A body was discovered at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, early Monday morning after days of searching for “Glee” actress Naya Rivera, who went missing following a swimming accident at the lake last week.
“Happening Now: A body has been found at Lake Piru this morning,” the Ventura County Sheriff tweeted on Monday. “The recovery is in progress.”
The sheriff’s office later confirmed that the body was that of Rivera, who was 33. The Ventura County Sheriff’s office will hold a press conference Monday at 2 p.m. PT to address their findings.
Rivera went missing Wednesday after renting a boat at Lake Piru in California with her 4-year-old son. When the boat was not returned on time, rental stand employees found the boat with the child wearing a life vest and unharmed, but alone, and authorities began a search. Sonar technology has been brought to the lake given its low visibility, and today authorities say they have expanded the search to the shore and nearby cabins surrounding the lake.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office released two videos demonstrating the visibility issues. The first clip showed one of the remotely operated underwater vehicles being used to locate signs of Rivera, a floating drone with cameras on it, connected to a boat via a cable, which according to the department is being used in addition to “side scan sonar, dogs and divers.”
The second clip demonstrates how the drones are operated via a handheld controller connected to a computer, with footage displayed on an attached screen. As the drone footage shows, at a depth of 30 feet the lake is extremely muddy and objects can only be identified with clarity very close to the camera. See both clips here.
Rivera most recently appeared in the TV series adaptation of the “Step Up” dance movies, which previously aired on YouTube Red and will air on Starz for its upcoming third season. Her other credits include “Devious Maids,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and “American Dad.”
Monday marked Day 6 of the search for Rivera.
Happening now: A body has been found at Lake Piru this morning. The recovery is in progress. A news conference will take place at 2 pm at the lake.
— Ventura County Sheriff (@VENTURASHERIFF) July 13, 2020
Jennifer Maas contributed to this report.