Celeste Rivas case sparks questions about D4vd and his Tesla’s push notification features

She went missing in spring 2024, and for months her disappearance was a mystery. Then, in early September 2025, the unthinkable happened: the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla owned by rising singer D4vd. Suddenly, a case that had seemed a sadly routine missing-person story became complicated with questions about technology, relationships, and the limits of evidence.

Much of the public interest has centered around one intriguing detail: newer Teslas are capable of sending real-time notifications to your phone when the trunk (or "frunk") is left open for an extended period of time. Would D4vd or whoever was driving the car have received an alert if someone had stashed a body and left the car open? That question has been fueling speculation online, especially since official information remains scarce.

D4vd and Tesla push notification speculation

Most Tesla vehicles, like newer Model Ys, have an app into which the vehicle is incorporated, and it monitors the state of the car. Among its functionalities is a notification when the trunk is open for a certain period, say 10 minutes. Tesla's Sentry Mode will also alert the user when the vehicle detects any unfamiliar door or trunk activity, but only when that mode is engaged. Primary limitation: Sentry Mode must be activated, and an external USB storage drive usually must be inserted to capture video.

That is, if the trunk had been opened for a duration long enough to trigger, a Tesla owner would be alerted on their phone unless those features were disabled or not set up. Internet speculation suggests that if Celeste's body was being loaded in over a span longer than ten minutes, then such an alert might have been triggered. But it's not known if D4vd or whomever had access to that Tesla had those alerts set up.

Social media were also quick to latch on to this theory. Posts speculated about whether the presence or absence of push notifications could be a sign that the singer knew or did not know about suspicious activity. The idea gained traction quickly: a technical issue as a potential alibi or red flag.

Investigators, meanwhile, are working with harder facts. Celeste was last reported missing in April 2024, and police indicate that her body might have been in the car for weeks before it was found. The Tesla had been towed after being abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, and the police later executed search warrants at a residence linked to D4vd, seizing electronics and potential evidence. As of now, D4vd is not officially a suspect; authorities are awaiting autopsy results and more concrete evidence before moving forward. The push notification hypothesis is interesting because it marries tech and timing with criminal speculation. But in the fog of investigation, it remains speculation. We don't even know whether notifications were activated, whether they were seen, or whether somebody intentionally disabled them.

Beneath the sensational headlines and viral speculation lies the grim truth: a young life was lost, and investigators must reconstruct physical evidence, forensic analysis, and guarded witness accounts.

Push notifications will likely amount to footnotes in a case that hinges on more basic questions how did Celeste die, who was she with, and when. Pending the autopsy and further evidence, the Tesla's warning system is an intriguing but unproven thread in a tragedy that is demanding answers.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback