USA TODAY US Edition

‘Glee’ actress Naya Rivera feared dead

- Jeremy Childs, Andrea Mandell and Hannah Yasharoff USA TODAY NETWORK

Actress Naya Rivera, best known as the snarky Santana Lopez on "Glee," is presumed dead after she disappeare­d from a rented boat on a Southern California lake Wednesday, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Investigat­ors believe Rivera drowned in what appears to be a tragic accident, according to a statement released Thursday by Ventura County Sheriff's Office Capt. Eric Buschow.

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, according to Buschow. The child is in the company of family.

Sheriff’s officials said there was no evidence of foul play or any indication of a suicide. They also said they believe whatever happened was an accident of some sort. Authoritie­s said Rivera had been to the lake in the past.

The physical search for Rivera was suspended overnight Wednesday for safety reasons and resumed Thursday morning, said Deputy Chris Dyer, a spokesman for the agency. Approximat­ely 50 sheriff’s personnel, along with a helicopter, boat crews, divers, and unmanned aerial vehicles searched the lake for five hours Wednesday evening.

By 11:30 a.m. Thursday, four dive boats were out scouring the northern shoreline and two helicopter­s hovered above in an area of Lake Piru called Juan Fernandez Spring, with divers experienci­ng less than one foot of visibility in the water in daylight.

The difficult conditions have made the recovery operation a very slow process, according to Buschow, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department is assisting in the search with divers and sonar equipment.

A staging area on the lake's north end had been created for search and rescue crews. Drones from the Sheriff 's Office were also being readied for the effort.

Drownings occur do happen at the lake from time to time, Dyer said. "It's not so often because the lake has been low so that has affected attendance," he said. "When the lake is higher and it's hotter at the lake, drownings do happen."

USA TODAY has reached out to Rivera’s publicist.

Rivera starred as Santana Lopez on the Fox musical dramedy “Glee,” which ran from 2009 to 2015. A Southern California native, Rivera was born and raised in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles County, approximat­ely 20 miles from Lake Piru.

She called her 4-year-old son, whose father is actor Ryan Dorsey, “my greatest success, and I will never do any better than him” in her 2016 memoir “Sorry Not Sorry.” Rivera and Dorsey divorced in June 2018 after nearly four years of marriage.

The actress was engaged to rapper Big Sean in 2013, but their relationsh­ip ended a year later. The pair met on Twitter and collaborat­ed musically, with the rapper appearing on Rivera’s debut single “Sorry.”

Most recently, Rivera starred as Collette Jones for three seasons of the YouTube Red series “Step Up: High Water.”

The day before she went missing, Rivera posted a picture on Instagram embracing her son with the caption, “Just the two of us.”

On July 2, Rivera wrote on Instagram: “No matter the year, circumstan­ce, or strife, every day you’re alive is a blessing. Make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised.”

Several of Rivera’s “Glee” castmates responded to the news, praying for her safe return.

“We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us,” wrote Heather Morris, who played Brittany Pierce. “We need your love and light.”

Actress Jackée Harry, who made a cameo as herself in season 5 of the show, tweeted, “Prayers up for the lovely Naya Rivera.”

Harry shared a scene the two shot together from Rivera’s first television series, “The Royal Family.” Childs is a reporter for the Ventura County Star. Mandell and Yasharoff are staff writers for USA TODAY.

Contributi­ng: The Associated Press

 ?? GREGG DEGUIRE/GETTY IMAGES ?? Actress Naya Rivera, known for her role on “Glee,” was reported missing Wednesday after her 4-year-old son was found floating by himself in a rented boat in Ventura County, Calif., according to CBS Los Angeles.
GREGG DEGUIRE/GETTY IMAGES Actress Naya Rivera, known for her role on “Glee,” was reported missing Wednesday after her 4-year-old son was found floating by himself in a rented boat in Ventura County, Calif., according to CBS Los Angeles.

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