Actress Naya Rivera is currently missing and presumed dead today after her four-year-old son was found along in a boat on Lake Piru in California.
The 33-year-old Glee star - who played cheerleader Santana Lopez in the hit musical TV show - had reportedly rented a pontoon boat on Wednesday afternoon, but just three hours later, another boater raised the alarm after finding Rivera's boat with just her son asleep inside, BBC News reports.
Police did find Rivera's life vest in the boat and believe that "she did go in the lake" for a swim.
Officials from Ventura County Sheriff's office say that they acknowledge that "this may well be a case of drowning". Her car was reportedly found nearby.
Police confirmed that a search is underway, and despite being paused overnight, would resume "at first light".
Ventura County Sheriff's Department Captain Eric Buschow told The Los Angeles Times that investigators arrived at the scene at roughly 4:40PM and found a young child "unharmed".
He added: "He's in good health. The family is going through a very traumatic time right now."
After the news broke, several of Rivera's Glee co-stars took to social media to express their concerns and prayers.
Actress Heather Morris wrote on her Instagram stories: "We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light."
Actress Naya Rivera is currently missing and presumed dead today after her four-year-old son was found alone in a boat on Lake Piru in California.
The 33-year-old Glee star - who played cheerleader Santana Lopez in the hit musical TV show - had reportedly rented a pontoon boat on Wednesday afternoon, but just three hours later, another boater raised the alarm after finding Rivera's boat with just her son asleep inside, BBC News reports.
Police did find Rivera's life vest in the boat and believe that "she did go in the lake" for a swim.
Officials from Ventura County Sheriff's office say that they acknowledge that "this may well be a case of drowning". Her car was reportedly found nearby.
Police confirmed that a search is underway, and despite being paused overnight, would resume "at first light".
Ventura County Sheriff's Department Captain Eric Buschow told The Los Angeles Times that investigators arrived at the scene at roughly 4:40PM and found a young child "unharmed".
He added: "He's in good health. The family is going through a very traumatic time right now."
Prior to being pronounced missing, Rivera's last Instagram post sees her cuddling her son. "just the two of us," she captioned the picture.
Another post, published six days ago, sees the 33-year-old tell her fans: "no matter the year, circumstance, or strifes everyday you're alive is a blessing. make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised [sic]."
Actress Heather Morris wrote on her Instagram stories: "We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light."
In the past hour, police have provided updates in the search for missing actress Naya Rivera.
Earlier today, it was reported that the 33-year-old former Glee star - who played cheerleader Santana Lopez in the hit musical TV show - is currently missing and presumed dead after her four-year-old son was found alone in a boat on Lake Piru in California.
Rivera had reportedly rented a pontoon boat on Wednesday afternoon, but just three hours later, another boater raised the alarm after finding Rivera's boat with just her son asleep inside, BBC News reports.
Police did find Rivera's life vest in the boat and believe that "she did go in the lake" for a swim.
Officials from the Ventura County Sheriff's office say that they acknowledge that "this may well be a case of drowning". Her car was also reportedly found nearby.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department Captain Eric Buschow told The Los Angeles Times that investigators arrived at the scene at roughly 4:40PM and found a young child "unharmed".
He added: "He's in good health. The family is going through a very traumatic time right now."
Now, in a further update in the search, authorities have confirmed that "over 80 people" are involved in the search to try and find Rivera, with helicopters, boats, and ground teams all involved.
As reported by BBC News, Officer Chris Dyer said today (July 9) that authorities would be "switching efforts" to a search and recovery operation. Officer Dyer said:
"We're presuming that an accident happened, we're presuming that she drowned in the lake. There are no signs of foul play, no signs that anything went wrong, besides a tragic accident.
"The goal is still to bring Ms Rivera home to her family so they can have some closure."
Posting on the official Ventura County Sheriff's office Twitter account, authorities said:
"Multiple teams of professional search & rescue personnel are actively searching Lake Piru for clues to the location of Naya Rivera. With over 80 people involved in the search right now, we are using helicopters, boats, ATV vehicles, and ground personnel to try and locate her."
In a follow-up tweet, officials added that specialized dive teams were en-route to search the lake. They ended the post by offering their "hearts and prayers" to the Rivera's friends and family. The post read:
"We have mutual aid for specialized dive teams en route from Los Angeles County, San Luis Obispo County, and Tulare County. We will keep you posted with any updates as we learn them. Our hearts and prayers go out the all of the family and friends of the Rivera family."
Another post, published six days ago, sees the 33-year-old tell her fans: "no matter the year, circumstance, or strifes everyday you're alive is a blessing. make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised [sic]."
Actress Heather Morris wrote on her Instagram stories: "We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light."
Last night (July 13), officials from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office confirmed at a press conference that the body recovered from Lake Piru was that of actress Naya Rivera.
The former Glee star - who played cheerleader Santana Lopez in the hit musical TV show - had reportedly rented a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son on Wednesday afternoon (July 8) and ventured out onto the lake, located in Ventura County, California.
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Speaking at the conference last night, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub has said:
"Today our search teams recovered a body in the lake. 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 - as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area - we are confident that the body found is that of Naya Rivera."
Officials added that "she was found in a north-eastern portion of the lake, near the surface of the water".
Ayub also said that Naya's four-year-old son was able to help detectives with their investigation, saying:
"We know from speaking with her son that he and Naya swam in the lake together at some point during their journey. it was during that time that she's son described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him into the boat from behind.
"He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water."
Naya's son was found sleeping and drifting alone in the lake roughly three hours after they rented the boat.
Following the tragic confirmation, tributes to the late 33-year-old have flooded social media.
Jane Lynch, who played stern cheer coach Sue Sylvester on the hit show, tweeted out: "Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family."
Glee star Chris Colfer took to Instagram to share a picture of him with Naya, captioning the post: "How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone?
"If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t. Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honor and a suit of armor. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be.
"Sending all my love to her wonderful family and her beautiful son."
And Kevin McHale - who played Artie Abrams on the hit musical show - also tweeted out a picture of him with Naya, writing: "My Naya, my Snixxx, my Bee. I legitimately can not imagine this world without you."
In a lengthy tribute, McHale added that he was "thankful for all the ways in which she made [him] a better person", and that Naya taught him how to advocate for himself and to "speak up for the things and people that were important".
Next, Glee star Alex Newell tweeted: "Now more than ever we must lift her family and friends up especially Josey! My heart is sent to them... Josey you are truly loved by every single person who loves your mommy! I love you Naya!"
The Voice star Bryan Salaz praised Naya, writing: "Naya Rivera. didn’t realize the impact u had on my life growing up, being the first POC, LGBTQ character I saw on screen. I grew up listening to [you] sing, being inspired by the girl on glee who looks like me & is unapologetically herself. you changed so many lives. rest easy angel."
Another fan wrote: "So devastated. growing up, GLEE gave me the strength I needed to come to terms with my sexuality. seeing characters like Santana gave me so much hope & courage. You helped an entire generation of LGBTQ+ people, Naya. A talent like no other. Rest In Peace."
In the case of Rivera's death, police added that they do not suspect foul play and that there is no indication of suicide.
A post-mortem examination will follow.
Rivera's last Instagram post was a picture of her and her son, Josey, captioned: "It's just the two of us."
In another post published last week, Rivera told her fans: "No matter the year, circumstance, or strifes everyday you're alive is a blessing. make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised [sic]."
Security footage has been released showing the last known movements of Glee actor, Naya Rivera, who is feared to have drowned after taking her four-year-old son out on a lake in southern California.
The CCTV video was made public by law enforcement after an extensive search of the area, which reportedly involved dive teams and helicopters, failed to locate the 33-year-old, who is presumed to be dead.
The footage shows Rivera arriving at the lake in her black 4x4, and taking her son from the back seat before walking over to the pontoon. It also shows her boat leaving the dock and heading out onto the lake.
The Glee star - who played cheerleader Santana Lopez in the hit musical TV show - had reportedly rented a pontoon boat on Wednesday afternoon, but just three hours later, another boater raised the alarm after finding Rivera's boat with just her son asleep inside, BBC News reports.
Police did find Rivera's life vest in the boat and believe that "she did go in the lake" for a swim.
Officials from Ventura County Sheriff's office say that they acknowledge that "this may well be a case of drowning". Her car was reportedly found nearby.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department Captain Eric Buschow told The Los Angeles Times that investigators arrived at the scene at roughly 4:40PM and found a young child "unharmed".
He added: "He's in good health. The family is going through a very traumatic time right now."
Prior to being pronounced missing, Rivera's last Instagram post sees her cuddling her son. "just the two of us," she captioned the picture.
Another post, published six days ago, sees the 33-year-old tell her fans: "no matter the year, circumstance, or strifes everyday you're alive is a blessing. make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised [sic]."
Actress Heather Morris wrote on her Instagram stories: "We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light."
Underwater footage has been released of the lake where Glee star Naya Rivera went missing.
The 33-year-old disappeared on July 8 at Lake Piru, California, while renting a boat with her four-year-old son.
The Ventura County Sherriff's Department has now released underwater footage of Lake Piru showing the poor levels of visibility.
Capt. Eric Buschow explained in a press conference on Friday that the department has brought in "specialized equipment," including a sonar system, in a bid to locate the actress's body.
"What they do is they go out and they tow these devices in the water that scan the bottom of the lake for any objects that might look like a body," Buschow said, per Fox News.
"Last night, they had a couple of images that showed up on the sonar that they thought might be promising to investigate. This morning, they sent an ROV, or a small robotic device, down into the water to examine those objects. Unfortunately, they did not locate Naya Rivera. They are still searching."
Buschow said the murky water conditions are "difficult", but the authorities are utilizing all the equipment they can to assist with the search.
"The visibility in the water is one to two feet," Buschow said, explaining that they were searching areas up to 35 feet deep.
Rivera's last Instagram post was a picture of her and her son, Josey, captioned: "It's just the two of us."
"We're still continuing the search and we appreciate everybody's cooperation," he said. "We know everyone's concerned out there about this case and locating her and providing some closure for her family."
Buschow said that he is confident that the 33-year-old's body will be located.
"It's very effective," the captain said of the sonar system being used in the search. "They get a really detailed image and they can go down and focus on specific things rather than putting divers in the water where they're literally feeling around because they can't see."
Her son was found unharmed on the rental boat after the pair failed to return.
"We don't know if she's gonna be found five minutes from now or five days from now so we're still going to be continuing this effort," Buschow said.
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