Glee star Naya Rivera has been missing and presumed dead for several days now. Last week, the 33-year-old actress had rented a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey. Not long after they took it out, though, Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies discovered the young boy alone on the boat and Naya was nowhere to be found.
Her lifejacket, along with her identification, was still on the vessel though and understandably, many feared the worst. Now, after an extensive search, TMZ is reporting that Rivera’s body has been located in Lake Piru, with the actress thought to have drowned. No additional information has been released just yet, but a press conference announcing the news is expected to take place shortly and we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as more emerges.
Of course, Rivera is best known for playing Santana Lopez on Glee, a cheerleader who quickly became a favorite amongst fans. She held the role through all six seasons of the musical dramedy and even snagged a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2010.
Her unfortunate death now marks the third major passing of a former Glee star, with Mark Salling (35) having killed himself in 2018 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges and 2013 seeing the tragic death of Cory Monteith (31), who died of an overdose.
Beyond just Glee though, the actress was known for her work in The Royal Family and several 1990s sitcoms, like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Matters. More recently, she’s turned up in various other films and TV shows, most notably Devious Maids and Step Up spinoff Step Up: High Water.
RIP Naya Rivera, you will be missed.