Last week, former Glee actress Naya Rivera went missing after a purported swimming accident while out in Lake Piru in Southern California. Today, we received the tragic news that Rivera’s body has been retrieved from the lake and she’s died at the age of 33.
Four days ago, when her disappearance was first noted by the local authorities, it was said that no foul play was suspected. And now that the search is over, this has been confirmed. Ventura County sheriff Bill Ayub told the press that his department are confident that the body discovered from the lake is Rivera and there’s nothing to indicate that any foul play took place in conjunction with her death nor that she had committed suicide. It’s been noted that the current was very strong the day Rivera went swimming, which Ayub speculates may have contributed to her drowning.
On Thursday July 8th, Rivera rented a boat to spend time alone with her four-year-old son Josey. The authorities were then notified to something being amiss when the rental agency informed them that the vessel had not been returned after the allotted three hours. Rivera’s son was found alone and asleep with no sign of his mother. From conversations with the boy, it’s been ascertained that both went from a swim. But while Rivera was able to boost her son back onto the boat, when he turned around she had disappeared below the surface.
Rivera was today retrieved from the northern portion of the lake, near the surface of the water. Her body will be transferred to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy and positive identification. Her family were taken to her in a boat after her body was discovered.
Naya Rivera‘s Glee co-stars were also photographed gathering together on the shore of the lake to pay their respects to their friend. And in a particularly tragic quirk of fate, today – July 13th – marks the seventh anniversary since the death of fellow star of the show, Cory Monteith.
