UPDATED! Naya Rivera’s body was recovered from Lake Piru this morning.
Naya Rivera, who played Santana Lopez, a singing cheerleader on Glee is presumed dead after renting a boat with her four year old son on Lake Piru in Ventura county. She rented a pontoon boat at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, and planned to go swimming with her son. Another boater discovered the boy on the north end of the lake asleep on the boat in a life vest. In TMZ’s version of the story they claim the kid said his mom jumped in the water and didn’t come back up.
I wasn’t going to post about this at all, because it’s so sad. But I had so many unanswered questions. At first I wondered How they knew who was on the boat. I discovered that he identification was found on the boat. But my main question was why would she jump into water that only has 5-9 inches of visibility and leave the boy on the boat? That seems crazy to me. The boy is safe and healthy and with his father.
Also, this is the third Glee cast member to die young. Mark Salling, killed himself in 2018 at age 35 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Cory Monteith, died at 31 in 2013 from a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin.
The recovery mission ended at dark last night and began again at dawn this morning with multiple agencies searching the lake and shoreline.
I’ve been following this story all day. It’s just so sad, and, yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions. I keep hoping that she’s still alive. I’m glad that her little boy is safe and in good health.
She also had a life vest in the boat… Why wasn’t she wearing it? I hate when I hear how one small mistake or wrong judgment call can end up in tradgedy. My heart breaks for her son.
A lot of people do things they know they shouldn’t do, but take the risk for the sake of convenience. “I know I should have someone holding the ladder for me, but I need to do it now,” “I know I should be wearing my seat belt, but it’s just for a quick minute,” “ I know I should be wearing a life jacket, but….” ?
I am hoping there is more to this story. I know she has had some difficult relationships (dated Mark Salling while on glee) There have also been several domestic violence allegations between Naya and her partners. I can’t imagine anyone diving in and leaving a 4 year old alone for any amount of time. I hope this doesn’t turn out to be some sort of foul play. It just doesn’t add up to me.
This story just seems really off to me. I can’t imagine a mother jumping off a boat and leaving a four year old alone on the boat. And Naya LOVED that kid. Her IG is full of doting mom pictures wit her son. It just doesn’t add up.
It really doesn’t. This news has me feeling terribly off all day. Her son was clearly her world. My heart goes out to her, her family, and of course to her adorable son.
That is also what I read. I thought at the time “How does a 4 year old get himself back in a boat?”
Something strange going on here.
I just assumed they were both in the boat, and Naya may have just jumped back into the lake for a minute. I don’t think her son had to climb back into the boat by himself.
I think it was just a tragic accident, and no foul play. I wonder if when she jumped into the lake if she may have struck something. She could have dove into the lake, even though her son communicated it as “jumping into the lake.” Or maybe something medical-related happened. Maybe she had a cramp that immobilized her or maybe even a seizure. Very sad situation.
So after watching the news conference, we know now that she was swimming with Josey, helped him climb back aboard the boat from behind, and when he looked back, he saw her disappear beneath the surface. It’s devastating, this poor little guy. He’s almost 5; that’s old enough to remember this event. Ugh my heart just breaks. If only she would have had her life vest on. It’s such a dangerous lake… I truly don’t know why they allow swimming in such a place when the winds kick up the waves the way they do… and then with the current and the massive brush underneath. Oh my goodness it’s so sad ?
And her poor mother. I cannot imagine what this has been like for her. If you knew your baby was alone in the water out there, they’d have to drag most of us away from that place every single night. I swear I’d want to camp out there so she wouldn’t be alone. This poor, poor family ?
This is too sad and too weird … at least the little one is safe. But what about his mental,state?
The boy was asleep when another boater found him. I’ve only TMZ report he said mommy jumped in the water and didn’t come back.
That seemed strange to me also. If I jumped in the water and never came up I would think any of my kids at 4 years old would be crying and hysterical. Not sleeping. I hope they test his blood.
Why test his blood? I’m not understanding what you are insinuating. Not a dig. A sincere question.
If it was foul play I’m thinking someone would have given him something to make him sleep so they could take his mom off the boat. I think I watch too many true crime shows and listen to too many true crime podcasts! Thinking more about it I also think that after freaking out and crying and calling for me my kids would probably be exhausted. I also had thought that lakes had no riptides. I still don’t understand how they do but I’ve read that this lake does.
It doesn’t add up at all.
I read the breaking story last night. And was up all night. It’s just awful, regardless what actually happened.
Ooops sorry about that weird “name” up there. Not sure what I did.
I believe there are very strong currents in Lake Piru.
My heart breaks for her little boy…he must be so confused. Thank God he is with family.
I loved her Mash Up of Adele’s Rumour Has It/Someone Like You on Glee.
This is just so heartbreaking.
What sort of spidey powers make you believe that?
I also saw that info today in an article. 8 people have drowned there, too.
I was brought up surrounded by water fishermen, plus Ireland has the Atlantic Ocean to its west, the Celtic Sea to the south, and the Irish Sea separating it from England to the east, when I read the story I automatically went to check what the currents are like in Lake Piru as she was not wearing a life jacket
I guess 12 people have died in the lake in the last 23 years. Huge gusts of wind and deep channels of very cold water make it especially dangerous. So sad.
Lots of guessing going on here.
I just read that also. I live near the Gulf of Mexico so I assumed that or oceans have rip currents. I didn’t realize lakes did, too. So so sad.
Depends on if there is a river that feeds into it or not. We have some in my area that are fairly deep and have underground river feeding in and out of them. They are more like undertow than a rip current. The water can be smooth and glassy, but you can be caught up by a current if you aren’t aware they exist.
simple google searches will tell you it does not.
I wonder if they have any sort of warnings after so many drownings? I live on Lake Superior, which can be mighty dangerous, but down at the beach they have the warning level posted every day.
If Ninnyro’s “guess” is correct, that is one death every two years more or less. Not a high number at all. Drunk people fall off boats and drown all the time.
However, conditions yesterday showed a high of 16mph winds possible. This is not enough to knock anyone off a boat. Also if there were in fact currents caused by the non existent high winds, The water would be choppy. This further begs the question, if your guesses are true would a mother jump into dangerous waters and leave a four year old in the boat. Especially when there was a swimming area with a beach nearby? Also the swimming area would have safety flags up to alert to any dangerous conditions.
Yeah that’s not enough to cause much danger. I actually don’t think she jumped off, but maybe fell off? Being best case scenario. In her I couldn’t see anyone leaving a small child alone on a boat.
Yet the tabloids keep posting that the lake is notoriously dangerous despite any evidence to back the claims up.
Because everyone wants to know why something happened so the tabloids grab on to anything to get hits. I even fell for the lake being dangerous because last night it was one of the first things I read. But I never bought into her jumping into the lake for a swim with her child there.
I am wondering if the boat was anchored. If it was not, maybe the boat drifted on her and she couldn’t swim back? Maybe he was tired and sleepy so she thought she would get a quick dip?? Grasping at straws here.
In my previous life, I investigated child abuse and neglect cases. Not seeing that here. Nothing but a doting, caring mom from what I see. Then I wondered if someone else was involved? NOTHING suggests that is the case. They have video of Naya and her son parking and walking. I think we are all trying to explain something that may just be what it looks like: an accident. A really sad one.
Just been up for hours bothered by this. No idea why this is bothering me so personally. Just so sad. The whole Glee story becomes more and more tragic.
Is it possible she made a run for it?
It’s all very strange. ABC News said the four year old, who appears to be almost five, said they were swimming and mommy didn’t get back in the boat. How could a five year old get himself back in the boat. The same report says foul play is not suspected. Well, I suspect it. Why would they not be swimming from the beach?
I’m sorry – “i guess” was a wrong choice of words. I googled articles about that lake and one came up stating the number of deaths over the years, so no, it wasn’t just a guess.
I also read Naya was very familiar with the lake and had swam there previously. Who knows what happened. All i know is this is a big reminder to always wear a life vest in laddie bodies of water. I rarely do in lakes bc I think I’m a decent swimmer. Never again.
You’re right, it’s a notoriously dangerous lake. I’m a few hours away from it but I’ve heard the stories. It’s a man-made lake created by a dam, and part of the reason the visibility is so low is because it literally sits on top of like an entire landscape. There are full on trees under that water. So much to get tangled on, quite frankly I’m shocked they allow people to visit it at all. Plus with the wind gusts we get right around there, it can sweep the water up and knock her off her game pretty easily.
I think I’m one of the few- and I’m a stenographer who dictates crime for a living, ironically, but I don’t think foul play was involved here. Unfortunately it’s just too easy for something like this to happen on Lake Piru. What I can’t figure out is why this of all places would be her favorite to visit with her son? Maybe because it’s secluded? And maybe she wasn’t wearing her vest because she wanted to swim more easily without it? The boy is about to be five in two months, so I’d think he could give a pretty accurate account of what happened, but maybe he’s mistaken and she didn’t jump in to swim; she could have fallen in.
I believe it was the rental company that went out and found the boat when it wasn’t returned on time, which was about three hours late, so if I had to venture, I would say the poor little thing probably cried himself to sleep or was exhausted from the sun. Three hours is a long time out there alone for such a small thing. It’s all just so sad ?
Pennsylvania is quite a few hours away from Lake Piru.
I’m in California! Did I accidentally say I was from Pennsylvania? Because that would be weird since I haven’t visited since the fourth grade lol. No I’m about 2.5-3 hours from the lake
nope your IP says you are in Dolyestown PA. Do you have dementia?
Hmmmm.. lol I do not that I’m aware of. I’m only 35 but I am forgetful! I can very much assure you though that I’m nowhere near Pennsylvania, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. I can only imagine the kind of person you’d be thinking I am to make up a story like that though! That’s detailed! I’m currently in Clovis, California (Central Valley) but I work anywhere between here and San Diego… never Pennsylvania. Only ever been once for school trip.
The “nope” kinda makes me giggle a little bit. I’m here! I’m here! Cali both and raised
Ahhhh my typos make me crazy. Apologies… from California ❤️
You know what, I was trying to respond to Tuatha, but it’s entirely possible that I responded to the wrong person. I was trying to reply to the comment about there being string currents. I know the wind speeds say like 16mph, but it really does seem much swifter than that with the wind. I’ve been twice in my life but never gone into the water because my mother told me there were sharks and gators in our waters ? At 35 I’m still afraid of the pool vacuum. I’m like everyone else; I typically suspect foul play- probably because I hear a lot of it and because I’m also fucking depressed, but having been here and heard stories (my friend…. who incidentally suffered another tragic fate- he passed of carbon monoxide in a mine- came very close to losing his life on this lake. So that’s probably why the accident rings true with me
Disclaimer- I’ll happily come back and eat my words if I’m wrong. Well, not happily. It’ll be really, really sad either way.
Joanna — Great post. I agree with everything you mentioned. I, too, don’t believe foul play occurred. I think Naya may have dove into the lake for whatever reason, after her son was already on board. I think it was a very tragic accident. Maybe she was struck by something in the lake as she dove in (even though her son may have articulated it as Naya had “jumped” into the lake). Maybe she had a cramp in the water that immobilized her or maybe even a seizure. None of us know, of course, but I just don’t think it was foul play. And her son probably cried himself to sleep. I doubt he was “drugged,” as someone else was wondering. Regarding identification, besides any ID found on board, I think they would have been able to identify who rented the boat, as you need to show ID to rent. I hope answers are found for the family.
Thanks. I very much agree. Especially now that she’s been found, and thank God she has, I think they’ll be able to test her for anything like that and hopefully put to rest any drugging/kidnapping conspiracy theories. I can’t blame anyone for wondering though; it’s an ugly world out here and you just never know. Unfortunately this seems to be just a tragic accident.
This is so sad. I don’t see someone renting a boat just to go swimming with her small child when there are designated swimming areas at the lake….it doesn’t make sense. I wonder if maybe she fell or maybe it wasn’t an accident? I’m glad her son is okay and with his father.
My thought would be the designated swimming areas would have other people – if I was wanting to swim on a large lake these days I’d be wanting to be on a private dock, beach, or boat instead of a public beach.
and of course if you wanted to swim, you would leave your four year old on the boat alone.
I think that sounds more logical than “foul play” conspiracy theories. I probably wouldn’t take a 4 year old out on a rented boat by myself, period.
MAYBE if I owned the boat, was familiar with it and the body of water it was on… but alone w/ the 4 year old, I’d probably keep my life vest on as well.
I think it’s weird to even rent a pontoon boat alone with a 4 year old.
There are just so many weird things. I read on some news site that the boat rental employees went out looking for here when she was thirty minutes late returning the boat.It’s just all weird to me.
I heard this on the radio this morning. So, so sad. Her poor son. Tragic circumstances for her family.
I’ve been following this sad story all day, I feel so bad for her son and family, and I’m sure not knowing how/why it happened must be tortuous.
She must have inadvertently fallen in. I can’t imagine she would just decide to swim & leave her little boy in the boat by himself. Sad news.
I just Googled the geological specifics of the lake. It is a reservoir with a dam… presumably that means there is a spillway, and it is fed by a substantial creek. It is also SUPER deep.
My county has a lot of lakes, and I grew up going out on the Puget Sound. People don’t get that there can be strong currents underneath the surface of the water even if the water surface is calm. Lakes are tricky b/c they aren’t as predictable as a bay or ocean b/c at least there, you can check the tides if you know about that. You also have to be prepared for it to be COLD if its deep or has a river or creek fed current. The Puget Sound is COLD, even on a hot day (and visibility isn’t great – we dive in anyway).
I was used to it and liked it and was a good swimmer, so my dad let me swim without a life jacket under certain conditions. Kids with us who had never been and didn’t get the shock of the cold, etc., and he didn’t know how strong of swimmers they were? Life jackets for sure. We also pay close attention to the tide schedule when we vacation on the coast – we don’t walk the dog if tide goes out and the dog loves to swim.
This whole story is incredibly sad. Im praying for her son and loved ones. I remember Naya when she was a young girl on Family Matters. She had a rough row as an adult. R.I.P.
It could have been as simple as she was helping her son on the boat and he kicked her in the face on accident. We will never know. Rest in peace Naya.
Or he was napping and she got hot and thought to just dip in the water to cool off… and then got cramp or something.
hmmm maybe….
Oh that must be it! The four year old inadvertently drowned his mother because he was strong enough to kick her overboard. Why didn’t we think of that!
Lmao Hahahaha Hahahaha that’s exactly what I was thinking.
Or she slipped, just a tragic accident. None of us know what really happened. I’m still hoping for a happy ending. Loved her character on Glee. What a voice and so talented.
Not trying to be gross but maybe she had to use bathroom… could be a reason for going in water & leaving her son. I also read somewhere while police where interviewing the boy he said they were swimming & he got back on boat & she didn’t.. which does not make any sense how he could on own. Plus if a boat isn’t anchored it moves & obviously wasn’t anchored if another boater found boat drifting with boy.. why would u go swimming with no one left on boat id be too scared boat would drift away
Didn’t she have a really messy divorce with her ex. I remember her I think being arrested for spousal abuse. I could be wrong. I think maybe they dropped something out of the boat, she went in to get it and was not a strong swimmer. But for the son to just sleep thru it is crazy to me. I would have been crying for my mom. Very sad story.
Maybe he cried himself to sleep. Especially if he was alone for awhile.
It’s hella tragic.
I hate all these conspiracy posts.
Peace be with her, and healing vibes to her Son.
Thank you.
It’s horrible & I truly hope I am wrong, but she posted on Instagram last week about ‘tomorrow not being promised.’ Then her caption yesterday on the boat with her beautiful little boy before she went missing said ‘Just the two of us.’ That is the name of a song by Eminem about drowning a mommy in a lake. It’s very chilly to read the lyrics.
It was the very first thing I thought of as soon as I heard she was missing & saw her Instagram post. I pray this wasn’t the case.
Oh,boy.
The imagination runs wild with this crowd!
Let’s let her RIP.
Those lyrics are crazy. Maybe she knew something.
So very sad. And so many questions. I saw the parking lot video on our local news & noticed a fairly empty lot; she parked slightly askew – arriving around 1 pm- carried many objects (like a mom out for sporty day ) & they both walked carrying items away from the suv. Did she boat often ? Had she rented a pontoon there before ? How far away is this lake from her home ? Who knew she was going ? Even with social distancing why wasn’t another person with her. ? Doesn’t she have any help ? Sitter or nanny ? Wouldn’t her 4 y/o nap at that time ? Water is so very dangerous. Not something I would do solo as a young mother but I have respect for water. I read about this last night and it’s haunted me since. Thanks for listening/reading. Poor young boy lost his mom. RIP Naya
Im sure she was referring to the song by Will Smith, which was a remake of a Bill Withers song he made for his first born Trey.
? Sure. That’s why her immediate members now have private Instagram pages & they are discussing exactly what I posted above except in specifics. You’re such a dullard.
Well someone is. Please stop trying to spread stupid conspiracies on my site.
Got it Tamara loud & clear. I’m out.
If you want to pack up your toys and go to your beautiful home, that is on you . It is in my opinon to try to add on all of this that Daddy killed mama with ZERO evidenceis not cool, but whatever.
Seriously, that song is about Daddy killing mommy. And the caption wasn’t from on the boat. And basically nothing you are saying is in anyway accurate or helpful. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AN EMINEM SONG. That it something we know for sure. Stop making shit up!
About two weeks ago, I started watching Glee season 1 over again. I think this is bothering me because the Glee story was recently on my mind. My husband and I discussed it while watching it-Cory Monteith/Mark Salling. Glee is either on Netflix or Amazon Prime right now. It is still a great show with a tremendous amount of talent.
My family, we are lake people. We have boats, we love the water, we love the lake. Growing up if there were a couple of spare hours between school and dinner, we ran to the lake with the boat. Weekends we were at the lake with the boat, sick days (we got well fast) we ran out to the lake with the boat. When my older siblings moved out it was just me and my Mom going to the lake. She would even pick me up at school with the boat hooked, loaded and ready to go.
I don’t see anything unusual about going out on a lake in a boat with a child. I also don’t see anything out of the ordinary about jumping out of the boat in the middle of the lake to swim. Growing up we did little of our swimming at the designated swimming areas. That was the point of loading up on the boat, to go jump off the boat into the water in the middle of the lake or a nice secluded cove, climb back on, jump off again, repeat and repeat. We felt sorry for the kids who didn’t have boats and had to swim at the shore.
All our boats had ladders so it is easy for a child to scamper up a ladder, I haven’t seen a pontoon boat without a ladder either. When my children were young I didn’t work and it was no big deal to load two boys under 5 up with the boat and go spend a few hours at the lake.
We aren’t going to know what happened here, probably never will. In hindsight of course she should have had another adult with her. I am not buying the things don’t add up though, if a person has a certain comfort level with the water and boating going solo is no big deal. I am not saying it’s the smartest thing or safest thing to do, I am just saying I don’t find it suspicious in any way coming from a family of lake people. Adults and children did use life jackets, especially if we were skiing or boarding. If our bodies left the boat, we had a jacket on.
100% agree with you. I know nothing of this woman’s life since I don’t pay attention to celebrity stuff (other than here). It seems like a tragic accident. If she didn’t have a life vest on for a “quick swim” that wouldn’t be surprising. Especially if she thought she was a good swimmer. I don’t believe the boy sleeping is suspicious. Kids get tired, if they are out playing, out in the sun, crying, stressed, they just fall asleep. Mine have fallen asleep in many unusual spots. I think this is just a terrible situation and I feel for the little boy. Its so sad. RIP
Great post, MsCarlyTx.
New footage on TMZ shows she was not able to properly park the car. https://www.tmz.com/2020/07/08/naya-rivera-missing-boat-lake-piru-son-found-josey/
I am glad you mentioned the parking. That was the first thing I noticed. That whole big parking lot and she couldn’t/didn’t park between the lines. I thought it was weird. So tragic on all levels.
Sorry but I am wondering a lot of bad things. I have been having a lot of nightmares. But who doesn’t hold a four year old’s hand when crossing water? I’m very curious about the autopsy that probably will not be released.
And why would a four year old just take a nap when “Mommy went in the water and didn’t come back?” I have so many questions about this.
I have a lot of questions too. When I first heard the news I know what my gut told me but I am hoping it was just an accidental drowning. I just have a very weird strong gut instinct to all kinds of things and it’s usually right but maybe it’s not this time. 🙁
I think the same. But that may just be because I am so despondent myself.
I think it’s normal to question a tragedy like this. My gut instinct isn’t set on this being an accident either. I too noticed the park job; letting the son trail behind on the dock, etc. I also thought it was a bit odd they were solo – most people go boating in groups. I’d never take one of my kids out on a boat solo. Seems like a lot of work for a 3 hour trip.
It’s just tragic. I think we are all heartbroken and confused. But all coming from the same place of sadness if that makes sense.
Also, speaking for myself, I’m just angry about a lot of things I can’t control right now. I think we are all frustrated and doing the best we can. I know I am sleeping a lot now…avoiding…
Could it be possible one of her son’s favorite toys or a ball fell Into the water and she went in to retrieve it?
I mean it could be …but none of the theories seem plausible.
Just so heart breaking…. https://www.tmz.com/2020/07/11/naya-rivera-mother-cries-knees-lake-piru-dock-brother-still-missing/
this broke my heart, along with the Dad running into the water. Can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through.
A body was found early today, Mon. July 13 near where police think she last was swimming. Police plan conference at 2PT.