‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera found dead in California lake after 6-day search, officials say
Actress Naya Rivera has been confirmed dead after a six-day search for her body at Lake Piru in California, where she went missing last week, the Ventura County Sheriff’s office said.
“We are confident that the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said in a news conference on Monday.
The body will be taken to the medical examiner’s office and an autopsy will be conducted with a positive identification being made using dental records, Ayub said. The body was found in the northeastern part of the lake and near the surface of the water.
Rivera, 33, went a boat trip with her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, last Wednesday, according to CNN. The search for her body resumed Friday, according to the publication.
Rivera, who is best known for her role on “Glee” as Santana Lopez, rented a boat around 1 p.m., the Ventura County Star reported.
The boat was found adrift in the lake with her son alone and asleep hours later, according to CNN. He said that his mother went into the lake to go swimming but never got back into the boat.
Rivera’s son was wearing a life jacket and an adult life jacket was found in the boat, according to KABC.
There isn’t evidence of foul play or suicide, the sheriff’s office said, according to USA Today. Rivera has visited the lake in the past, authorities said.
Around 50 people were involved in the search last Wednesday night, which lasted for 5 hours, but was temporarily suspended when Rivera couldn’t be found and “due to zero visibility in the water and dangerous conditions for the divers,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The search continued last Thursday and the “difficult conditions” have made the recovery a “very slow process,” the department said in the release.
More than 80 people, including ATVs and ground teams, searched for Rivera on Thursday, the department reported on Twitter.
Specialized dive teams from Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare also helped in the search, according to the department.
The sheriff’s department released security footage of Rivera renting the boat and the 911 call reporting Rivera as a missing person.
Rivera’s family, including her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, visited the lake on Sunday, according to People. Rivera was married to Dorsey from 2014 to 2018.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 10:15 AM with the headline "‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera found dead in California lake after 6-day search, officials say."