The body of Glee actress Naya Rivera was found Monday morning in the Southern California lake where she disappeared last week while boating with her 4-year-old son, authorities said.
“Based on the location where the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body, and the physical condition of the body… we are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub told reporters during an afternoon news conference. “There was no indication of foul play and no indication this was a suicide.”
Rivera, 33, had been missing since Wednesday, July 8, when she got on a rented pontoon boat with her son Josey Dorsey.
“He and Naya swam in the lake together,” Ayub said. “It was during that time that her son described being helped onto the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind. He told investigators he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water.”
The sheriff said Josey was wearing a life vest, but Naya’s had been left behind on the boat.
On Thursday, officials released a 911 call made by an employee of the lake’s rental boat business reporting a child was found alone in a boat.
Dive teams spent days searching for the actress, who had been presumed dead.
Lake Piru is a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest, about 55 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The area includes recreational facilities for camping, water sports and picnicking.
Rivera, who is a Southern California native, appeared on Glee from 2009-2015.
She most recently had a role on Step Up: High Water, a web series based on the Step Up film franchise. The third season of the series was recently picked up by Starz and the name was shortened to Step Up. On May 28, Rivera took to Instagram to share her excitement that the show would be airing on Starz.
