‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera’s body found at Lake Piru, officials say
Officials from the Ventura County Sheriff’s office confirmed Monday that the body discovered at Lake Piru earlier that day has been identified as “Glee” actress Naya Rivera, officials said. She was 33.
Rivera went missing at the lake last Wednesday after renting a boat with her four-year-old son. Her son was found napping alone in the vessel three hours after it was rented. He was wearing his life vest and another adult life vest was found on the boat, according to CNBC.
Rivera’s son told officials that the two had been swimming, but Rivera never returned, Capt. Eric Buschow said last week.
Investigators do not suspect foul play. A full autopsy will be conducted, officials said.
Over the weekend, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has had multiple teams of search and rescue personnel searching the lake and surrounding area for Rivera. The department utilized special dive teams from neighboring counties as well as helicopters, boats, ATV vehicles and ground units.
Rivera appeared in commercials for Kmart as a baby before getting her first acting job as Hillary Winston in “The Royal Family” sitcom when she was four. During her early career, she held small roles in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Family Matters,” “Bay Watch,” “Even Stevens” and “Smart Guy,” among others.
In 2009, Rivera was cast as Santana Lopez, a high school cheerleader, on Fox’s “Glee,” a musical comedy about a high school glee club. Rivera’s role was initially a minor one, however, she was promoted to a series regular in season two.
After “Glee,” Rivera had a recurring role on the third season of Lifetime’s “Devious Maids.” She also wrote a memoir titled, “Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up.”
In 2018, she took on the role of school administrator Collette Jones on the YouTube Red series “Step Up: High Water.” In 2020, the series moved to Stars and Rivera was announced to be continuing her role when production resumed.