(NewsNation) — Friends of singer D4vd believed the 15-year-old girl found dead in his Tesla was his college-aged girlfriend, NewsNation has learned.

TMZ senior news reporter Charlie Neff told “Banfield” Thursday that D4vd’s friends in the Los Angeles music scene were shocked to hear that Celeste Rivas-Hernandez’s decomposing body was discovered inside his trunk.

They told Neff that D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is a “very gentle person,” adding they thought the fact that it was his car “was just extremely disturbing and confusing.”

Questions about 20-year-old D4vd’s connection to Celeste have swirled for weeks after her body was found Sept. 8. Her cause of death remains a mystery after it was listed as deferred by the coroner.

D4vd and Celeste were ‘romantically involved,’ friends say

Friends of the singer “frequently” saw D4vd and Celeste together and believed they “were romantically involved,” according to Neff. However, they did not mention anything about “PDA.”

They described the singer as “a very shy, quiet person,” and said “Celeste seemed to mirror that, as well.”

“Everything he did in his life, she kind of seemed to follow,” Neff added.

D4vd’s friends believed Celeste was a college student

According to Neff, D4vd’s friends had no idea that the girl they had seen him with was underage, and they believed she was a 19-year-old college student.

“She attended USC from what they believed,” Neff said. The friends also mentioned to Neff that they had seen Celeste at age-restricted events, “including clubs and parties.”

Law enforcement sources previously confirmed to TMZ that Celeste had multiple fake IDs, which could have granted her access to such events.

The friends told Neff that they didn’t know much about Celeste and only saw her with D4vd at social gatherings.

“No one really questioned much about her background … they just knew her as this college student that went to USC,” Neff said.

Celeste was reported missing multiple times before her death

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Celeste was reported missing at least three times in 2024.

Most recently, the teen was reported missing in April 2024, before her body was discovered over a year later in the trunk of D4vd’s Tesla.

Celeste’s mother also reportedly said that before the teen went missing, she was dating someone named David.

It remains unclear if Celeste was living with D4vd at any point while she was missing.

D4vd hasn’t been spotted since his tour ended

D4vd cancelled his tour after he was told the teen’s body was found in his car, and he hasn’t made a public appearance or issued any statements.

On Sept. 17, police raided D4vd’s Hollywood Hills home. The singer subsequently terminated his $20,000-a-month lease on the property.

D4vd rose to prominence online over the past couple of years, in part thanks to a large amount of success on TikTok, where he has over 3 million followers. He released his debut album, “Withered,” in April of this year.

Police haven’t named any suspects in Celeste’s death.