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."
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]."
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."
And Harry Shum Jr. simply tweeted: "Praying."
Rivera married fellow actor Ryan Dorsey back in 2014, and the couple welcomed their son - Josey Hollis Dorsey - in 2015.
The couple divorced in 2018, but maintain joint custody of their son.
