UPDATE – Naya Rivera officially declared dead after body found in Lake Piru

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

UPDATE:  The Ventura County Sheriff's Department, via "The Hollywood Reporter", has officially declared Naya Rivera, 33, dead. The news was given during a press conference where it was revealed that her body was identified at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said there was no indication of a suicide or foul play.

This was the news that we were dreading although many held out hope that there was a possibility that Glee actress, Naya Rivera, would somehow turn up safely after going missing during a swimming trip with her son. "TMZ" is reporting that Rivera's body has been recovered from Lake Piru.

Ventura County officials said that a body has been recovered from the lake and "TpMZ" law enforcement sources have revealed that it is the body of the 33-year old actress. As of this writing, a press conference sharing the news publicly was forthcoming. This brings to an end an exhaustive search that began last Wednesday when Rivera was reported missing after not returning a boat she rented with her son that was scheduled to be brought back in three hours.

Rivera and her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, were swimming in Lake Piru when a positive family outing turned tragic. During interviews with authorities, Dorsey detailed that he was swimming with his mother and that while he had returned to the boat, his mother never resurfaced. Josey was found in the boat asleep wearing his life jacket with another adult life jacket on board. Other than the trauma of seeing what might have happened to his mother, Josey was unharmed and released to family members.

Naya Rivera made a name for herself beginning as a child actress and model. She landed her first big role as a child on The Royal Family at just 4 years old. It wasn't until 2009 that Rivera saw her first big break when she landed the role of Santana Lopez on the Fox series, Glee. Her character instantly became a fan favorite due to her no holds barred snarky tone and wicked quick delivery that quickly became a signature of the character. Rivera was able to show off her vocal skill on the Fox musical hit and this lead to her signing with Columbia Records in 2011. Rivera would play Santana Lopez on Glee beginning in 2009 and until the show wrapped its run in 2015.

IAfter Glee ended its run, Rivera acted steadily in films such as AT THE DEVIL'S DOOR and on the popular Lifetime series Devious Maids. Rivera was a co-star on the new series Step Up: High Water which was recently picked up by Starz for a second season after YouTube canceled the series. There is no word at this time what the show's creators will do about addressing Rivera's absence for the second season.

This is just a sad story all around and even though I feared this would be the otcome, there was a small ray of hope that she could've been recovered safely. A great many were optimistic and now they have to grieve the loss of a mother, daughter, friend, and actress that has left us way too soon.

Naya Rivera is survived by her 4-year old son.

R.I.P.