Body of Glee actress found

US officials on Monday found the body of Glee actress Naya Rivera in the Californian lake where she drowned last week during a boat trip with her fouryear-old son.

Rivera’s body was retrieved and an initial examination found no evidence of foul play or suicide, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub told a press conference.

“We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” said Ayub, pointing to the location, appearance, clothing and condition of the body.

Her body was being taken to a medical examiner’s office for a full autopsy and confirmation of her identity from dental records, though no other missing persons have been reported at Lake Piru, he added.

Rivera, 33, is believed to have accidentally drowned after renting the boat with her young son at the camping and recreational hotspot about an hour’s drive northwest of Los Angeles.

She vanished last Wednesday, and a massive search involving divers, patrol boats and helicopters was launched after her sleeping son was spotted drifting alone in a boat on the lake.

The son later told investigators that Rivera had helped him into the boat before “he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water,” said the sheriff.

Ayub pointed to the lake’s strong currents as a possible cause of the fatal accident.

“The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting – it was unanchored – and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself,” he said.

About 100 personnel, including the US Coast Guard and rescuers from neighbouring counties, joined in the search.

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