A body has been recovered after Glee star Naya Rivera was presumed dead in a probable drowning accident in California on July 7. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department announced they were searching for her early on July 8 after discovering her four-year-old son alone in a boat that Naya had rented earlier that day.
Naya was best known for her role as Santana Lopez on *Glee.*
Naya was an actress, singer, and model best known for Glee , although she had made appearances on shows like Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Baywatch, American Dad , and RuPaul’s Drag Race . She had been nominated for a Screen Actor’s Guild Award, a Grammy Award, and a People’s Choice Award for her work on Glee .
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The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department reported on July 8th that Naya had gone missing.
After her four-year-old son was found alone in a rental boat, the police confirmed that they were searching for her in Lake Piru in California. Her son reported that they had both gone swimming, but his mother had not gotten back in the boat afterwards.
Her son is currently safe.
However, TMZ has now confirmed that a body has been found in the lake, presumed to be Naya’s.
TMZ confirmed that on July 13 a body was recovered from the water. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Twitter also tweeted that they were in the process of recovering a body found in the lake.
The police announced there would be a press conference at 2pm PST.
While it has not yet been confirmed publicly by law enforcement that the body recovered was Naya’s, this has been widely presumed to be the case.
Jane Lynch, Naya’s *Glee* co-star, tweeted a message of condolence.
“I am beyond heartbroken on the news due to the fact that she literally changed my life and gave me hope,” one fan tweeted about the news as well.
Fans also noted a sad coincidence.
The date that the body was found fell on the seventh anniversary of Glee star Cory Monteith’s tragic passing when he was 31 years old.
Some fans shared tributes to both actors on social media.
One fan shared footage of Naya’s character on Glee singing “If I Die Young,” which was a tribute to Cory’s passing away while the show was still filming.
Other fans asked for respect for the remaining cast of the show on this difficult day.
“This is so heartbreaking 🙁 they truly changed so many people’s lives and I’ll always love them both,” shared a fan .
Naya was 33 years old.
Our thoughts are with Naya’s family, friends, and loved ones at this tragic time.
Rest in peace.
Since this story was originally published, the sheriff’s office have confirmed that the body found was Naya’s.
“Based on the location that the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body, and physical condition of the body, as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area, we are confident that the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” the authorities stated .
