Naya Rivera Dead at 33 Following Lake Accident
Naya Rivera was found dead Monday (July 13) following what appears to be an accidental drowning. She was 33. It's believed she passed away on July 8.
Rivera's body was found Monday during a recovery mission that swept Lake Piru. Due to poor visibility and dangerous terrain, it took a professional rescue and recovery team nearly six days to find Rivera. There was no life jacket found on the body.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, the body was found floating near a cove around 9:30 AM. The identity was not officially disclosed until a press conference, after next of kin were notified. It was confirmed that there was "no indication of foul play or that [it was a] suicide."
Watch the live stream of the press conference, below:
The actress was first presumed dead after she went missing during a boating trip with her four-year-old son, Josey, on July 8.
The Ventura County Sheriff confirmed that the 33-year-old Glee star had rented a pontoon boat for a vacation at Lake Piru, located just north of Los Angeles, at about 1 p.m. in the afternoon on Wednesday, July 8. Hours later, however, her son was found asleep in the boat alone, wearing a life vest.
Josey reportedly told authorities at the time that he and his mother went swimming in the lake, but that Rivera never got back into the boat with him.
After officials were notified of Rivera's disappearance, a search was launched immediately using drones, dive teams and helicopters. The search and rescue mission continued the next morning.
Just days before her death, Rivera shared a poignant statement on Twitter regarding mortality.
"No matter the year, circumstance, or strifes [sic], everyday [sic] you're alive is a blessing," she wrote on July 2. "Make the most of today and every day you are given. Tomorrow is not promised."
An actress, singer and author, Rivera was best known for her role as Santana Lopez on the hit Fox television series Glee between 2009 and 2015, on which she starred alongside Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale and many other cast members.
Rivera is survived by her and actor Ryan Dorsey's son, Josey. Her last Instagram photo, posted just a day before she disappeared, was a selfie of her giving her son a kiss, captioned, "Just the two of us."