US law enforcement authorities say efforts to locate Glee star Naya Rivera have become a “search and recovery” operation, hours after she was reported missing at California’s Lake Piru.
Speaking to news outlet ABC7, officer Chris Dyer of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said authorities are “presuming that an accident happened, and that she drowned in the lake.”
“I can’t stress enough that it seems like a tragic accident,” Dyer said.
“You come out here for a great day, and something bad happens.”
Rivera, 33, was reported missing around 6pm Wednesday local time, after her 4-year-old son was discovered alone and adrift on a rented boat.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said more than 80 people were involved in the search for the actor, using boats, helicopters, and ATVs to survey the lake area.
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
Specialist dive teams were deployed Wednesday night, but were forced to suspend operations shortly after sunset.
The Sheriff’s Office said the new approach “does not change the efforts and does not change the gusto” of the operation.
“The goal is still to bring Ms Rivera home to her family so they can have some closure,” Dyer added.
The Sheriff’s Office is expected to deliver an update at 3pm Thursday local time, or 8am Friday AEST.
Rivera was last active on social media on the morning of July 8, sharing a photo of her and her son on Twitter with the caption “just the two of us.”
https://twitter.com/NayaRivera/status/1280626721146826752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1280626721146826752%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pedestrian.tv%2Fnews%2Fnaya-rivera-missing%2F
