A body that was found on Monday morning on Lake Piru is believed to be the body of 33-year-old “Glee” actress Naya Rivera. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference at 2 p.m. PST explaining that they are confident the body recovered from the lake earlier in the day is Rivera. The Ventura County Coroner has not made a positive identification yet but will require Rivera’s dental records to do so.
Rivera and her 4-year-old son Josey Hollis Dorsey rented a pontoon boat at Lake Piru on Wednesday, July 8, for an afternoon of swimming. After the boat was not returned at the agreed-upon time, representatives from the rental company started a search.
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They found 4-year-old Dorsey on the pontoon boat, asleep. He was wearing his lifejacket, but the other was found along with Rivera’s purse and identification. The boy informed authorities that his mother was helping push him up onto the boat but never came out of the water.
Authorities reunited the 4-year-old boy with his father, Ryan Dorsey, and other family members shortly after finding him. Dorsey, who was married to Rivera for four years before they divorced in 2018, was seen assisting with the search efforts along with Rivera’s father. Family members have been present at the beach of the lake every day since her disappearance.
Shortly after Rivera’s disappearance on the lake, locals started a petition on Change.org. Lake Piru is known for its dangerous water conditions, but with the lack of signage, it isn’t always known. The locals want signage added to the lake to inform potential swimmers of the risks.
On July 9, authorities presumed that Rivera had died in the lake. They turned their rescue efforts into recovery efforts. Police do not suspect foul play or suicide. Rivera and her son were the only ones on the security cameras loading the boat at the time they left the docks. They are calling it a horrible and tragic drowning accident.
If the body found is identified as Rivera, it will make the third tragic death of “Glee” co-stars in their 30s. The date of recovering the body is also on the seventh anniversary of Cory Monteith’s death. Monteith was 31 when he was found dead in his hotel room of an overdose. Mark Salling was found dead of suicide after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography at the age of 35.
More updates will be available on the story and if Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has found the body of Naya Rivera once the coroner releases their statement.
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The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.