Glee Actress Naya Rivera Dead At 33 After Body Found At Lake Piru

Published on July 13, 2020.

Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File

Glee actress Naya Rivera has been confirmed dead at 33 after her body was recovered from the California lake where she went missing five days ago.

“We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said in a news conference Monday. “It has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal … our hearts are with them and we share in their grief for Naya’s loss.”

He added that there is no evidence of foul play or suicide.

Last Wednesday, Rivera was reported missing after she rented a pontoon boat on Lake Piru with her 4-year-old son Josey.

“He and Naya swam in the lake together,” Ayub said. “It was during that time that her son described being helped onto the boat by Naya. … He told investigators he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water.”

Later, he added, “We believe that she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself.”

Rivera is best known for playing Santana Lopez, a cheerleader and star glee club member, on the series Glee.