Glee’s Naya Rivera Presumed Dead After Boating Incident

Published on July 10, 2020.

Tommy Garcia / © Fox / Courtesy: Everett Collection

USA Today and Fox News have confirmed that Glee‘s Naya Rivera is presumed dead after her boating incident in Ventura County, California.

On Wednesday, July 8th, Rivera rented a pontoon boat and was swimming in the water with her 4-year-old son, Josey Dorsey. When the boat was overdue for its return after a three-hour rental, the staff investigated and found it at the north side of the lake with her sleeping son aboard. Rivera was nowhere to be found, however, an adult-sized life jacket was left on the boat that was presumed to be hers.

A search-and-rescue mission was launched at the lake, but when Rivera was not found, authorities stopped the search for the night to resume again on Thursday. When Rivera was not found again, authorities shifted their investigation from a search-and-rescue mission to a recovery one.

According to USA Today, volunteers in red rescue shirts and deputies gathered together at a dock. The Sheriff’s officials also noted that they were awaiting the arrival of additional dive teams and sonar equipment to further assist the mission.

Rivera’s friends and Glee costars have asked for everyone to make prayers for a safe return for Naya. Heather Morris, who played Brittany and worked closely with Rivera on Glee, wrote on her Instagram Story: “We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light.”

Harry Shum Jr., who played Mike Chang on the show, tweeted simply “Praying,” while Iqbal Theba, who played Principal Figgins, wrote on Twitter, “Oh God… mercy… please…” while sharing a report of Rivera’s disappearance.