America watched in horror when the LAPD discoverd heavily decomposed human remains in the front trunk of a Tesla abandoned in the Hollywood hills. The car is registered to David Anthony Burke (a singer who goes by D4vd). The rumor mill churned. Some argued that his car could have been stolen and used in the crime. Here’s why that theory doesn’t hold up.

Teslas almost never get stolen

When KBB compiled its list of the most-stolen vehicles, Tesla models ranked at the very bottom. There are several technical reasons for this.

It’s difficult to communicate how rarely Teslas are stolen. If the average vehicle has a theft frequency of 100, the Tesla Model 3 AWD comes in at 1 out of 100. The Tesla Model Y AWD (like the one D4vd owns) scores 2 out of 100. The Model S AWD comes in slightly higher at 5 out of 100.

Many Teslas have a “Sentry Mode” that uses cameras and sensors to detect and record suspicious activity. They also offer advanced GPS tracking via the owner’s phone app, making it relatively easy to locate a stolen vehicle and alert police. MarketWatch reports that 112 out of 115 stolen Teslas are recovered. By contrast, only 58.4% of other vehicles are recovered after being stolen.

Frank Scafidi, director of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau, says that recovery rate is “about as good as it gets.”

In addition, many EVs are parked in garages or near homes for overnight charging. Some Tesla owners activate “PIN to drive,” a feature that requires a passcode to operate the vehicle. Even with keys, a thief without the PIN is out of luck.

This doesn’t make Teslas impossible to steal—but they may present such a headache that thieves rarely bother. While we don’t know if D4vd parked his Tesla Model Y indoors or had “PIN to drive” enabled, it’s unlikely that random thieves looking for a quick getaway would target his vehicle.

D4vd knew Celeste Rivas and his Tesla was parked at home

As the story unfolds, two more important details have emerged. First, D4vd’s Tesla Model Y was parked in front of the Hollywood Hills home he had been renting. LAPD has since searched the house, and D4vd has broken the lease and moved out. This matters because it’s clear no one stole the car and drove it to a separate location.

Second, multiple friends of D4vd told TMZ that they had seen him and Celeste Rivas together. It appeared they were romantically involved. He reportedly told friends she was 19 and a university student. She was actually 14 at the time of her death. This makes it highly unlikely that someone randomly stole D4vd’s car to commit a murder and hide her body.

It’s important to emphasize that the LAPD is still investigating, has not made any arrests, and has not named any suspects. Yes, it’s beginning to look like D4vd’s Tesla was parked in front of his rental with his girlfriend’s body dismembered, bagged, and hidden in the front trunk. Yes, that looks bad. But the truth could be far more complicated.

For example, burglars might have taken a bus to the Hollywood Hills, killed Celeste during a confrontation, then panicked and grabbed a set of car keys from a kitchen table to hide her body in the parked Tesla. The car’s GPS tracking and “PIN to drive” wouldn’t have stopped them.

All we know is that we know very little so far. Hopefully, Sentry Mode was active and the Tesla captured some evidence that can help LAPD get to the bottom of this heinous crime.