Naya Rivera Dead At 33: 'Glee' Actress' Body Found After Disappearing In Lake

Actress Naya Rivera, best known for her role as Santana Lopez on the TV series "Glee," has died after being reported missing on Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, on Wednesday. She was 33.

A body was recovered from the lake on Monday that is believed to be Rivera's, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department announced. The cause of death was not confirmed but is believed to be a drowning.

Rivera was last seen on Wednesday, July 8 after she rented a boat and went out on the lake with her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey. Hours later, other boaters came across Josey asleep and alone on the craft, which sparked search-and-rescue efforts.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff Department's Twitter, multiple teams totaling more than 80 people were searching for Rivera's body. They utilized specialized diving teams from Los Angeles County, San Luis Obispo County and Tulare County, as well as personnel on foot, helicopters, boats and ATV vehicles. The Ventura County authorities searched daily until Monday.

Investigators told ABC that the child said he went swimming with his mother. Josey was found wearing a life vest. An adult life vest was also on the vessel.

One day prior to her death, Rivera posted a photo of herself with her son, whom she shares with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, on Instagram. She captioned the shot, "just the two of us."

Officials said that Rivera was presumed dead on Thursday. "We're presuming that an accident happened and we're presuming she drowned in the lake," Ventura County Sheriff Deputy Chris Dyer said Thursday at a press conference, CNN reports, adding that they were still looking for Rivera's body.

The recovery effort took several days due to the low visibility in the lake. The Sheriff's Department shared daily updates, including a video of the murky water. They discouraged civilians--including "Glee" co-star Heather Morris--from searching on their own.

Although Rivera first gained notoriety as an actress and singer as a cast member on "Glee," her career began long before that.

As noted by Cosmopolitan, Rivera started acting when she was a baby, landing a nation-wide Kmart commercial campaign at 7-months-old before going on to star in the sitcom "The Royal Family" at the age of four. Despite the sitcom being short-lived, she received a Young Artist Award nomination for her portrayal of the character Hillary Winston in 1992.

Rivera continued to hone her craft as she took on various television roles and guest spots on shows like "Baywatch," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "The Bernie Mac Show," "CSI: Miami," and more until she landed her breakout role on "Glee" as Santana Lopez in 2009. The Fox series ran until 2015, and Rivera was included on many hit singles from the show, including covers of "Valerie" and "Smooth Criminal." She also participated in two concert tours with the "Glee" cast.

In 2014, Rivera made her film debut in the thriller "At the Devil's Door," followed by a starring role alongside Charlie Sheen and Leah Remini in the 2017 comedy "Mad Families."

She also continued her television roles with a recurring part on the third season of the Lifetime drama "Devious Maids" in 2015 and, most recently, in 2018 as a lead on the series "Step Up: High Water," a YouTube Premium series that is set to move to Starz next year.

Rivera dabbled in the music industry as well and received a record deal with Columbia in 2011. However, after the sub-par success of her debut single "Sorry," which featured her then-boyfriend and rapper Big Sean, the label and Rivera parted ways, as reported by Billboard.

In addition to acting and music, Rivera published a memoir, "Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up," in 2016 with Penguin Publishing Group.

After her high-profile relationship with rapper Big Sean, Rivera went on to marry Dorsey, who is an actor. The marriage lasted for two years before the actress filed for divorce for the second time in 2017. Their split was finalized in 2018.

Rivera leaves behind her son, Josey, as well as her brother, professional football player Mychal Rivera, and sister, model Nickayla Rivera.