Glee actress Naya Rivera death: She mustered enough energy to save her son, but not enough to save herself, says authorities

The body of ‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera was found after five days of disappearance on Lake Piru. The body of the star was found on the surface of a Southern California Lake on Monday.

Earlier, Rivera’s 4-year-old son was found asleep and alone on a rented pontoon boat on 8 July, said the authorities. 

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Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said that even though an autopsy and official identification of the body are forthcoming, the situation and the location of the body suggest that it is of Rivera, as no one else has been reported missing in the lake. “Confident that the body we found is Naya Rivera.” said Ayub in a press conference. 

In the course of the investigation, the authorities also found out that the mother-son duo went for a swim in the rented boat. Rivera’s son told the investigators that Rivera helped him to get back aboard on the boat, then he just looked back and saw her disappear into the water, Ayub explained.

“She must have mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself,” Ayub said. Authorities claimed to believe that Rivera drowned in the river.

The lake where the incident happened is an hour’s drive from Los Angeles. The scene was searched by dozens of divers with help from sonar and robotic devices combing the bottom of the river; while helicopters and drones searched the surface.

The sheriff also suspected that the body must have been stuck in very heavy vegetation under water for several days before floating to the surface. The body was found 40 miles away from the location of the incident. Further the authorities disclosed that Rivera’s family has been notified.

Earlier, in the investigation it was disclosed that Rivera’s family had chatted with her via FaceTime, just before the disappearance when she was on the boat, and search crews watched the videos for clues, said authorities.

“It has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal. We share in their grief,” authorities added. 

Rivera was seen as singing cheerleader, Santana Lopez for six seasons on the Fox musical-comedy “Glee.”