Naya Rivera Used Last Bits Of Strength To Save Son, Authorities Say

After recovering Naya Rivera’s body from Lake Piru on July 13, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the actress used all of her strength to save her four-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, that she failed to get herself onto the drifting boat.

Ventura County Sheriff William Ayub told media reporters that it was “mid-afternoon” when Rivera disappeared. He believes that the actress used all her “energy” to get her son back onto the boat. Unfortunately, the “Glee” actress could not save herself and drowned in the lake, Page Six has learned.

Ayub also noted that their boat started “drifting” due to the current and the vessel was “unanchored” when the accident happened.

“There are a lot of currents on the lake that appear particularly in the afternoon. We believe it was mid-afternoon when she disappeared, the idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself,” Ayub told the reporters at a press conference.

Ayub also shared that the information provided by Rivera’s son gave them an idea on what exactly happened. According to Ayub, Josey told the officials that he was “helped” onto the boat from behind by his mother and when he looked back, Rivera was no longer visible in the water.

“[Her son Josey] described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind. He looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water,” Page Six quoted Ayub, as saying.

Rivera, best known for her role as Santana Lopez on the hit TV show “Glee,” was confirmed dead Monday after going missing on Lake Piru on July 8. She was 33.

According to Ayub, Rivera’s body was found in the “northeast portion” of the lake. He also revealed that he and his team identified “specific areas” that the actress visited and continued their extensive search there before recovering her body.

“She and her four-year-old son left the dock at approximately 1 PM and headed toward the northern portion of the lake. We identified specific areas they visited that day by looking at the shoreline features of the background of the FaceTime videos where she was chatting with family members while out on the lake,” Ayub was quoted as saying by Elle.

Rivera is survived by her son Josey, as well as her brother, professional football player Mychal Rivera, her sister, model Nickayla Rivera, and her parents, George and Yolanda.