Los Angeles police said they recovered the dismembered remains of a woman from the trunk of a Tesla that is registered to singer D4vd, revealing a distinctive tattoo and other identifying details as the investigation continues.
Tow-yard employees reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle on Monday, prompting the discovery, police said. Officers found the woman's head and torso inside a bag in the trunk; the condition of the remains prevented investigators from determining her exact age or ethnicity, authorities said.
According to a medical examiner’s report cited by KTLA, the woman was identified as female and had a tattoo on her right index finger that read “Shhh.” The report described her as approximately 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 71 pounds. She was wearing a tube top, black leggings, yellow metal stud earrings and a metal chain bracelet, the report said.
The Tesla was registered to 20-year-old singer David Anthony Burke, who performs under the name D4vd. Burke has told police he is cooperating with the investigation, authorities said. The car had been reported abandoned for several days in the Hollywood Hills before being towed to the yard where the remains were found.
As part of the same probe, investigators also recovered partially burned human remains inside a Honda Civic at a different Los Angeles tow yard, police said. Officials did not immediately say whether the two sets of remains are linked, and no arrests or criminal charges have been announced.
Police and the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office are conducting forensic examinations and other investigative work to establish the woman’s identity and the circumstances of her death. Law enforcement officials have not released the woman’s name pending family notification and further examination.
Burke, who rose to wider public attention earlier this year after a fall while performing at Coachella, has continued to perform; media reports noted he appeared at a Minneapolis show this week and had played at a Paris fashion-week event in June. Authorities cautioned that the presence of the vehicle registered to Burke does not, by itself, indicate his involvement in any crime.
The Los Angeles Police Department urged anyone with information about the abandoned vehicles, the identity of the woman or suspicious activity near the Hollywood Hills tow location to contact detectives. The department said the investigation remains active and that additional details will be released as they are confirmed.