hits and TikTok-fueled rise, was performing in Columbus, Ohio, on his “Withered” world tour when the discovery was made. His spokesperson quickly issued a statement to NBC News: “D4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities.” Police sources emphasized that the car is one of several D4vd owns, often used by others, and there’s no evidence linking him directly to the incident. Still, the connection to a celebrity made the story irresistible.
D4vd: A Rising Star in the Spotlight
To understand why this story exploded, we need to know who D4vd is. Born on March 28, 2005, in Queens, New York, and later raised in Houston, Texas, David Anthony Burke first gained fame through TikTok, where his 2022 single “Romantic Homicide” went viral, racking up over a billion Spotify streams. His follow-up, “Here With Me,” cemented his status as a Gen Z music icon, with 33 million monthly Spotify listeners and 3.7 million TikTok followers. His debut album, Withered, dropped in April 2025, and he’s been touring the world ever since, with stops in Minneapolis and Los Angeles scheduled for September.
D4vd’s meteoric rise made the Tesla discovery all the more jarring. Just a day before the body was found, he posted on Instagram about the deluxe version of Withered, writing, “Every song written exclusively by me on my phone baby.” The post, which limited comments, now feels eerily timed. Brands like Crocs and Hollister, who featured D4vd in their “Dream Drop” campaign, quickly distanced themselves, stating to WWD, “We have removed campaign content featuring D4vd while the investigation continues.” The swift backlash shows how fast a celebrity’s image can be tainted, even without evidence of wrongdoing.
The Investigation: A Puzzle Wrapped in a Bag
The LAPD faces a tough road ahead. The body’s condition makes identification a challenge, and the coroner’s report could take days or weeks. The “Shhh…” tattoo and the woman’s clothing are key clues, but without a clear timeline of when she died or how she ended up in the Tesla, detectives are working backward. Was she killed elsewhere and placed in the car? Did the car’s abandonment in the Hollywood Hills play a role? And who had access to the vehicle?
The Tesla itself could hold answers. Modern Teslas are equipped with Sentry Mode, which records footage when someone approaches the car. But, as discussed in a Reddit thread on r/Music, Sentry Mode requires a USB drive for extended storage and drains battery life, so it’s unclear if it was active. If footage exists, it could show who accessed the car before it was towed. For now, police are interviewing D4vd and others connected to the vehicle, but no arrests have been made.
This case isn’t isolated. On September 9, another woman’s body, partially burned, was found in a Honda Civic at a different Los Angeles tow yard, linked to a missing person report. The LAPD says there’s no evidence connecting the two cases, but the coincidence has fueled speculation online. X users like @ruggyscruggy and @catsscareme2021 have posted theories, ranging from the car being stolen to the body being planted to frame someone. While these are just guesses, they reflect the public’s hunger for answers.
Why This Captivates Us
This story has all the ingredients of a viral true crime saga: a celebrity connection, a gruesome discovery, and an unsolved mystery. Our fascination with cases like this isn’t new—think of the O.J. Simpson trial or the Gabby Petito case. True crime taps into our curiosity about human behavior, especially when it intersects with fame. D4vd’s involvement, however tangential, adds a layer of intrigue. His song “Romantic Homicide” even sparked dark humor on Reddit, with users joking, “Guess it was… a Romantic Homicide.”
But there’s a deeper reason this resonates. The discovery of a woman’s body—possibly a victim of violence—hits a nerve in a society grappling with issues like gender-based violence and urban crime. In 2024, Los Angeles reported a 7% increase in violent crime, including homicides. The fact that the victim was found in a celebrity’s car only amplifies the story’s reach, but it also risks overshadowing her humanity. We don’t yet know her name or her story, and the focus on D4vd could drown out the need for justice.
Social media has supercharged this narrative. X posts and news clips spread faster than traditional reporting, with users like @nbcnews sharing the story to millions. The raw, unfiltered nature of these platforms—where anyone can post a theory or a meme—makes the case feel immediate and personal. But it also muddies the waters, as speculation outpaces facts.
The Bigger Picture: Fame, Crime, and Responsibility
For D4vd, this is a precarious moment. At 20, he’s navigating a career that’s barely begun, and this incident could define him if not handled carefully. His cooperation with police is a step in the right direction, but the court of public opinion is less forgiving. Brands dropping him show how quickly associations can shift, even without evidence of guilt. It’s a reminder that celebrity comes with scrutiny, especially in the age of instant news.
For the rest of us, this case is a mirror. It reflects our obsession with true crime, our distrust of institutions (some X users speculated the body was planted to “disappear” the car), and our need to make sense of chaos. It also underscores the stakes for victims of violence, whose stories deserve more than viral headlines. The woman in the Tesla had a life, a story, and a tattoo that meant something to her. Until we know more, she’s more than a mystery—she’s a person.
What’s Next?
As the LAPD continues its investigation, the world waits for answers. Was this a random act, a targeted crime, or something else entirely? Will the Tesla’s cameras provide a breakthrough? And how will D4vd navigate the fallout? For now, the case is a puzzle with too many missing pieces. But one thing’s clear: this grim discovery in a Hollywood tow yard has captured our attention, and it’s not letting go anytime soon.