Police have released CCTV footage of Glee star Naya Rivera‘s last known moments, as the desperate search for her becomes a recovery mission.
The actress, 33, is now presumed dead, after a search of California’s Lake Piru on Wednesday was unsuccessful. The alarm was raised when Rivera did not return her hired boat; an initial search of the lake found the boat adrift, with Rivera’s four-year-old son Josey asleep on board.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office have now released CCTV footage showing Rivera’s last known moments. She and Josey arrive at the marina, hop on a boat, and depart the dock heading towards the north part of the lake.
Authorities have also released the 911 call, made by the wife of the boat hire operator.
“We have a missing person, we found a little boy in a boat by himself and the mom is no where to be found,” the woman said.
Investigators believe Rivera drowned in what appears to be a “tragic accident”, Captain Eric Buschow said in a statement.
“Rivera’s son told investigators that he and his mother had been swimming in the lake, and he got back in the boat, but Rivera did not,” Buschow said.
A search team of 50 sheriff’s personnel, a helicopter, boat crews, divers and drones searched the lake for five hours on Wednesday evening, calling off the search at 10pm due to zero visibility and dangerous conditions for the divers.
Multiple teams of professional search & rescue personnel are actively searching Lake Piru for clues to the location of Naya Rivera. With over 80 people involved in the search right now, we are using helicopters, boats, ATV vehicles, and ground personnel to try and locate her. pic.twitter.com/o2bN5sQFms
— Ventura County Sheriff (@VENTURASHERIFF) July 9, 2020
“The search resumed Thursday morning with divers experiencing less than one foot of visibility in the water in daylight. The difficult conditions have made the recovery operation a very slow process,” Buschow said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Coast Guard are assisting with the search.
Meanwhile, Rivera’s former ‘Glee’ co-stars are asking people to keep her in their prayers.
