What's Come Out About Naya Rivera Since Her Death

Feelings Drama

Transcript

00:00On July 8, 2020, Glee star Anaya Rivera was reported missing during a day out on a lake

00:06with her four-year-old son, Josie Dorsey. According to People magazine, the 33-year-old

00:10actor rented a pontoon boat for her and Josie to take out on Lake Piru in Ventura County,

00:16California, and aroused suspicion when her three-hour rental window went by and the pair

00:21failed to return to shore. The boat was eventually found later in the day, with Josie sleeping on

00:26board but no sign of his mother. A search party was immediately dispatched with the Ventura County

00:31Sheriff's Department tweeting that they were relying on divers and sonar scans to search the lake,

00:36as well as checking and rechecking cabins and outbuildings in the surrounding area.

00:41And analyzing the final photo Rivera sent her family. On July 13, 2020, Deadline confirmed the

00:47tragic news that following a five-day search, Rivera's body was reportedly recovered from

00:52the Southern California lake. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said his team was, quote,

00:57confident they had found the actor and an autopsy confirmed their suspicions the following day.

01:02Since that day, heartbreaking details have come to light about the star's final moments and what her

01:07son experienced that day on Lake Piru. We may never know what exactly went wrong on that horrible day

01:14in July 2020. While the Ventura County medical examiner was unable to provide many details about the

01:20lead-up to the tragedy, they did conclude that the actor's death was purely accidental, according to

01:25NBC Los Angeles. A statement from the county's authorities said that the official cause of death

01:30determined by an autopsy was accidental drowning and that the medical examiner's findings were

01:36consistent with a drowning and the condition of the body is consistent with the time that she was

01:40submerged. No traumatic injuries or disease processes were identified at autopsy. According to her death

01:46certificate, which was seen by People magazine, Rivera passed away within a matter of minutes.

01:52Sheriff Ayub later revealed that while Josie was wearing a life vest, Rivera reportedly wasn't. An

01:57adult life vest, which was supposedly meant for her, was found on the boat. The water was 35 to 60 feet

02:03deep in the area where her body was discovered.

02:06She was found in a northeastern portion of the lake, near the surface of the water.

02:11Following an interview with Josie, Sheriff Ayub shared additional details of Rivera's tragic

02:16death with the media. According to USA Today, the four-year-old told authorities that he and his

02:21mom swam in the lake together, Ayub revealed. Josie described being helped into the boat by Naya,

02:26who boosted him onto the deck from behind. He told investigators that he looked back and saw her

02:30disappear under the surface of the water. Ayub concluded that he believes she, quote,

02:35mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself.

02:40Speculating about what may have gone wrong when the pair entered the water,

02:44one member of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team told Us Weekly

02:48that not wearing a life vest may have been the biggest factor in Rivera's death. He said,

02:53They jumped off the boat. It doesn't take much to get exhausted if you're not in shape.

02:58Winds do kick up at that lake and the boats start to get away. If you're not familiar with the boat and

03:03getting on and off the boat, you can get tired just climbing onto the boat. You can fall back in,

03:07people hit their heads, things like that. Rivera and Ryan Dorsey secretly tied the knot in July 2014

03:14and welcomed their son in September 2015. Although it was a complicated relationship that ended when

03:20their divorce was finalized in June 2018, they remained close for their son, and Rivera's

03:25unexpected passing hit her ex hard. Initially choosing to remain quiet, Ryan broke his silence on

03:31July 25, 2020 with a heartfelt post on Instagram. He wrote, This is so unfair. There's not enough

03:37words to express the hole left in everyone's hearts. I can't believe this is life now. I don't

03:42know if I'll ever believe it. Revealing that he had seen his ex the day before she went missing,

03:47he added, Thankful for our times and our journey that brought us together and gave us the sweetest and

03:52kindest smart little boy we could ever hope for. Ryan went on to share a sweet anecdote, writing,

03:58I remember sometimes you used to get annoyed at me. Ryan, can you stop Snapchatting? I'm glad I

04:02didn't listen to you because I have hundreds and probably thousands of snaps and videos that Josie

04:07will have forever and know his mama loved him more than life and how much fun we had together as he was

04:13growing up. Our hearts are with them and we share in their grief for Naya's loss. In September 2020,

04:21the Ventura County Medical Examiner released Rivera's full autopsy report and official findings from the

04:26investigation and, as People reported, they contained tragic details about the actor's

04:31final moments with her son. The report made note of Josie's recollection of counting to three,

04:36jumping into the lake with his mom, then her telling him to get back on the boat. The report

04:40reveals, she helped him onto the boat and he then heard Naya yell, help, and she put her arm in the

04:45air. She then disappeared into the water. The autopsy report described Rivera as being a good swimmer

04:51and another report noted that she, quote, would have vertigo to the point of vomiting and that it

04:56would get worse when she was in the water. In November 2020, Ryan Dorsey joined forces with

05:02lawyers representing Rivera's estate in order to file a wrongful death suit on behalf of Josie.

05:07According to CNN, they chose to sue Ventura County Parks Management Company, which rented Rivera the

05:12boat, and United Water Conservation District. The plaintiffs claimed that the pontoon did not have proper

05:18safety equipment. The suit then goes on to say, there is not a single sign anywhere warning of

05:23the lake's strong currents, low visibility, high winds, changing water depths, underwater caves,

05:29ledges, and drop-offs, or the trees, brush, and other debris that congests its waters due to the

05:34vastly changing water levels and winds.

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