Police confirm that Glee star Naya Rivera's body has been found
Tragic news
Last updated 13th Jul 2020
Following a discovery of a body this morning in Lake Piru, Ventura County Sheriff Department have confirmed they believe it is missing actress Naya Rivera. In a live press conference Sheriff Bill Ayub revealed they are "confident" that they have found Naya based on location, physical characteristics, clothing and absence of any other missing people.
News had broke last week that 33-year-old Naya Rivera was missing after her four-year-old son Josey was found alone on a boat in Lake Piru on Wednesday 8th July.
In an interview with police, Josey revealed that his mum had boosted him on to the boat deck from behind, and that he looked back and saw her disappear under the water.
The Ventura County Sheriff's office, North-West of Los Angeles, reported at the time that a search and rescue operation would resume at first light, following suspension of the search at midnight.
Just hours before she went missing, Naya, who is best known for playing cheerleader Santana Lopez in hit show Glee, posted a cute photo alongside her son on her social media accounts.
She simply wrote, 'just the two of us'.
After appearing in a number of commercials as child, Naya got her big break in the acting world when she landed the role of Santana Lopez in FOX series Glee, which she played between 2009-2015.
Following her successful stint in Glee, Naya signed a record deal with Columbia Records in 2011, releasing her debut solo single 'Sorry' with Big Sean two years later.
The talented actress then went on to appear in a number of movies, including horror film At The Devil's Door.
Earlier on Monday 13th July, some of Naya's Glee co-stars, including Heather Morris who played Brittany, had gathered by the lake where Naya disappeared. Amber Riley, who starred on Glee as Mercedes, had tweeted in defence of co-stars who had remained silent.
The sad news came on the 7th anniversary of the death of Naya's Glee co-star Corey Monteith, who played Finn on the show.
Our thoughts are with Naya's family and friends at this difficult time.