On Wednesday, Glee Actress #NayaRivera was reported missing after taking a trip with her 4-year-old son, Josey, to Lake Piru in Ventura, California. Rivera is presumed to be dead.
Before the 33-year-old star’s disappearance, she rented a pontoon boat and went swimming with her son in the lake. When she did not return the boat within the three-hour rental period, the staff located it on the north side of the lake. Josey was found alone and asleep aboard.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office released additional details in a press release, which said Josey told investigators that his mother did not get back on the boat after she went swimming in the lake.
“Rivera’s son told investigators that he and his mother had been swimming in the lake, and he got back in the boat, but Rivera did not,” reads the press release that was released Thursday.
People spoke with Sergeant Kevin Donoghue of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and was told that based on their interview with Josey and the information he provided, the department is “confident she is still in the water.”
A search and rescue team was sent out on Wednesday, but on Thursday the operation shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery mission. It is presumed that Rivera drowned.
“Investigators believe Rivera drowned in what appears to be a tragic accident,” the press release reads.
Rivera shares her son with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, 36, who has since been spotted by the Daily Mail holding their son Josey. Authorities say the boy “is in good health.”
At this time, there is no evidence that Rivera’s body has made it to shore, which leads them to believe she has drowned. Emergency responders have searched the “shoreline for any clues whatsoever, any personal items, any footprints, anything that would indicate that she made it out of the water and because of the absence of those clues, that is why the focus of the search right now is in the water,” Donoghue said.
“The entire shoreline and surface of the lake were thoroughly searched. Divers also searched underwater in the area where the boat had last been seen. However, there was no sign of Rivera,” the press release states regarding Rivera’s Wednesday search. Officials also say a life jacket was found on the boat.
“We don’t know if that just meant it was hers or if that was an extra life vest on the boat. But seemingly, if she was somehow incapacitated and she had a life jacket, we would find her floating. Clearly, she is not.” he added.
Donoghue says Rivera may have suffered a medical episode, but they do not know and will not know until they find her. Police are still trying to figure out the timeline of when Rivera and her son separated.
“We don’t know if the boy had been sleeping there for an hour or five minutes. She really could have been anywhere on a large portion of the lake,” Donoghue shared.
During Thursday’s press conference, Donoghue stated that Rivera’s body could be “entangled in something underneath the water” if so, it may not ever come up. He also discussed the complications of searching in Lake Piru’s conditions, the visibility “is not very good, it’s terrible.” These conditions have made the recovery process difficult and very slow, but the search still continues.
“Approximately 100 personnel are participating in the mission on Thursday, including resources from neighboring counties and the United States Coast Guard,” the release reads.
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