Naya Rivera Is Missing After Son Is Found Alone on a Boat

Authorities are searching for Naya Rivera after her 4-year-old son was found alone on a boat in the middle of a Calif. lake

By Cydney Contreras Jul 09, 2020 5:42 AMTags
Naya RiveraMichael Simon/startraksphoto.com

Glee star Naya Rivera is missing after Ventura, Calif. authorities found her son alone on a boat in the middle of Lake Piru on Wednesday, July 8, authorities have confirmed

According to NBC4 L.A. reporter Robert Kovacik, a search for Rivera began on Wednesday afternoon, when the actress and her son, Josey Dorsey, failed to return a rental boat to the facilities after the three hours she paid for. Her 4-year-old son was later found alone on the boat. 

Additionally, NBC4 L.A. reports that the Ventura County Sheriff's Department stated that Naya rented the pontoon boat for an afternoon of swimming, but never got out of the water with her son. While Josey was found wearing a life vest, it is presumed Rivera was not as an adult-sized one was found on the boat. 

Ventura County Sheriff's Department Capt. Eric Buschow told The Los Angeles Times that investigators arrived at the scene around 4:40 p.m. and found a toddler "unharmed," but were still searching for the mother, who they did not immediately identify. Buschow said of Josey, "He's in good health. The family is going through a very traumatic time right now."

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The Ventura County Sheriffs later said in a statement that the search and rescue operation was called off for the night, but will resume on Thursday morning.

As news broke, Rivera's former Glee co-stars spoke out publicly on social media. 

"We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us," Heather Morris said on Instagram. "We need your love and light."

Harry Shum Jr. tweeted, "Praying."

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Rivera found fame on Ryan Murphy's show Glee, in which she starred as a high school cheerleader named Santana. In the years following the show's finale, multiple cast members have faced tragic fates. Cory Monteith died in 2013 from a drug overdose, and Rivera's ex Mark Salling died by suicide in 2018.

E! News has reached out to Rivera's rep for comment.