A search is underway as officials investigate the disappearance of actress Naya Rivera, who went missing after a boating trip on Lake Piru in Ventura County with her 4-year-old son. According to reports, her son was found sleeping alone by another boater on a pontoon boat that Rivera had rented. The little boy told investigators that he and his mother had gone swimming, but Rivera never got back into the boat.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office called the incident a “possible drowning” and restarted search efforts Thursday morning. “We hope for the best, we prepare for the worst,” Deputy Chris Dyer told press members in a news conference.
Officials explain that wind is often a factor in the area where Rivera went boating. The lake is approximately 40 feet deep, and there have been a number of drownings. Rivera’s son was reportedly wearing a child-sized life vest when he was found, but an adult-sized one was discovered on the boat.
Online, people took to Twitter with memories and prayers for Rivera, who played Santana Lopez on Glee from 2009 to 2015. Rivera started her acting career at the age of four, appearing as Hillary Winston in The Royal Family. One of her former co-stars, actress Jackée Harry, uploaded a clip of Rivera in the show as a kid, writing, “Prayers up for the lovely Naya Rivera… Please God, don’t cut this life short.”
Rivera’s last post on Twitter was a picture with her son that read, “Just the two of us.”