#Naya Rivera: Body Found in Search for Missing Glee Star

A body has been found in the search for missing Glee star Naya Rivera. 

“A body has been found at Lake Piru this morning. The recovery is in progress. There will be a news conference at 2 pm at the lake,” reads an update from the Ventura Sheriff’s Department, via Twitter. 

The sad development comes after a search was carried out when it emerged that the actress failed to return a pontoon boat to the facility from which she rented it on July 8 in California.

Her four-year-old son was found alone on the vehicle.

The child is said to have told authorities that his mother went underwater at one point and never returned.

“[They] found her boat adrift with Naya’s 4-year-old son asleep on the boat and Naya was nowhere to be found,” the the same sheriff’s department said earlier this month, adding:

“This is an active investigation.”

“It is believed that Naya and her son were swimming in the lake near the boat and as they were getting back into the boat, her son made it into the boat and Naya went under water and did not resurface.”

Rivera’s son, Josey, was found wearing a life vest, but it was presumed the actress did not because an adult-sized life vest was found aboard the vessel.

“There’s a lot of challenges in a reservoir this size, at times with visibility,” Capt. Eric Buschow, of the sheriff’s department, said at the time.

“I don’t have details yet as to the depth of the area where the boat was found or what conditions they’re encountering out there.”

Authorities believed Naya to be ‘presumed drowned’ and the search changed to a recovery operation shortly after. 

A search and rescue dive team and a helicopter with a drone were sent to the scene to assist.  

However, it was later stated that due to low visibility in the area, her body may never be found. 

To be clear, it’s possible that the body found may not be the Glee star. More details will be released at the press conference. 

The search continued over the weekend, with Naya’s family getting involved. 

Rivera played Santana Lopez on the hit Fox drama Glee from 2009-15, and later went on to star in shows such as Devious Maids and Step Up: High Water.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.