D4vd was the target of a swatting hoax at his family’s Hempstead home in Texas just ten days after police discovered the decomposed body of a 15-year-old girl in the trunk of his impounded Tesla in Los Angeles.
On September 18, officers armed with rifles arrived at the residence following a 911 call falsely claiming gunfire, screaming and a possible death at the property. The entire response was captured on police body cameras, showing officers approaching the home with weapons drawn.
The parents of the 20-year-old singer, born David Anthony Burke, answered the door visibly alarmed.
“Someone is messing with us,” his father repeated to officers, while his mother asked them to check the property in case someone was hiding nearby.
Police confirmed the call was a swatting prank, a dangerous tactic where false emergencies are reported to provoke an armed law enforcement response. No arrests were made and no official report was filed.
The hoax came shortly after the Los Angeles Police Department revealed that the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been discovered in the trunk of D4vd‘s Tesla on September 8. The vehicle had been towed from a location where it had been parked for weeks.
“The vehicle had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so Ms. Rivas Hernandez may have been deceased for several weeks before the discovery of her body,” the LAPD said in a statement.
Hernandez, who weighed 71 pounds and had wavy black hair, was wearing a tube top, black leggings, a yellow metal chain bracelet and stud earrings at the time of her death, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Investigators have not yet determined how she died. However, police acknowledged there may be “criminal culpability” related to the concealment of her remains.
“The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of Ms. Rivas Hernandez’s death,” LAPD said. “As such, it remains unclear whether there is any criminal culpability beyond the concealment of her body.”
Hernandez had been reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home earlier this year. Sources told TMZ that D4vd’s friends believed she was 19, though she was actually 15 when her body was found—just one day after her birthday.
D4vd, who rose to prominence on TikTok with tracks like “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me,” canceled his U.S. tour on September 19 and paused the release of his deluxe album “Withered.” He has not made any public appearances since vacating his Hollywood Hills residence, which was searched by detectives.
The swatting incident adds another layer of scrutiny to a case already drawing national attention. False emergency calls like these have become a growing concern, especially when tied to high-profile investigations.
A spokesperson for the artist has not responded to requests for comment.
The LAPD continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Hernandez’s death, which was confirmed on September 8.