Police confirm Naya Rivera’s body found at lake where she went missing
A body found in the search for Naya Rivera is that of the Glee actress, police have confirmed.
The 33-year-old went missing on Wednesday while on a boating trip on Lake Piru in southern California with her four-year-old son, who was found safe and well.
Ventura County Sheriff's Office announced on Monday that a body had been found floating in the northern part of the lake and has now confirmed it is Rivera.
During a press conference, Sheriff Bill Ayub said police are "confident" the body found is that of Rivera.
There is no indication of foul play or that Rivera took her own life, he added.
Her body was found seven years to the day since her former Glee co-star Cory Monteith died aged 31 from a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin.
Mark Salling, another Glee cast member, also died in his 30s, killing himself in 2018 at 35 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
Rivera's Glee co-star Jane Lynch was among those paying tribute. She tweeted: "Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were. Love and peace to your family."
Josh Sussman, who played Jacob Ben Israel in Glee, said: "Naya, you will be missed so much."
Heather Morris, who played Rivera's on-screen love interest in the programme, was pictured holding hands with members of the late actress's family at the side of the lake, shortly after police found the body.
Rivera was best known for playing high school cheerleader Santana Lopez in TV musical comedy Glee.
She and her son Josey Hollis rented a boat at Lake Piru, a popular spot for swimmers about 56 miles north-west of central Los Angeles, at about 1pm last Wednesday.
The alarm was raised when the boat was overdue to return and the boy was found asleep and wearing a life jacket on the drifting vessel.
An adult-sized life jacket was found on board along with some of Rivera's belongings.
A rescue mission was launched but the actress was nowhere to be found. The next day police said she was presumed dead.
The search involved helicopters, dog teams and divers, who were guided by sonar equipment dragged across the lake by boats.
Investigators stressed the difficulties presented by searching the lake, including strong currents, dangerous underwater debris and visibility of 1ft-2ft.
Rivera became engaged to rapper Big Sean in October 2013, but they ended their relationship in April 2014.
She then began dating actor Ryan Dorsey and they married in Mexico in July that year.
The couple had son Josey in September 2015.
Rivera filed for divorce after two years of marriage, but they later called off the separation before finalising their divorce in June 2018.
