Naya Rivera saved her son before drowning, according to authorities who have confirmed the body recovered from Lake Piru, California on Monday morning is that of the missing actress.
Although the remains have not yet been formally identified, Ventura County Sheriff William Ayub has confirmed they appear to match the description of the former Glee star, who disappeared during a boating trip with her four-year-old last week.
He also shared some new details with reporters during a press conference on Monday afternoon, explaining Naya’s son, Josey, who was found sleeping alone on a pontoon boat his mother had rented, had led investigators to believe she hoisted him back onto the vessel as the pair experienced some difficulty in the water.
“We believe that she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself,” Sheriff Ayub said, revealing the 33-year-old’s body was discovered without a life jacket ‘floating near the surface of the water’ by Lake Piru park rangers.
“We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” he said during the news conference, adding investigators have found nothing to suggest foul play.
The body has been transported to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, where it will be formally identified using dental records.
The actress, who played cheerleader Santana Lopez on TV, was reported missing on Wednesday afternoon after she and Josey failed to return their boat after its three-hour hire period had expired.
