Published 08:52 IST, July 14th 2020
'Naya Rivera found dead at Lake Piru, last act was to save son before drowning': Police
Naya Rivera’s body was discovered 6 days after she disappeared on Lake Piru, where her son was found July 8 alone on a boat the two had rented, the sheriff said
Glee star Naya Rivera’s body was found in a Southern California lake on Monday, five days after she went missing while boating with her son in the Ventura County. Her four-year-old son told investigators that his mother lifted him back on to the deck of their rented boat before he turned to see her disappearing under the water.
"She must have mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself," Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at a news conference.
Naya Rivera’s son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, was found asleep in a life vest on the drifting boat, all alone about three hours after the two departed onto Lake Piru, northwest of Los Angeles. After a five-day search, the body of the 33-year-old actress was found floating near the surface early on Monday, authorities said.
The mother and son had gone swimming in the lake and Rivera was not wearing a life vest, the Sheriff said. Authorities believe that she drowned accidentally and her body was most likely trapped in the vegetation under the lake for many days before floating to the top. "It has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal," Ayub said, adding, "We share in their grief."
Rivera's last post
Naya Rivera’s performance as singing cheerleader Santana Lopez in six seasons on the Fox musical-comedy Glee was widely appreciated. The day before her death, she shared a photo of herself and Josey that read, "just the two of us" (sic).
Updated 08:52 IST, July 14th 2020