“Glee” Actress Naya Rivera Found Dead in California Lake
Authorities found her six days after suspending overnight searches for her body.
Actress Naya Rivera, known for playing Santana Lopez on the hit show Glee, is dead after a days-long search for her body in a California reservoir north of Los Angeles. The suspected cause of death is drowning.
According to the local Sheriff’s Office, Rivera rented a boat on Lake Piru with her four-year-old son. When Rivera did not return the pontoon boat, an employee of the boat rental company went searching and found the boy sleeping alone on the boat, local news affiliate ABC 7 reported. The reservoir, located in Ventura County’s Los Padres National Forest, has a long history of accidental drowning deaths.
Authorities initially told The Washington Post that they did not suspect foul play was involved and later suspended the search on the night she went missing, drawing widespread condemnation from the actress’ fan base.
“If Naya Rivera was white they would be searching through the night,” @tessaracts wrote on Twitter. “There is literally no excuse and they shouldn’t be relying on sunlight when equipment for night searches exist.”
Authorities said in a statement on Wednesday that the search was suspended because there was “zero visibility” and the conditions were dangerous for divers.
The search resumed Thursday as a “recovery effort,” Ventura County Deputy Chris Dyer told CBS news.
The search concluded on Monday morning when her body was found. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said that an autopsy would be performed on Rivera’s body.
The actress has worked in television much of her life and had roles in a variety of series including Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Devious Maids, and Step Up: High Water.
Rivera’s role as Santana Lopez, a bisexual character on Glee, was a source of comfort and inspiration for many fans. “Santana Lopez gave me something to hold onto, tightly,” @whembleysewell wrote on Twitter. “It is no exaggeration to say Naya Rivera changed my life.”
A friend of Rivera’s, Jaime Primak,replied to that tweet saying that Rivera was aware of the impact. “It’s one of the things she was most proud of,” Primak wrote.
In 2016, Rivera published a memoir titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, in which she reflects on navigating young adulthood.
Rivera is survived by her son, Josey; her siblings, Nickayla and Mychal; and her parents, Yolanda and George. A day before her disappearance, Rivera posted an image of her and Josey on Twitter with the caption: “just the two of us.”
Rivera was 33.
Update: July 13, 2020. This story has been updated to reflect the announcement of Rivera’s death.
Additional reporting was contributed by Jae Thomas
