Naya Rivera’s Tragic Boat Accident With Son Josey on Lake Piru: Everything We Know

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Naya Rivera’s Tragic Boat Accident With Son Josey on Lake Piru: Everything We Know

Five days after Naya Rivera was reported missing on Wednesday, July 8, officers confirmed that she was found dead in Lake Piru. Us Weekly confirmed that officers were looking for the 33-year-old Glee star on July 8 after she was late to return the pontoon boat. “It is believed that Naya and her son were swimming in the lake near the boat and as they were getting back into the boat, her son made it into the boat and Naya went underwater and did not resurface,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department told Us at the time. Rivera shared Josey with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey. The pair, who wed in July 2014, surprised fans with their decision to tie the knot just three months after her split from Big Sean. (Rivera and the 32-year-old rapper called off their engagement in April 2014.) The Step Up: High Water star later revealed in her 2016 memoir that she briefly dated Dorsey, 36, before she met Sean. “By the time we sort of reconnected, I was like, gosh, there’s a reason why you keep coming back in my life and we keep coming back together,” Rivera wrote of Dorsey in her 2016 book, Sorry Not Sorry. [jwplayer 6HgC8LrJ] Rivera and Dorsey’s marriage nearly came to an end in November 2016 when she filed for divorce. While they later reconciled, their relationship hit another rough patch in November 2017 when Rivera was arrested after an alleged altercation with Dorsey. After the actress subsequently filed for divorce for the second time, the domestic battery charges against her were dropped as Dorsey decided not to press charges. While their divorce was finalized in June 2018, the twosome continued to coparent Josey. The day before Rivera brought her son to the lake on July 8, she shared a sweet snap with the little boy via Instagram. “Just the two of us,” she captioned a photo of her kissing her son. As fans flooded the comments section of Rivera's post with positive thoughts, another one of Rivera’s social media posts went viral. “No matter the year, circumstance, or strifes [every day] you’re alive is a blessing,” Rivera wrote on July 2 via Twitter. “Make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised.” Scroll through for everything we know about Rivera’s accident — including the lawsuit her ex filed in November: With reporting by Marjorie Hernandez and Kayley Stumpe

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Naya Rivera’s Tragic Boat Accident With Son Josey on Lake Piru: Everything We Know

Five days after Naya Rivera was reported missing on Wednesday, July 8, officers confirmed that she was found dead in Lake Piru. Us Weekly confirmed that officers were looking for the 33-year-old Glee star on July 8 after she was late to return the pontoon boat. “It is believed that Naya and her son were swimming in the lake near the boat and as they were getting back into the boat, her son made it into the boat and Naya went underwater and did not resurface,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department told Us at the time. Rivera shared Josey with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey. The pair, who wed in July 2014, surprised fans with their decision to tie the knot just three months after her split from Big Sean. (Rivera and the 32-year-old rapper called off their engagement in April 2014.) The Step Up: High Water star later revealed in her 2016 memoir that she briefly dated Dorsey, 36, before she met Sean. “By the time we sort of reconnected, I was like, gosh, there’s a reason why you keep coming back in my life and we keep coming back together,” Rivera wrote of Dorsey in her 2016 book, Sorry Not Sorry. [jwplayer 6HgC8LrJ] Rivera and Dorsey’s marriage nearly came to an end in November 2016 when she filed for divorce. While they later reconciled, their relationship hit another rough patch in November 2017 when Rivera was arrested after an alleged altercation with Dorsey. After the actress subsequently filed for divorce for the second time, the domestic battery charges against her were dropped as Dorsey decided not to press charges. While their divorce was finalized in June 2018, the twosome continued to coparent Josey. The day before Rivera brought her son to the lake on July 8, she shared a sweet snap with the little boy via Instagram. “Just the two of us,” she captioned a photo of her kissing her son. As fans flooded the comments section of Rivera's post with positive thoughts, another one of Rivera’s social media posts went viral. “No matter the year, circumstance, or strifes [every day] you’re alive is a blessing,” Rivera wrote on July 2 via Twitter. “Make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised.” Scroll through for everything we know about Rivera’s accident — including the lawsuit her ex filed in November: With reporting by Marjorie Hernandez and Kayley Stumpe

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

When

Rivera and her son rented the motorized pontoon boat for three hours on Wednesday, July 8. After she was 30 minutes late to return the vessel, personnel went looking for the mother-son duo. Josey was found asleep on the boat at approximately 4 p.m. ET.

Credit: Ringo H W Chiu/AP/Shutterstock

Where

According to the Los Angeles Times, seven people drowned in Lake Piru, approximately 60 miles from Rivera’s home in the L.A. area, between 1994 to 2000. The lake has a surface area of 1,240 acres.

"The only thing I can emphasize is that if swimmers are around water, they need to wear a personal flotation device whether they know how to swim or not," Douglas West, the lake’s parks and recreation services manager at the time, told the newspaper in 2000. ”That will save their lives."

Eight years later, a 39-year-old L.A. resident drowned in the lake after he jumped in to save his 5-year-old daughter.

According to Ventura County Deputy Sheriff Chris Dyer, Rivera was familiar with the lake and this wasn’t her first time on the grounds.

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Josey’s Status

Us confirmed on July 9 that Josey is safe. “He’s in good health,” Captain Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department told reporters. “The family is going through a very traumatic time right now.”

Credit: YouTube

The 911 Call

Investigators released the 911 call made by an employee at the rental boat business. “The emergency is: We have a missing person,” the employee told officers, seemingly misidentifying Josey, who has long hair. ”We found a little girl in one of the boats by herself, and the mom’s nowhere to be found.”

The officers also shared security camera footage of Rivera and Josey arriving at Lake Piru on Wednesday.

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No Life Vest

While Josey was wearing a life vest when he was discovered by authorities, Rivera’s personal flotation device was still in the boat. Along with food, officers found the Devious Maids star’s purse and wallet on the vessel.

“When the boy was found, he had a life vest on, which is California law,” Buschow said. “There was another vest on board the boat for an adult, so it looks like she was not wearing a vest.”

Robert Inglis of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Team told Us that Rivera not wearing a life jacket likely played a factor.  

“The best thing that we can say that contributes to a lot of the drownings is when people go swimming and they are not wearing their life vests. And they jumped off the boat,” Inglis told Us. “It doesn't take much to get exhausted if you're not in shape.”

He added that it’s possible Rivera hit her head.

Credit: Ringo H W Chiu/AP/Shutterstock

The Search

The initial search for Rivera on July 8 was halted after approximately six hours at 10 p.m. PT due to safety concerns and lack of visibility. The effort to find the actress resumed at 5:45 a.m. PT on July 9.

“Multiple teams of professional search & rescue personnel are actively searching Lake Piru for clues to the location of Naya Rivera,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office tweeted on Thursday. “With over 80 people involved in the search right now, we are using helicopters, boats, ATV vehicles, and ground personnel to try and locate her.”

Deputy Chris Dyer of Ventura County Sheriff's Office revealed on Thursday that there were now up to 100 people searching for Rivera, including a canine unit as “cadaver” dogs are trained to detect gases emitted by a body. Several areas were searched last night with these dogs, but nothing was detected.

While the search halted for the second time on Thursday at approximately 9 p.m. PT, it resumed at 6 a.m. PT on July 10. The search is mainly a dive operation as of Friday, per the PIO. A diver can stay down for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, per officials.

Officers confirmed on July 13 that Rivera was discovered in the lake.

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No Foul Play

“There are no signs of foul play,” Deputy Chris Dyer said in a press conference on July 9. “There are no signs of anything wrong besides a tragic accident.”

Officers confirmed at Monday’s press conference that there were no signs of foul play or suicide when they found Rivera’s body.

Credit: Ringo H W Chiu/AP/Shutterstock

Recovery Mode

Authorities announced on July 9 that the missing person search for Rivera has changed to a recovery mission.

“We have switched to a search and recovery mode, but this does not change the efforts,” Dyer, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, said on Thursday. “It does not change the gusto, and we will push forward with the search operation. The goal is to bring Ms. Rivera home to her family."

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock

Working Together

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Naya Rivera at this difficult time. As search and rescue operations continue, Lake Piru and its recreation area are closed to visitors,” Lake Piru Recreation Area told Us in a statement on Thursday. “United Water Conservation District, the owner and operator of the lake, is cooperating with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department to facilitate access to all areas of the property as needed.”

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock

The Swimming Conditions

Sgt. Kevin Donoghue of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office revealed at a press conference on July 9 that officers are unaware of Rivera’s swimming abilities, but are confident she went for a swim in the lake.

“[Josey] gave enough information to investigators to conclude that his mother never made it out of the water,” he explained, confirming that “swimming is permitted” in the lake. “There’s really no strong undercurrents like you would have in the ocean, but sometimes the water can be very cold and hypothermic elements being in cold water could affect some people, but I don’t know that that’s the case here.”

Donoghue added they do not know the “exact temperature” of the water.

Inglis, a rescue diver, noted to Us that there is “no rip current” or “whirlpools” in Lake Piru.

Credit: Shutterstock

The Wind

The wind may have played a part in what happened to Rivera, per Inglis.

“What I suspect is that the winds kicked up. Those pontoon boats are very light, and when you push them, it can get away from you. She might’ve tried to swim after the boat,” Inglis he told Us, noting his theory is “all speculation.”

The diver reiterated that winds “kick up” at Lake Piru.

“And the boats start to get away and you are trying to go after that boat … you could get a leg cramp,” he said. “If you are wearing a life vest, you could rest and someone can go back and pick you up, or call for help or something like that.”

Credit: Courtesy of Naya Rivera/Instagram

The Photo

According to Inglis, Rivera sent a photo to her family from the boat on the day she went missing. “There was a picture sent to a family member that showed the boy on the boat by a cove. We found where that cove was,” the diver told Us. “It showed the boat either onshore or close to shore. It didn't appear that the boat was up on the shore by much. So they have a timestamp when that happened.”

He continued: “We have the location of the cove, and then we have the location where the boat was found. So we did send our dive members to those two locations and searched those extensively. As those came up negative and the deeper that we go into the lake, it starts to become more of a safety issue.”

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock

The Boat

Donoghue confirmed that the boat was not anchored when it was discovered with Josey. “It wasn’t pushed to the shore, it was found out on the water but how long it had been unmanned or without her operating it? We don’t know,” he noted. “I don’t think [the boat] would have traveled the whole distance of the lake, so that’s one of the things that complicates the search is we have to go with where the boat was found initially and then work our way outward from there. And when you’re talking about underwater and visibility that’s really limited, it’s a slow-going search process.”

Credit: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

The Visibility of the Lake

Donoghue explained that “where the boat was found” is about 30 feet deep, but the lake is murky.

“The visibility is not very good. So if you’ve ever watched an underwater video and you’ve seen divers in the ocean, typically the visibility in the ocean water is much better. So in the lake, the visibility is terrible. Particularly in that area, there is a lot of trees and plants and such that are under the water that can cause entanglements. Makes it unsafe for the divers and makes it more complicated for the search,” he said. “There’s some visibility, I don’t know to what extent. If I were to take a guess just from my own experience in the lake, probably 15-foot visibility if I were to guess.”

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A Body Found

On July 13, authorities announced that they found a body in Lake Piru and would be holding a press conference with more details.

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The Confirmation

During the press conference on July 13, Sheriff William Ayub explained that Rivera’s son told officers his mother helped boost him into the boat after they were swimming in the water. Josey subsequently looked back and saw Rivera disappear under the surface of the water.

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The Lawsuit

Four months after Rivera’s death, Us confirmed that her family is suing Ventura County, California, United Water Conservation District and the county’s Parks and Recreation Management for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Dorsey filed the paperwork on behalf of the former couple’s son Josey, now 5.

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The Accusations

In the lawsuit, Rivera’s family alleges that the boat Naya rented “was not equipped with a safely accessible ladder, adequate rope, an anchor, a radio or any security mechanisms to prevent swimmers from being separated from their boats.”

While Ventura County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office previously claimed that Josey was found “wearing a life vest” at the time, the docs alleged “later inspection revealed that the boat was not even equipped with any flotation or lifesaving devices, in direct violation of California law, which requires that all pontoons longer than 16 feet be equipped with flotation devices.” 

The paperwork also claims that Lake Piru did not have a “single sign anywhere — not at the entrance, at the dock, at the popular swimming area of Diablo Cove, not anywhere — warning of the lake’s strong currents, low visibility, high winds, changing water depths, underwater caves, ledges and drop offs, or the trees, brush and other debris that congest its waters due to the vastly changing water levels and winds.”