Singer D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of killing Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who went missing last year.
The 21-year-old has been under investigation for months after Hernandez’s remains were found in a Tesla registered to him in September.
The Los Angeles police said the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was being held without bail on suspicion of murder.
The Houston-born singer was reportedly escorted in handcuffs away from his Hollywood Hills home on Thursday.
The police are said to have shouted ‘surrender’ over a loudspeaker to prompt the rapper to come out from his home, according to a neighbour who spoke with The California Post.
The LAPD commanding officer of the robbery-homicide division, Captain Scot M. Williams, said: ‘We came to the home with a probable cause arrest warrant for him.
‘We did the best we can to keep tabs on him, but once we developed probable cause to arrest him for murder, then we were on him pretty diligently.’
The Tesla was found abandoned at a tow yard last year. Hernandez was found inside after employees complained of a foul smell coming from the car.
Police investigators are also reported to have found a body bag containing a head and torso, as well as a second bag with other body parts inside, according to court documents seen by The Sun.
The teenager’s cause of death remains unknown. She was last seen by her family in April 2024, when she went missing after going to watch a movie. She was 13 at the time.
D4vd’s attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter have said they will ‘vigorously defend’ their client’s innocence.
They said: ‘Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.
‘There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed.
‘David has only been detained under suspicion.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.