In this Jan. 13, 2018, file photo, Naya Rivera participates in the "Step Up: High Water" panel during the YouTube Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif.
Updated 5:17 pm ET
The body of Glee star Naya Rivera was found Monday at a Southern California lake, authorities said.
Ventura County Sheriff's officials confirmed at an afternoon news conference that the body that search crews found floating in the northeast corner of Lake Piru earlier in the day was the 33-year-old Rivera.
The discovery came five days after the 33-year-old Rivera disappeared on Lake Piru, where her son was found July 8 asleep and alone on a rented pontoon boat, authorities said.
Authorities said the following day that they believed Rivera had drowned, and they had shifted to working to find her body rather than find her alive.
The body was flown 40 miles (64 kilometers) to the coroner's office in Ventura, where an autopsy would be conducted, Sheriff's Capt. Eric Buschow said. Rivera's family has been notified of the discovery.
The lake an hour's drive from Los Angeles was searched by dozens of divers working in waters with little visibility, with help from sonar and robotic devices combing the bottom and helicopters and drones searching above.
"I can't imagine what it's like for her parents, her family," Buschow said. "It takes an emotional toll on the search teams too."
Rivera played singing cheerleader Santana Lopez for six seasons on the Fox musical-comedy Glee.
She is the third major cast member from the show to die in their 30s.
The confirmation of her death comes seven years to the day after co-star Cory Monteith died at 31 from a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin, with the series losing one of its leads while it was still on the air.
Another co-star, Mark Salling, who Rivera dated at one point, killed himself in 2018 at age 35 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
Rivera had experience boating on the lake in Los Padres National Forest, authorities said.
Surveillance video shows Rivera and her son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, leaving on the rented boat.
When the boat failed to return, its vendor found the vessel drifting in the northern end of the lake late Wednesday afternoon with the boy asleep on board, about three hours after it was first taken out. The boy told investigators that he and his mother had been swimming and he got back into the boat but she didn't, according to a sheriff's office statement.
The boy was wearing a life vest, and another life jacket was found in the boat along with Rivera's purse and identification.
The boy, Rivera's son from her marriage to actor Ryan Dorsey, was safe and healthy and quickly reunited with family members after he was found, authorities said.
His parents divorced in 2018 after nearly four years of marriage.
The most recent tweet on Rivera's account, from the day before her death, read "just the two of us" along with a photo of her and her son.
Many brands and industries are announcing their predictions for new trends to watch in 2022. According to Forbes, cooking robots and plant-based meat are just some of the many food trends that are expected to dominate. Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
YouTube star and dancer JoJo Siwa and mom Jess Siwa joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about their show "Dance Pop Revolution" alongside their girl-group XOMG Pop who were formed from the show's competitors. JoJo, who got her own start on Lifetime's "Dance Moms," talked about the differences between competing at such a young age to having the opportunity to executive produce her own project. She also talked about her time on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and competing as the franchise's first same-sex couple.
Boxed, an e-commerce grocery platform that sells bulk consumables to businesses and household customers, began trading under the ticket symbol "BOXD" after completing a transaction with SPAC Seven Oaks Acquisition. Chieh Huang, co-founder and CEO of Boxed joins Cheddar News to talk about the company's growth.
Live music took a big hit last year, and many artists had to cancel or postpone their tours to 2022. Many partnered with the graphic novel company Z2 Comics to make money by creating unique comic book stories. Josh Bernstein, executive vice president of Z2 Comics, and Sridhar Reddy, founder and publisher at Z2 Comics, join Cheddar News to talk about the company's popularity.
On this episode of Your Future Home, Ryan Trudell, VP of Landscape Architecture, Creative Environments, breaks down factors that have led homeowners to become wearier of their living spaces, driving greater demand for outdoor living experiences; Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, discusses ways new homeowners can protect their budget and restore some peace of mind—even if they’ve made the decision to waive an inspection; Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know about how to properly winterize your home.
Not only do outdoor living environments increase the number of spaces you now have for entertainment, but you will see a high return on investment and add value to your home. Ryan Trudell, VP of Landscape Architecture, Creative Environments, joins Your Future Home to break down factors that have led homeowners to become wearier of their living spaces, driving greater demand for outdoor living experiences.
Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, joins Your Future Home to discuss ways new homeowners can protect their budget and restore some peace of mind—even if they’ve made the decision to waive an inspection.
