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.
Gabrielle Bernstein, author of 'Happy Days: The Guided Path from Trauma to Profound Freedom and Inner Peace,' joins Cheddar News to discuss her new book.
Cheddar's Azia Celestino sits down with Katori Hall, creator of 'P-Valley,' to talk all about her journey creating the Starz series and what viewers can expect in season two.
Cheddar's Azia Celestino sits down with actors J. Alphonse Nicholson and Shannon Thornton to talk all about the new season of the Starz drama 'P-Valley.'
Cheddar's Azia Celestino sits down with actors Brandee Evans and Nicco Annan from the popular Starz series 'P-Valley' to talk all about the new season and their characters.
Akbar Hamid, co-founder of People of Crypto Lab, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the company is bridging culture and crypto with new metaverse hub, 'Valley of Belonging.'
We take a look back at the amazing Asian American and Pacific Islanders who joined Cheddar News as they reflect on what AAPI Heritage Month means to them. Plus, Filipino-American entrepreneur Jelynn Malone talks all about Mostra Coffee and what makes it different.
Career opportunity platform Guild raised $175 million in a Series F round led by Wellington Management. Global media icon Oprah Winfrey also participated in the round, which comes just months after Guild was named one of Time's most influential companies. Guild partners with employers to help them offer education opportunities to their employees. Customers include some of the biggest companies in the world, including Walmart, Pepsi, and Disney. The startup's funding comes amid a historically tight labor market, with demand for workers remaining strong across the country. Rachel Romer Carlson, Co-Founder and CEO of Guild, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Day two of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee are underway on Friday in the United Kingdom, as the country continues to honor the monarch's 70 years on the throne. While most of the attention is on the Queen, brands around the world are also hoping to use the cultural moment to get the attention of consumers with limited-edition Jubilee-themed products. The Centre for Retail Research estimated consumers will spend the equivalent of $510 million on Jubilee-related expenses throughout the celebration this weekend. Hilary Fordwich, global business analyst and British royals commentator, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Lagoona Bloo, a New York City-based drag queen, joined Cheddar News to talk about Pride Month and her music (that’s TOTALLY giving Britney vibes by the way). "Something that drag queens don’t really do is sing," Bloo said. “I wanted to create music that I loved as a kid." The artist also touched on the serious matter of the spate of anti-LGBTQ laws being enacted across the nation.
