The Glee actor Naya Rivera who went missing at Lake Piru has been found dead after drowning in the California lake. Her four-year-old son, Josey, was found wearing a life jacket on a boat that Rivera had rented.
Confirming Rivera’s death at a press conference, Bill Ayub of the Ventury county sheriff’s department said that based on the location where the body was found, physical characteristics, and the fact that no one else had been reported missing in the area, they were “confident” that the body found was that of Rivera.
A detailed autopsy is set to take place, with the sheriff’s department reiterating that they believe the actor’s death to have been accidental and Ayub stating that there was “no indication of foul play and no indication this was a suicide”.
She and her son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, had climbed off the boat and gone swimming. The boy told investigators that his mother helped him get back aboard, then he looked back and saw her disappear into the water, Ayub said.
“She must have mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself,” Ayub added.
The lake an hour’s drive from Los Angeles was searched by dozens of divers working in waters with little visibility, with help from sonar and robotic devices combing the bottom and helicopters and drones searching above. The sheriff said the body was probably stuck in very heavy vegetation for several days before floating to the top. He said divers had searched that area thoroughly without finding her.
Born in Los Angeles, Rivera began her career on the CBS sitcom The Royal Family, which she appeared on from the age of four. She also had small roles in shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Baywatch.
