Naya Rivera Dead: Body Recovered From Lake Piru

The search and rescue mission into Naya Rivera‘s disappearance has resulted in the recovery of her body. She was only 33.

The Glee alum was found dead by rescuers on Monday, July 13. This comes five days after she vanished. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the news to TheWrap ahead of a press conference scheduled later today at 2 p.m. PT.

It’s a gut-wrenching ending after Rivera was declared missing last Wednesday following a boat outing on Lake Piru in Ventura County, CA with the 4-year-old son she shares with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey. The young boy alone and asleep on the pontoon she rented, where Josey Hollis Dorsey revealed he and his mother went swimming but she never came back.

Officials had been assisted by side scan sonar, drones, dogs, helicopters, and divers in the rescue mission, as just this weekend nearby cabins had been searched to no avail.

After a continued search for days, the actress was already presumed to be dead from a drowning accident. As we reported, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s statement last Wednesday hinted at how she may have perished:

“It is believed that Naya and her son were swimming in the lake near the boat and as they were getting back into the boat, her son made it into the boat and Naya went under water and did not resurface. Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has asked for additional divers and sonar equipment for the continued search tomorrow.”

Captain Eric Buschow stated “all indications point” to the momma of one being dead, telling Us Weekly at the time:

“The fact that she was seen in the water shows there is a high likelihood that she drowned. The search for Naya Rivera will continue this morning at Lake Piru. The lake will be closed to the public while search operations continue. Dive teams from throughout the region will be assisting us through mutual aid.”

Naya Rivera and her 4-year-old — The last picture Naya posted to her Instagram on July 7: a photo of her son Josey. She captioned it, “just the two of us.” / (c) Naya Rivera/Instagram

The star’s ex-fiancé Big Sean previously broke his silence by “liking” tweets pushing for the search to continue through last night, while her former Glee co-stars asked for prayers. And it was just six days before her disappearance she shared a chilling, cryptic tweet about life being too short, writing:

“No matter the year, circumstance, or strifes everyday [sic] you’re alive is a blessing. make the most of today and every day you are given. tomorrow is not promised.”

Our hearts go out to her loved ones, especially her little boy, as they navigate this difficult time.

Rest in peace, Naya.

[Image via WENN/Instar]