Officials fear that "Glee" alum Naya Rivera might be dead after her son was found alone on their rented boat at a Southern California lake on Wednesday, July 8.
Naya Rivera, known for her role as the fierce Santana Lopez in the musical series "Glee," has taken a boat trip ride. Together with her 4-year-old son, Rivera took to Lake Piru in Ventura County, Southern California on Wednesday afternoon.
The Ventura County Sherriff's Office found her son alone in the rented boat. The Sheriff''s Office first tweeted Thursday evening that they are searching for "possible drowning victim at Lake Piru." They announced that the SAR Dive Team and their PIO are on the way.
Four hours later, the authorities provided another update, confirming that the missing person is indeed Naya Rivera. They then called off the operation for the day, continuing the following day "at first light," Thursday, July 9.
The missing person at Lake Puru has been identified as Naya Rivera, 33, of Los Angeles. SAR operation will continue at first light. @VCAirUnit @fillmoresheriff @Cal_OES pic.twitter.com/bC3qaZS3Ra — Ventura Co. Sheriff (@VENTURASHERIFF) July 9, 2020
Officials told NBC Los Angeles that the incident is "considered to be a horrible accident." The authorities reportedly responded to a boy left alone on a boat at around 4:48 PM. Naya Rivera's child was found asleep on the pontoon boat rented some three hours ago.
The "Glee" actress earlier posted a picture of her and her son on Twitter. Her post, with 85K reacts as of writing, was captioned: "just the two of us." The post has since been flooded with fans praying for her and her child's safety.
just the two of us pic.twitter.com/wCunAlGJ1B — Naya Rivera (@NayaRivera) July 7, 2020
Authorities also explained that the pair went swimming. While the child had his life vest on, Naya Rivera apparently did not. Officers made the statement since an adult life vest was found onboard the boat when they arrived. Other belongings of the actress, such as her purse and wallet, were also on the boat. The investigators also found food.
Naya's 4-year-old child was from her marriage with her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey. Rivera and Dorsey were married in 2014, but divorced almost four years later in June 2018. Dorsey's domestic abuse against Rivera reportedly plagued Their marriage.
Her breakthrough with "Glee" and beyond
In 2009, Naya Rivera was announced to play Santana Lopez, one of the cheerleaders in the Fox hit musical "Glee." She was often portrayed as the cold-hearted and fierce foil to her fellow cheerleader Brittany, played by Heather Morris.
Rivera earlier admitted that she auditioned on the show for the chance to "sing, dance, and act all in the same show." She added that she was also a fan of Ryan Murphy, "Glee" co-creator, from his previous work "Nip/Tuck."
She appeared across all six seasons of the show, culminating in the finale episode "Dreams Come True" first aired on March 20, 2015. During her tenure as Santana Lopez, she also launched her debut single "Sorry," on September 17, 2013. The song featured her then-partner Big Sean. They started dating in April 2013 and announced their engagement in October. Rivera and Sean later ended their relationship by April 2014.
Aside from her career in the show business, Rivera also dedicates her spare time to supporting a variety of charitable institutions. Her work includes the Get Schooled Foundation, GLAAD, the Los Angeles Mission, and the Stand Up to Cancer initiative.
