'Glee' star Naya Rivera found dead at Lake Piru in California; cops recover body after massive search operation

The body of actress Naya Rivera, best remembered for her role in 'Glee', has now been found in a lake in the US state of California, the police said. Earlier, it was reported that she had gone missing after being last seen on a boat ride with her four-year-old son.

The news conference has concluded. Sheriff Ayub has confirmed the body recovered at Lake Piru today was Naya Rivera. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and fans during this difficult time. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of her death.

— Ventura Co. Sheriff (@VENTURASHERIFF) July 13, 2020

On Wednesday, Naya Rivera and her four-year-old son were boating in Lake Puru in the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County, California. The duo had rented the boat around 1 pm, according to the Sherrif's department.

Approximately three hours passed when another boat discovered the boat Rivera was on, with only her son on it, alone and asleep. Upon inquiring, he reportedly told the authorities that his mother went for a swim and never came back up.

The authorities mentioned that while Rivera's son was seen with a lifeguard, she didn't have any. Helicopters, divers, drones, and remote-operated submarine vehicles equipped with cameras were used to conduct the search, and eventually, the divers and teams using sonar equipment found the body of the missing 'Glee' star on Monday.

After the body was identified to be that of Naya Rivera, Sheriff Bill Ayub of the Ventura County Sheriff Department addressed a press conference where he said that the police were "confident" that the body was of the 'Glee' star who was earlier reported missing. There was no indication of foul play, the cops added.

Shortly after the news broke out, Rivera's 'Glee' co-star Jane Lynch. tweeted, "Rest sweet, Naya. What a force you were." Another 'Glee' co-star, Josh Sussman, tweeted, "Naya, you will be missed so much."

On Instagram, Rivera had last shared a photo of her kissing her son while they were taking the boat ride.