#Naya Rivera Found Dead: Beloved Glee Star Was 33

We wish this was better news. 

Naya Rivera has been found dead. 

The beloved Glee star’s body was recovered on Monday morning at Lake Piru, California, less than a week after she went missing, according to TMZ. 

She was 33. 

Rivera and son Josey rented a pontoon boat on Lake Piru on Wednesday, July 8. 

Tragedy struck just a few hours later and it emerged that Josey was found alone on the boat. 

A search got underway and continued all the way through the weekend. 

“[They] found her boat adrift with Naya’s 4-year-old son asleep on the boat and Naya was nowhere to be found,” the Ventura 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.”

Authorities stated on Thursday, July 9 that Naya was believed to be dead and the trajectory of the search had changed to a “recovery mission.”

“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.”

As such, the authorities admitted that Rivera’s body may never turn up. 

“It depends,” Donoghue said when asked about the possibility of the body not being recovered if that star did die by drowning.

“If the body is entangled in something beneath the water, it may never come back up. We don’t know.”

Naya’s mother, father, and brother have visited the lake in recent days to assist in the search. 

Authorities shared footage on Saturday from their underwater search, which helped to highlight the low visibility on the floor of the lake.

The search was expanded to areas beyond the shoreline on Sunday. 

“In today’s search for Naya Rivera, cabins and outbuildings in the surrounding area will be checked once again, as well as the shoreline,” Sgt. Shannon King said.

“This has been part of the ongoing search effort since her disappearance on Wednesday afternoon. Boat crews continue to scan the lake.”

King noted, however, that there was no evidence Rivera had left the water. 

Rivera is best known for her role as Santana Lopez on Glee.

After that show went off the air in 2015, she moved on to Devious Maids, as well as Step Up: High Water. 

May she rest in peace. 

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