‘Glee’ Actress Naya Rivera Is Missing at a California Lake
Naya Rivera, best known for her role of Santana Lopez in the hit Fox series Glee, has gone missing at a lake in Ventura County, CA. The 33 year-old actress and her four year-old son were visiting Lake Piru on Wednesday afternoon, when Rivera reportedly vanished. The two had rented a pontoon boat, and were seen going out on the lake together by Sheriff’s Capt. Eric Buschow, according to CNN. Three hours later, the boat was found by another lake visitor, with Rivera’s child asleep inside.
Deputy Chris Dyer recalled that the boat was discovered at the north end of the lake, where the water runs as deep as 40 feet. Rivera’s son was wearing his child-sized life vest, and there was also an adult-sized life vest found onboard. Search efforts have continued at the lake and the surrounding area, but the incident may be a “possible drowning,” said Dyer. Buschow confirms that Rivera’s son said that they had gone swimming, but his mother did not get back on the boat.
Rivera appeared on Glee for all six seasons of the show, appearing in nearly every episode. This tragic accident isn’t the first to befall Glee — Cory Monteith, known as the lovable jock Finn Hudson on the show, died of an accidental drug overdose in July of 2013 after a several year battle with substance abuse. In January of 2018, Mark Salling (Noah "Puck" Puckerman) was pronounced dead by suicide after being found guilty of child pornography possession months prior.
Several of the musical dramedy’s cast members, including Heather Morris and Harry Shum Jr., took to social media asking for prayers for Rivera’s return. “We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us," Morris wrote in her Instagram story. “We need your love and light.”
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